Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Canizares.
Hi Alicia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is one of hard work, reinvention, family, and recognizing an opportunity when I finally found the right place for it.
I was born and raised in Colombia, and I have been a hardworking woman from a very young age. Before starting my own business, I had a background in radio, media, and communications. When my family and I first came to the United States, we lived in New Jersey, where I worked in radio and print media. At that point, I had already organized events in Colombia while working for companies, but I didn’t feel that I knew the local market well enough to turn that experience into a business. I didn’t know where to begin, so I continued working in media.
When I eventually moved to Kansas City, I continued working in radio, and things started to become clearer. Through my work, I became more connected to the Hispanic community and began to recognize the incredible importance that weddings and quinceañeras have within our culture. These are celebrations where families often want to go all out, and I realized there was a market and, more importantly, a need that I could help serve.
Some of my former colleagues in radio were also instrumental in helping me take that first step. They gave me opportunities to participate in events and encouraged me to work as a Master of Ceremonies. That became my entry point into the Kansas City events industry.
In 2016, my husband and I officially started AJ Events KC. In the beginning, it was just the two of us. As we worked more and more events, I started paying close attention to what families needed beyond the traditional services being offered. I would see a problem at an event and think, “There has to be a better way to take care of this.”
That is how many of our services were born. We began offering things such as welcoming and seating guests, helping maintain tables throughout the event, and taking care of details that helped families and their guests enjoy their celebration without having to worry about everything happening behind the scenes. At the time, these were services that were not commonly being offered in our market, and we became pioneers in providing that kind of event support.
As AJ Events KC grew, our family grew with it. What started with my husband and me eventually became a true family business when our two sons joined us. Today, they work alongside us at our events, and that is one of the things I am most proud of.
My Colombian roots are also an important part of who we are. You can even see that connection in our logo, which incorporates the colors of the Colombian flag. It is a small but meaningful reminder of where we come from and the values we bring into everything we do.
There is also a very personal reason why I care so deeply about weddings and quinceañeras. Whenever I work on one of these celebrations, I often feel like I am looking at my own daughter. That feeling reminds me how important these moments are to families and motivates me to do everything with love, passion, patience, and a positive attitude.
Today, after nearly ten years, AJ Events KC has grown far beyond what my husband and I imagined when we started in 2016. But for me, it has never been just about building a business. This is my passion. I am grateful that I can make a living doing something I genuinely love, but I don’t do this because I have to. I do it because I truly enjoy it.
Looking back, what makes me happiest is knowing that a decision my husband and I made in 2016 has become something our entire family can build together. What started as a small opportunity has grown into a family business, a passion, and a way for us to serve other families during some of the most meaningful moments of their lives.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges I have faced from the very beginning has been learning how to serve a community whose cultural traditions are different from my own.
I am Colombian, and many of the families I work with are Mexican. Early on, I had to learn that even though we share many similarities as Latinos, our traditions, tastes, expectations, and the way we celebrate can be very different.
I actually had a father of a quinceañera ask me a question that I will never forget: “How can a Colombian come to Kansas City and organize our Mexican celebrations when we are two different cultures and our tastes and the way we do events are so different?”
Honestly, that question stayed with me. It represented something I had been dealing with since I started: having to prove that I could understand and respect the traditions of the families who trusted me, even when their culture was not exactly my own.
Instead of taking it personally, I decided to learn from it. I realized that my job is not to make an event according to what I would do. My job is to listen to the family, understand what is important to them, learn their traditions, and make their celebration feel like them.
That has required years of listening, observing, asking questions, learning from my clients, and sometimes simply being humble enough to say, “Tell me how you want it.” Every family is different, and I have learned that there is no one formula for creating a meaningful celebration.
There have also been the usual challenges of entrepreneurship—building a business from the ground up, earning people’s trust, learning the business side, dealing with unexpected situations, and sometimes facing people who doubted what I was capable of.
