On LEADERSHIP first
Leading up to the new decade, the biggest shift in my personal understanding of business was my approach to leadership style. In my past life as a professional athlete I clearly saw the importance of this key element. Most of the times it would not be the most skilled team that would win but the team that was most driven and unified. In business, it's no different. We are constantly creating teams be that within or outside of your organization. And the leadership that is at the helm has such a profound influence on the rest of the team.
Walking into the door of a business as a consultant is always a tricky situation. Yet when I met with the crew from Taquiza Tacos for the first time, the synergy seemed to settle in effortlessly. There was a unifying purpose to achieve something bigger and special. And that, we did. Over 3 months we worked hard and most importantly collaboratively to bring the UNTITLEDx Taquiza project to life. The purpose was to create a Culinary Pop Up within the infamous art fair and make it an approachable experience. We analyzed work of previous operators, prepared designs & projections, engineered menus & organized logistics. Most importantly a circle of trust was created where opinions were welcomed and challenged and the conversation was never limited to one individual.
No matter how much we prepped on paper though, we were in for a lengthy and tiring week. We hosted over 40000 guests at the fair and created the FIRST "Fair Art Fair" food & beverage experience that was delicious, speedy & fairly priced. We even made it on the Culture Cursaders "Top 10 Miami Art Week Experiences". But most importantly we set the precedent that "putting people not numbers first" works. It is the team behind the project (look out for an insta report on our page in the next couple of days) that made the experience possible and all thanks to the thoughtful leadership behind Taquiza Tacos.
On GRATITUDE
Just one of the many elements that I have to be grateful for this past year is the team above. But I am equally as grateful to the new relationships that we built over this past year and we look forward to supporting in the years to come. We are grateful to the clients that entrusted in us to bring their event experiences to life. Grateful for our industry peers and partners that work alongside in unison. Of course, Miami, that keeps amazing us with the growing community of thoughtful leaders and organizations that care to make a difference. Finally, grateful for Catherine Vallin, the tireless partner that always has my back.
As always,
We respect you | We do what we say | We always have your back
Alexander Lipin
Chief Experience Officer
Hospitality & Culinary Collective
786.353.5313