Check Out Maddy Corrales’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddy Corrales.

Hi Maddy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am Maddy, a 30-something living in the East Valley. I have worked in the Hospitality / Event industry since 2016. I first found my love for planning events working at a wedding venue in college. I loved seeing all the couples plan for months or even years and then have the most wonderful day with the help of our team to make it all happen! As an eldest daughter, “bossy older sister” and self proclaimed schedule maniac, you could say event planning was always my destiny. Fast forward to now, I work in the corporate events industry by day and I also work for Desert Daisy Events on weekends in addition to owning a 360 photo booth company, Southwest 360! What is a 360 photo booth you might ask? A 360 photo booth is a more modern photo booth that captures videos from all the way around a guest, rather than one still picture. Unlike traditional photo booths, it uses a rotating arm to circle around guests to take a video while the guest stands in the middle of a platform. I noticed the lack of 360 degree photo booths in the Phoenix area back in 2022 and decided to add more diversity to the market! I started my photobooth business out with friends bachelorette parties, bridal showers and weddings in 2022, to now doing equal parts wedding and corporate. While a 360 photo booth is more well known today than it was 3 years ago, I still have guests delighted and surprised to learn about 360 photo booths and loving the videos that come from it!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a business owner is way tougher than it looks. It’s not always smooth and there’s always a new challenge being presented. The road to just creating an LLC and getting all the proper paperwork and insurance is quite the process and can’t be done in one day. However, the more difficult part is the event day. Anything can happen and you have to be ready and willing to do whatever it is to remedy the issue as fast as possible. As they say “the show must go on”! One of the more stressful problems we have had to deal with during an event was the videos not showing up on our TV screen for guests to view as it usually does and the screen was blank. We tested everything the night before, like we always do, but something changed overnight. Come to find out later there was an app update we were not aware of. After feverishly Googling and reaching out to local photo booth Facebook groups we were able to fix the issue just in time for the event to start. With my near decade in the event industry I have come to thrive and work well under pressure and that is something that takes time to master. Sometimes challenges take longer to overcome but coming prepared and having people you can trust on your team to get through those issues makes all the difference.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started in the hospitality industry about 9 years ago and have made my way to the corporate event industry where I currently work my “9-5” and doing wedding coordinating on the side, my business being in addition to those! My expertise in the industry I can provide more than a typical Photo Booth company with my knowledge of wedding and event timeslines and how events can be run and what works best for guest experience.

What makes you happy?
I love making other people happy. Seeing the joy on their faces or knowing that they’re enjoying something I planned or had a part in. People always step off my 360 photo booth with a smile on their face and a great video that they can share on their socials to remember their friends’ weddings, work Christmas party or an event thrown by their church. My husband is the one who encouraged me to start this business and has been my support both in the planning stages and onsite at events. He is the true unsung hero that makes sure that everything goes off without a hitch and that every event is perfect. Having a true partner that encourages your business to be successful is true happiness 🙂

Pricing:

• Basic 360 Booth – up to 3 hours, $500
• Deluxe 360 Booth – up to 3 hours, $700
• Flower Wall Backdrop, $300
• Flower Wall Backdrop with 360 rental, $150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://southwest360az.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southwest360az/

Image Credits
Alyssa Ryan Photography
Genesis Faith Photography
Hold Fast Visuals