Meet Leslie Hernandez | Owner of the Fantastique Collection by Un Jour D’Amour Events

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

Hi Leslie, what do you attribute your success to?
I think the most important factor of our success has been thinking ahead. Fantastique Collection as a whole is consistently thinking 18-24 months ahead in our specific industry(fantasy events), not just with what we are going to launch or execute, but also with how the industry or consumer might adjust or change. What factors could happen that would affect our foothold in a growing industry? How can we continue to be innovative in this space? I have had several people tell me that watching our company is like watching someone play chess; we are always strategizing to be successful!

What should our readers know about your business?
Fantastique Collection by Un Jour D’Amour Events is an event planning company that hosts ticketed, fantasy-themed events throughout the US. We were one of the pioneering companies in the fantasy event industry that has grown to a multi-million dollar industry. We built our business on the incredible marketing of FREE social media! Our following grew from 500 to 12K in just over 4 months, and after a year and a half, we have over 40k followers on Tiktok. Our company values our 3 C’s: Community, Comradery, and Charity. Between our first 4 events, we have raised almost $20,000 for various charities and plan to double that in the next year.
I would say our success has been greatly due to our ability to innovate and think ahead. We are constantly doing research to figure out not just how we can provide better experiences to our consumers, but also how we can and will move through the industry as it grows and changes. One of our current challenges is getting a trademark for one of our flagship events. It is a long and expensive project but worth every effort.
We hope to continue to be a trend-setter in our very niche industry and create positive experiences in the world from what we create at each of our events.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a huge foodie and lounger, so I would base a lot of our experience around restaurants and resorts.

Favorite resorts:
Sanctuary on Mcdowell
Scottsdale Plaza Resort
The Scott
Hotel Valley Ho

All of these have incredible bars and food as well as amazing pools with DJs during the peak seasons!

Favorite restaurant experiences:
The Perch (Chandler, incredible brewery that doubles as a bird sanctuary)
36 Below (Phoenix, a whimsical speakeasy experience)
The Salt Cellar (Scottsdale, the most amazing seafood you will find in Arizona)
Different Point of View (Phoenix, the best view in all of Phoenix and the most kind staff)
Dahl & DiLuca (Sedona, Italian food that will blow you away)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give the biggest shoutout to my fiance (and now business partner), Brandon Burton. Our industries are so vastly different (clinical laboratory consulting and fantasy event planning), but somehow both skill sets are applicable to my company. He has been a mentor, a guide, and a source of wisdom to me as I have built my company. He is also incredibly successful himself in his space, with a master’s degree in biotech from Georgetown and about to own his own laboratory before he is 30 years old. He is incredible!

Website: https://www.fantastiquecollection.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fantastique.collection/

Other: http://tiktok.com/@fantastique.collection

Image Credits
Photography by AJSM Photo