Women-owned Brand
Have you heard of Le Petite Fete?
I hadn’t either until a woman reached out to me in a Linkedin Group to ask me a few questions about brand partnerships. She quickly explained that she had a client doing something a little different in the event space. I, of course, went to look up her client to understand more about what they were doing.
This is how I discovered Le Petite Fete, a boutique event company throwing Pop Culture Obsessed Events.
Meet Caitie Phillips and Courtney Gibson, the mastermind behind this woman-owned brand! These women founded Le Petite Fete. They had the idea to throw Taylor Swift-themed parties and quickly realized how much potential there is in themed parties! To say they found their Niche is an understatement! The event industry is a full-time roller coaster, and these two have busted their asses to grow this business to seven figures in two years. These women have drawn 60,000 Swifties in more than 40 U.S. cities to attend their events!
I asked Caitie a few questions about Le Petite Fete
How did you and Courtney meet?
Courtney and I actually met in a pop culture Facebook group! One of my close friends was moving to LA and I had posted in there looking for new friends to hang out with so I wouldn’t be sad lol. Courtney responded, and we hit it off with our mutual love for all things pop culture!
What was the attendance at your first event? And was that a Taylor or Britney event?
We sold out our first event, which was at Neon Beach in downtown Orlando and had around 350 swifties in attendance!
What has been your biggest attendance to date?
We’ve recently embarked on TAYGATES, which are pre-parties for The Eras Tour. Courtney and I both knew that a) not all swifties were able to get tickets and b) that even those who did would want something to do beforehand since this is a pretty iconic tour. We thought TAYGATES would be perfect! Our largest event was our Arlington TAYgate where we saw over 10,000 swifties in 3 days.
What has been a major obstacle in building this event business?
Competition and perseverance. Seeing others cannibalize the market with Taylor swift dance parties was hard to see! Especially since we were one of the earlier adopters of this idea. Growing pains are real and going from just Courtney and I doing this in Orlando to a full tour + large scale activations in 2 years came with a lot of lessons. I don’t think we will ever stop learning. The events business isn’t one that’s known for being steady, things are constantly changing and you have to be on top of the trends so you’re always at the forefront of this space. Constantly coming up with new ideas and trying to get to the front of the market can be extremely tiring. Luckily, Courtney and I both love what we do and at the end of the day we’re kind of designing events for ourselves and our friends.
When did you both realize this was going to be huge?
I’m not actually sure. I still think almost weekly that we’ve reached the peak of success, and things keep rolling in! There have been several “oh wow, this is so cool” moments. Hearing people from on the street screaming cruel summer inside neon beach at our first event, the first show we took on the road in Atlanta, selling out our first 1,000 cap room, our Huffington Post interview, etc.
What do you contribute your success to?
Hard work and determination. One of my best and worst qualities is when I get an idea in my head, I will move any mountain to get it to come to fruition. Courtney and I both work extremely hard and balance each other out well – we make a great team. We’re focused and determined to be disruptors in this space, giving women and fandoms a place where they feel celebrated.
What’s next?
Early Retirement? Lol kidding. A great question. I love doing this because it truly is something I’m passionate about. I’d love to see us have several successful dance parties running simultaneously + a few other ideas we have up our sleeves. Or, finally, get a call from Taylor Nation telling us to come help them plan swiftie events would be the ultimate dream.
Congratulations on all of your success! I can’t wait to continue to watch!