Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Tuimauga.
Hi Ray, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
This is a snippet from our website, written from Ray’s perspective:
Growing up in New Zealand (before the internet) movies were our only gateway to life and culture in the US. The movie “Juice” with Tupac as a DJ in New York is what sparked my initial interest in DJing, and with a pair of gifted turntables and a mixer I started my DJ journey…in my garage.
Moving to the US meant I had to leave my DJ gear behind and put my dream on hold. After Uma and I were married, I saved up and bought pieces of gear one by one. So, I started out in our spare bedroom, then moved to the garage, and next thing you know we were throwing neighborhood parties every week. Surprisingly, a referral from the neighbors landed me my first paid gig, which was a Sweet 14 party (yeah that was a first for me too) and that’s when I knew this could be more than a hobby.
In 2013, Uma and I decided to go all-in and turn my DJ passion into a business. In 2014, I hosted the Friday Night Mix on Mix 93.3 with Steve Serrano and was starting to book more and more gigs. I was a one man show for a few years, but in order to grow and scale I needed to build a team.
Icon Events Group was born with a focus on client experience centered around live DJ events. Initially, this consisted of weddings and celebrations, but as our clients and their needs grew, we expanded to accommodate. Icon’s services grew into offering photo booths, lighting, event drapery and has since evolved into full-on event production. Our team thrives on challenges and elevating the client experience.
Ultimately, we believe that every client we serve is an Icon, and our mission is to ensure that each Icon receives the utmost exceptional experience from us. We aim to be trendsetters and disruptors in the event industry. Our motto that we live by is #wedocoolshit
(For context, we are husband and wife) but as we work together more and more we balance each other out. Ray is a serial entrepreneur, he’s always done the business side of things. He the face of the company- he knows everyone and everyone knows him. He is more of the visionary while Uma is in the background. Uma is the one that gets shit done, the team calls her our Zookeeper!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Finding the right team members was a huge challenge. Icon is a company that we started from the ground up, so we wanted to make sure that we brought in people that are going to treat it well as much as we have. When we bring on these new people, it’s been difficult to learn people’s strengths and weaknesses as we bring them on as well, we want to put people in positions where they thrive personally and professionally. As we grow and go through all of this, you have to force yourself to find solutions instead of just crying about your problems. As you figure out these solutions we have to constantly adjust as we grow. It was hard to find the right systems and processes as we grew, but once we found something that stuck we were able to take on more projects and do more events without sacrificing our quality.
As you know, we’re big fans of Icon Event Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Icon is a full-service event production company specializing in creating unforgettable experiences.
We operate in two key areas: corporate and weddings & celebrations. On the corporate side, we produce fundraisers, galas, conferences, and meetings- always with the goal of delivering a seamless, impactful event for our clients.
Our wedding division offers everything from DJs and photo booths to lighting, dance floors, and staging. If it’s a production element for a wedding, we’ve got it covered!
At our core, we’re passionate about designing events that leave lasting impressions on guests. We don’t just follow trends- we set them!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
God
Books:
How to win friends and influence people
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Who not How
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iconeventsgroup.com & https://www.iconeventproduction.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconeventgroupkc/ & https://www.instagram.com/iconeventsproduction/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iconeventgroupkc
- LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/iconeventgroupkc
