“It’s not about producing a New York wedding in Provence; it’s about producing a Provence wedding in Provence with New York standards.” Listen as Andy, and his guests Matthew Robbins and Luis Otoya discuss their process and dig deep into the creative aspect. They also have an exciting conversation about their use of color and a discussion about their pricing philosophy. 

Matthew has a company called Matthew Robbins Design based in New York City, while Luis has a catering company called Evento & Cocina based in Cartagena. Together, they own Robbins Otoya Destinations, a design and event planning firm that designs and produces destination weddings and events all over the world.

Luis shares meeting Matthew for the first time at a convention, their long-distance relationship, and whether there was any sense of competition between them with their individual companies. Listen as they reveal why they started a business together, what it’s like to work together and be a couple, and how they push each other creatively to be the best they can be.

Matthew and Luis open up and share their process for finding locations and planning events, and how they price their events.  They both share that having jobs, they love, going to incredible places, and making people happy is what success means to them. During this crazy uncertain time in the world, it’s nice to hear about something positive, and fun so push play and get ready to smile. 

 

Show Highlights:

[03:37] Welcome to the show, Matthew and Luis!

[04:18] Luis shares a little about his background and what inspired him to get into the business.

[07:21] Luis speaks about his different approach to catering and the creative element he has a flair for that helped him launch his company.

[08:37] Luis shares about meeting Matthew at a conference.

[11:07] Was there ever a sense of competition between you two with your businesses being so similar?

[13:08] They discuss both the creative and business aspects of their company.

[15:04] They discuss forming the company that they own together above and beyond their individual businesses.

[17:00] Matthew and Luis describe the difference between Robbins Otoya Destinations and the companies they own individually.

[19:54] How do you work and live together and still keep the relationship going?

[20:49] Luis and Matthew speak about pushing each other creatively to make each other better.

[23:13] They share their process when designing destination weddings and events.

[26:08] Can you give us a story or an example of your process when creating an event?

[29:42] Matthew and Luis speak about getting their clients to first narrow the destination down.

[32:28] Matthew bypasses design themes and sees events in colors and shapes.

[34:06] Luis chats about not being afraid of using color and how he and Matthew most times agree on what color they use.

[37:01] How does light play into the way you design your events?

[38:49] Luis and Matthew share their pricing and how they charge clients.

[41:27] Matthew discusses being respectful in their pricing and pricing for where you are in the industry.

[42:28] Matthew speaks about what the word “success” means to him.

[43:14] Luis chats about how he feels about success and how much happiness plays a role.

[45:11] Thank you both for being on the show!

 

LINKS & RESOURCES

Find Robbins Otoya:

Robbins Otoya

@robbinsotoya

Instagram | Facebook

 

Matthew Robbins Design

@matthewrobbinsdesign

Instagram | Pinterest.

Luis Otoya Evento & Cocina

Twitter

Matthew Robbins first appearance on The Wedding Biz

 

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Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment 

www.KushnerEntertainment.com

 

Mentioned:

Lynn Easton Part 1 on The Wedding Biz

Lynn Easton Part 2 on The Wedding Biz

 

Special Coronavirus Episodes Mentioned:

Brett Culp – Dealing with the Impact of The Coronavirus

David Beahm –  A Personal Response to The Coronavirus

Christie Osborne –  Online Crisis Communication and The Coronavirus