Name of business: Aurelian Marketing Group
Address: 520 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas
Phone: 635-8005
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com
Hours of operation: 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Owned by: Rehan Choudhry
In business since: 2012
Describe your business.
Aurelian Marketing Group is a “brand experience” company that handles marketing, social media and creative development for companies and events. We create live experiences that make people happy and create collision between audiences with a wide range of backgrounds and passions.
We are currently working on Life is Beautiful — a music, food, art and learning festival. It launches Oct. 26 downtown and will feature musical acts, artists, chefs, speakers, performances and parties. A full lineup is available at www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com.
How did that festival come to be?
The Life is Beautiful Festival is a 20-year dream realized.
The entire team has a real passion for entertainment. We have a deep-seated love for making large groups of people happy.
That was the start: a group of like-minded individuals. The second part of the equation came from my desire to create a collision between music, food, art and learning. I wanted to see what would happen if you bring a sea of people who are each independently skilled and passionate in a specific category together for one large party.
Lastly and most importantly, we wanted to make a real difference in the world. We wanted to create something that was going to live on beyond our years and would continue to live in the community we call home.
What are your expectations for the event?
I’d like to see people who have a love for one facet of the festival branch out and explore the rest.
For example, I’d like to see a 15-year-old from Summerlin who is dying to see Passion Pit take a trip to our culinary village and see a demonstration by Hubert Keller or check out a short performance of “The Beatles’ Love” by Cirque du Soleil.
The learning opportunity is incredible, but you have to move out of your comfort zone a bit.
Who do you expect to attend?
All ages, all walks of life.
The unifying thread? A relentless passion for the arts.
Has the response, in terms of ticket sales, been surprising?
We always knew there was an opportunity here, but we had no idea how much people wanted this type of experience in Las Vegas. The enthusiasm — the ticket sales, press, awareness, hype and love — has been unbelievably humbling.
I love this city, and so far, it seems to love us back.
What makes your business unique?
We are a young, creative and passionate group of misfits.
We are the last group of people you’d expect to be putting this event on, but we are.
What is your business philosophy?
Life is full of opportunity, happiness, hope and love. And above all, life is beautiful.
But we have to do our part to get more people to believe that.
What’s the most important part of your job?
Staying true to our promise that we are going to make a meaningful difference in this world.
What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?
Distractions. There are too many of them.
What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?
The distractions. There are too many of them.
What obstacles has your business overcome?
Creating a world-class festival in a city that was written off by the festival world a long time ago. But we’re changing the industry’s perception of this market.
How can Nevada improve its business climate?
I’d like to see some more innovative community growth programs, like a next-generation microlending program that encourages entrepreneurial growth at a smaller level.
I’m talking $500 to $5,000 loans for new businesses, but without the obscene interest rates you see at local street loan shops.