The Lanzarote native Carmen Montero is a pioneer in the event organization sector in Lanzarote. She launched the agency that bears her name in 2000, when she was only 21 years old.
It all began while she was studying in Tenerife to become a flight attendant. Montero juggled her studies with modeling and event promoter jobs, especially with clients in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
“Once I finished my studies, I returned to Lanzarote waiting to start working with Iberia, but those same event clients, knowing I was here, started calling me” for events in Lanzarote. They also asked her to find other candidates as hostesses.
"In Lanzarote, I saw a business opportunity. A hostess, promoter, and model agency"
“That’s how I saw the business opportunity. In Lanzarote, there wasn’t any agency dedicated to it.” Thus, the Carmen Montero Agency was born, initially providing hostess, promoter, and model services for the promotion of leisure venues or products.
The Lanzarote entrepreneur is passionate about fashion. After being chosen Miss Lanzarote and Miss Las Palmas and participating in Miss Spain, she worked as a model with several agencies in the Canary Islands.
“My career in fashion was very, very short because I started the company very young. I’ve done occasional things, but even today, if something comes up and I can combine it with my work, I do it because it’s something I love. A very important event for me every year is Lanzarote Moda. It’s something I live with great enthusiasm.”
Children's and youth events and film shoots
The Carmen Montero agency took off so well, “that many mothers called me to see if I could offer courses. So we created a modeling workshop for a day for children.” The workshop was so successful that with her then-partner, who was a chef, she organized a cooking workshop for children, and thus a whole line of children's and youth events emerged.
“We started creating workshops and organizing children's events of all kinds, and now it’s a very important part of the company. We seek to give visibility to young talents on the island, especially working with singers, and for example, we organize the young people's area for the White Night of Villa de Teguise,” shares the executive.
Montero's contribution to Lanzarote's events takes many forms. “Sometimes they hire us for hostesses, other times they hire me as a stage manager, a presenter from our team, or a musical group that we represent.”
In recent years Montero explains that a new line of business has emerged. “There has been a rather significant increase in fashion production, film shoots, series… to which we have brought a lot of extras”.
Carmen Montero's daughter, Paola Lira, has recently joined after finishing her studies in Protocol and Event Organization. “Thanks to Paola we are very motivated with this young part of the company and it also allows me to dedicate myself to other things”, such as her editorial contribution to a well-known fashion magazine, of which she is the delegate in Lanzarote.
Equality in the world of beauty: parity teams and goodbye to miniskirts and high heels
When asked about the changes in the selection criteria for hostesses and models, thanks to advances in equality in our country, Montero explains that it has changed a lot, when she started, “image was paramount”.
“Now, thank God, it's not so much about image, but rather that studies and people skills are valued. The uniforms have also changed, before, the shorter the dress, the better".
“I decided many years ago that our hostesses and hosts wear a suit jacket, it is a job where you have to bend down, you may have to hand out gifts, merchandising, run from here to there. Something very difficult with a dress and practically impossible with a miniskirt”.
Montero also confirms that high heels are also disappearing: “Many clients actually ask you to wear very, very comfortable shoes to facilitate mobility, unless it is a very formal event where it is not necessary to move around like an awards ceremony”.
Another transformation has been the incorporation of men: “Many clients, if they need a team of four, ask you to have half girls and half boys. Also, now the guys take great care of their image and there are many who love this job, which they can also combine with their studies”.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.