But that experience with different cultures has probably been one of my greatest teachers. It taught me that being different from your client doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. If you are willing to listen and learn, it can actually become one of your greatest strengths.
Today, I don’t try to make my clients celebrate the way I would celebrate. I want them to feel that their culture, their family, and their vision are being respected and represented. That is one of the reasons I believe we have been able to build such strong relationships with the families we serve.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about AJ Events KC ?
AJ Events KC is a family-owned and family-operated event company that my husband and I started in 2016. Over the years, our two sons have also joined the business and now work alongside us at our events, which makes what we do especially meaningful to me.
We specialize in weddings, quinceañeras, and social celebrations, with a strong focus on event planning, coordination, hospitality, and creating a smooth and memorable experience for both our clients and their guests.
Our services include event planning and coordination, Master of Ceremonies, guest reception and seating, professional event staff and waiters, keeping tables clean and organized throughout the celebration, cake service, Audio Guest Books, 360 experiences, and our newest offering, Luxury Trays, which were created to elevate the guest experience and add an extra touch of elegance and hospitality to our events.
What sets us apart is that we don’t simply show up to perform a service. We become part of the team behind the celebration. We pay attention to what our clients need, anticipate potential problems, and look for solutions before those problems affect the family or their guests. Many of the services we offer actually came from things I observed at events and realized families needed help with.
I am also very proud of the connection between our brand and my Colombian roots. You can see that in our logo, which incorporates the colors of the Colombian flag. It is a small but meaningful reminder of where I come from and the values I bring into our work, while also representing the diverse communities we serve here in Kansas City.
I am especially proud that AJ Events KC has grown while maintaining the personal touch with which we started. We are a family business serving families, and I believe that is one of the reasons our clients trust us with some of the most important moments of their lives.
Most importantly, I want readers to understand that AJ Events KC is not simply about providing services. For us, it is about people. We want our clients to feel heard, supported, and cared for from the beginning of the planning process until the last guest leaves.
I don’t look at what we do as simply a business. It is my passion. I am grateful that I can make a living doing something I genuinely love, but what motivates me most is seeing a family enjoy a celebration they have dreamed about for so long.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe the event industry is going to become even more focused on experiences rather than simply the event itself. Over the next 5 to 10 years, I think clients will continue looking for ways to make their celebrations more personal, interactive, and memorable for their guests.
Technology will definitely play a bigger role. We are already seeing things like digital and audio guest books, 360 experiences, interactive entertainment, and other forms of technology becoming part of celebrations. I believe these experiences will continue to evolve, but I also think technology will be most valuable when it helps people connect rather than distracts from the celebration.
I also see a growing emphasis on hospitality and guest experience. People don’t only remember how an event looked; they remember how they felt. They remember whether they were welcomed, whether someone was there to help them, whether they felt comfortable, and whether they were able to truly enjoy themselves. I think professional event staffing and guest services will become increasingly important as families look for ways to enjoy their own celebrations instead of spending the entire night managing details.
Another shift I see is toward more personalized celebrations. Families want their weddings and quinceañeras to reflect who they are, their culture, their personalities, and their stories rather than simply following a formula. This is something I have already seen throughout my years in the industry, and I believe it will become even more important.
Finally, I think the industry will continue moving toward companies that can provide more comprehensive support. Clients are busy, and they don’t necessarily want to coordinate ten different people on the day of their celebration. They want someone they can trust to help bring everything together and take care of the details behind the scenes.
For AJ Events KC, that is exciting because innovation has always been part of our journey. Many of the services we offer came from observing what families needed and finding a way to provide it. I don’t think the future of events is about simply doing more. I think it is about doing things better, creating meaningful experiences, and making people feel genuinely cared for.
Pricing:
- Pricing information is available upon consultation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ajeventskc.com
- Instagram: @ajeventskc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18YqLdaSCz/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ajeventskc
