Meet Iman Rosario | Destination Event Extraordinaire

We had the good fortune of connecting with Iman Rosario and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Iman, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is the main action that I constantly do that has taken me to the point of starting a successful business. Risks are essential to finding out exactly what you want to do within your life both professionally and personally.

It started in college with taking a risk to go to the University of Arizona to try and walk on to the athletic department’s soccer team. After making the team and then getting cut, I was left still wanting to be within athletics. I then saw that the women’s basketball team was hiring for student managers. After taking a risk to get a job where over a 100 applicants applied, I was able to secure the open position. This was the start of the snowball affect for all my future decisions. After getting this highly wanted position, I was able to gain the confidence and management skills that I would need after graduation college when entering into the real world.

After graduation, I was originally going to become a teacher. Once I graduated, I quit a teaching position that I had within my first year of leaving Arizona and got an internship in radio because WHY NOT…this risk taking of starting a new career then started to lead me to meet people within my next career, catering and events.

After getting a position with a catering company in San Diego, I started to fall in love more with event planning and behind the scene operations. Within my first year at this company, I took a risk to go to the companies’ owner to apply for the open position to manage our first event venue. Without any true experience managing and selling an event venue, my then boss trusted me with the position and that is where my event career took off.

I was at this company for 10 years when I wanted to officially cut ties, sell all of my items and get a job in New York City. With strategic planning, I moved to Brooklyn with no job and only a place to live with a close friend. Within a week, I was able to find multiple job offers that landed me as a Private Events and Catering Manager working for a fashion and entertainment production studio. After a year and a half working in New York, covid hit. I still continued to work remotely for the company but then decided to road trip back out to San Diego in May 2020. Once I hit San Diego, I decided to then quit my fancy Manhattan job and move back to the west coast. With no job prospects in sight, I choose to take my side hustle company seriously that I started in New York, IMAN LEE EVENTS. Within the first few months, my bookings grew tremendously and now I am fully sold out for 2022 bookings and already booking 2023 with events all over the Southern California Area, Colorado and New York.

Without taking all of my past personal and professional risks to get me to this point, none of it would have ever happened.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is a full service event planning company. What sets me aside from others is that I have well rounded experience in all aspects of events from venue management, corporate, fashion, entertainment, sports, catering, rentals and bar service. This allows people to really trust me with the overall experience, logistics and design.

It has not been easy to get here. Long work hours, lots of commitment to past companies and my clients while sacrificing things in my personal life. However, I would not change that. I have learned now how to have that work-life balance and really focus on what is important to me in my business and personal circle.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If they were visiting me in San Diego I would take them to all of the many beach areas for meals and a view where I grew up.

However, to be honest, it would be better to meet me in New York City. 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Tracy Zemke from Personal Touch Dining

She was my main mentor and trusted me to succeed and grow her catering and event company here is San Diego

I would say my sister Kirsten Grind who always took risks within her journalism career and pushed me to start my own company

Website: www.imanlee.com

Instagram: @imanleeevents

Facebook: iman@imanlee.com

Other: the knot – https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/iman-lee-events-san-diego-ca-2023397

Image Credits
Bashful captures, bianca jasmine photography, bianca navejar photography, Jessie Leigh Photography, kami olavarria photography, katie swenson photography, kayla fisher photography, Peyton Hamby Photography, Paige Hill Photography