Meet Makenzie Stokel | Co-Founder/COO

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

Hi Makenzie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My cofounder and I started our company, EVA, in college. As students at a music school, we found ourselves surrounded by a vibrant community of talented artists and songwriters. We wanted to help them in secure paid performance opportunities. With this in mind, we started arranging gigs for them at various bars and restaurants in town. These venues gave us a chance to book music on their slower nights and we promoted the events to our fellow students on campus. Initially, we didn’t view it as a business venture; rather, it was driven by our genuine desire to support these gifted individuals. After a year of organizing these performances, we recognized a greater demand for event entertainment. This realization led us to expand our services for weddings, private parties, college campuses, and ultimately, corporate events. Upon graduating, we committed ourselves full-time to this business, and grew our entertainment offering from just music. A few years later, we discovered an opportunity to streamline the booking process through technology. We built an online marketplace that would instantly connect event coordinators with available entertainers in their area.

What should our readers know about your business?
EVA (Events, Venues, Artists) is a platform revolutionized the process of booking entertainment. It is an online marketplace that connects individuals with acts that precisely match their event requirements. Our primary focus is private and corporate events and our clients can book anything from live music to speakers to comedians and many other diverse entertainment options. What sets us apart from competitors is our unwavering commitment to ensuring quality and professionalism. We meticulously vet every act we book, noting how important it is to meet the expectations of corporate event planners. I am currently based in Austin, launching EVA in the Texas market. EVA originated in Nashville, TN and presently employs 10 people full time. We are thrilled to announce the launch of EVA in new markets this year, with a particular emphasis on expanding across the Southeast before making our way to the coasts next year.
Navigating the highs and lows of this industry has definitely been an adventure. Covid was a huge hurdle that almost took us out, but we were able to prevail with virtual event experiences. It stunted our growth but we are fully back on track to automate entertainment bookings nationwide.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting me in Austin I would try to hit as many neighborhoods as possible while they were in town. We would start by grabbing coffee and breakfast at Patika on South Lamar, near where I live. Then we would do some shopping on South Congress Ave. We would grab some drinks at Carpenters Hall and walk the dog around Zilker park. If it were warm enough we might swim at Barton Springs. Then we would head to the East side to have dinner at Suerte and after dance and drink at Latchkey and Lucky Duck. The following day we would do a yoga class at Black Swan then either paddle board on Town Lake or rent a pontoon on Lake Travis. We’d get some pizza at Via 313 to end the night (their gluten free crust is incredible!)
I would also take her to brunch at Mattie’s so we could see the peacocks roaming around. We would then hit the Mexic-arte Museum and have dinner at L’oco D’oro in Mueller that evening.
Before she leaves we would need to hit up a food truck or two for some tacos. My favorites are Las Trancas, Cuantos, or Rositas.

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?
The first person I would like to shoutout is my business partner Channing. I could not do this without her and I am so grateful for her everyday. Our partnership is unique in that our strengths and weaknesses are very complimentary. We work so well together and I truly believe she can do anything! I’d also like to shoutout all of the mentors I’ve had over the years. Mentorship is so important when starting a business. It has made a huge difference in my career to have people I can ask questions, get feedback from, and talk to when things are tough.

Website: www.bookwitheva.com

Instagram: @kenzstokel

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/makenziestokel