How long have you been with UrVenue?
Alejo: I’ve been with UrVenue since 2012. I’ll be celebrating a big milestone – nine years this December!
What brought you to UrVenue? What have been your roles?
Alejo: I was first hired as an Assistant Sales Representative. In that role, I supported customer sales. From there, my role organically expanded and I found myself working alongside UrVenue’s Founder, Cedric Ancellin. I started interacting with UrVenue’s developers and assisted with quality assurance, customer support, implementation and customer training. Today, I lead Implementation for UrVenue managing our current and new customers daily. Through the years, I have had a front row seat to UrVenue’s platform evolution and that has provided me with deep knowledge on the platform’s expansive capabilities. Our customers can lean in on me and trust my guidance for operational efficiencies and maximum returns. Trust me, I’ve seen it all and have learned every-step-of-the-way!
Now you lead implementation for UrVenue, what do you do in this position?
Alejo: In one word…EVERYTHING. I am in between “customer-facing support” and the “product development team”. With implementation, it’s about making sure our team is administering, customizing, and enhancing the platform to meet and exceed our customer’s needs.
Our goal is to make sure our customers are happy and that includes listening to their requests in terms of how UrVenue works, the integrations they need, and the customizations that they want.
Heading up implementation also means being closely involved with the “development team” to understand when new product launches are happening, when new enhancements come to life, and when the product user interface changes.
Can you talk a little bit about UrVenue’s history and how the platform was built alongside its customers like Victor Drai?
Alejo: In the early days our focus was primarily on nightlife and daylife or “lifestyle” operations. Operations were very manual back then (early 2000’s) and lacked automation. UrVenue worked closely with its customers to automate this industry- we even had dedicated space in their offices. Being on-site gave us first hand knowledge of pain points, gaps and operational needs. Working alongside industry icons like Victor Drai, UrVenue innovated an industry ripe for innovation and we haven’t slowed down since. We’ve evolved from just nightlife and daylife into a multifaceted booking and operational platform for all experiences found under the roof of an integrated resort or multi-faceted venue.
What keeps you at UrVenue? Why have you stayed for so long?
Alejo: For me, I consider UrVenue “familia.” I consider it my second home, my second family. It’s always been about the team and our customers, and at the same time, it’s been about being a company driving innovation. It’s a perfect match for me and it keeps me on my toes because my goal is to one day be UrVenue’s CEO.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future of UrVenue? Where do you see it going?
Alejo: To be honest really, the dream is already coming true for me! I said this from the very beginning: UrVenue is going to be a game changer in hospitality, and will change not only the customer experience (for example our 3D experiential booking maps) but it will also change the overall makeup of the hospitality technology stack.
We are experiencing rapid growth within integrated resort and casino brands on the Las Vegas Strip, across The America’s and beyond. The industry is really taking notice.
We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year, and the future looks incredibly bright. I am so excited to see what the next 10 years have in store for us. We are all beyond excited to leave our mark on such an exciting industry.