The People Behind the Party: Meet the Event Partners Who Made Battle of the Babes 2026 Happen
A great event does not happen because one person had a good idea. It happens because a group of people believes in that idea enough to put their name behind it, share it with their community, show up early, work the room, solve problems, create content, bring people through the door, and stay until the last guest has left.
That is exactly what happened at the 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition.
More than 150 guests came together for a Sunday built around cocktails, creativity, hospitality, music, community, and the women and femmes behind the bar. But the experience guests saw on September 27 was only possible because of the people working behind the scenes. Our event partners did not just show up. They showed up and showed out. They pushed Battle of the Babes across social feeds, group chats, community circles, and personal networks. They brought their audiences into the conversation. Then they showed up in person and helped make sure the room felt as good as it looked.
That is what real partnership looks like.
The Creative Minds Behind the Experience
Qulture Studio
Brand + Event Partner
Qulture Studio approaches events through the intersection of quality and culture, with a focus on intentionality, aesthetic discipline, and experience design. Their philosophy is simple: an event should be more than a collection of elements. The visuals, environment, details, and energy should work together to create something people can feel. Qulture Studio helped bring that mindset into the room, contributing to an experience designed to speak through style, atmosphere, and execution. They understand that people may forget individual details, but they remember how a room made them feel.
Micki Blendz
DJ + Event Partner
Battle of the Babes has a soundtrack, and once again, that soundtrack belonged to DJ Micki Blendz. Known as The Curator of Quality Vibes, Micki has become an important part of the Battle of the Babes experience. Her career has taken her from creative beginnings at North Carolina A&T State University to art shows, artist showcases, club residencies, festivals, and brand activations for names including Jordan, Red Bull, the NFL, and Miller Lite. But her value goes beyond the resume. Micki knows how to read a room. She understands when to build the energy, when to let a moment breathe, and how to create a musical experience that feels connected to what is happening around her. The music carried the room from the first cocktail to the final celebration. And after multiple years of being part of this event, Micki has become part of its story.
Gilded Images
Videographer + Event Partner
Events disappear quickly. The lights come down. The cocktails are finished. The room empties. What remains are the memories and the visuals that allow people to experience the night again. That is where Gilded Images comes in. The Charlotte-based production company specializes in photo and video content for brands, businesses, organizations, and events. Their work brings together creative direction, professional lighting, and modern production workflows to create visuals that communicate with intention. From concept through completion, Gilded Images approaches every project with a focus on clear storytelling and strong visual communication. They captured the people, energy, details, and moments that made the sixth annual competition what it was.
Girl I'm Tired
Event Partner
Behind every successful event is someone making sure the story keeps moving long after the event itself. Girl I'm Tired brings strategic content and social media management to Charlotte businesses that want their digital presence to work harder. Led by a Charlotte-based content creator and social media strategist, the brand works with a small roster of businesses to create content rooted in strategy, consistency, and business results. It turns any event into more than a single night. It helped keep the conversation moving before, during, and after the competition. Because a great event deserves a life bond the room.
Two11 Mobile Bar Co.
Event Partner
Two11 Mobile Bar Co. believes great drinks are only part of great hosting. Based in Charlotte, Two11 provides full-service beverage catering for everything from intimate gatherings to large celebrations, offering cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine, and more. Their approach centers on hospitality, sisterhood, meaningful connection, and the art of hosting. That spirit fit naturally into a night built around bringing people together. Two11 understands that the best beverage experiences aren't simply about the first pour. They're about everything that happens around it.
BLK in Bloom
Event Partner
BLK in Bloom exists to celebrate the power and potential of Black women in the greater Charlotte area. The community creates space for Black women to build meaningful connections, grow professionally, increase their net worth, contribute to their communities, and support one another. Their philosophy also challenges the expectation that success has to come through constant hustle. BLK in Bloom believes in being ambitious while also making room for rest, wholeness, connection, and joy. That mission made their partnership with Battle of the Babes especially meaningful. The competition celebrates women and femmes building careers and identities in hospitality, and BLK in Bloom brought another layer of community and connection to the room.
What's Good CLT
Event Partner
If you've ever wondered what to do in Charlotte, there's a good chance What's Good CLT has the answer. Led by Natalie Fofana, The Good Connector, What's Good CLT serves as a daily source for events, food, and experiences while helping Charlotte businesses become more visible. For Battle of the Babes, that meant helping put the event in front of people who are actively looking for something to do, somewhere to go, and something new to experience in their city. That's community connection in action.
Asha Ellison
PR Partner
Great events deserve to have their stories told well. Asha Ellison specializes in strategic communications that bring community and brand voices into the conversation through authentic, human-centered storytelling. Her approach connects purpose to passion and gives organizations, businesses, and people a stronger way to communicate what they care about, helping the story of the event reach beyond the room and into the larger Charlotte community.
Kontent by Kiya
Event Partner
Kontent by Kiya is built for creators, brands, and businesses ready to move beyond simply posting and start creating content with a purpose. Through content strategy, coaching, and execution, Kiya helps people turn their ideas into content that connects with audiences and supports real business goals. For an event built around eight mixologists, dozens of moving pieces, and a room full of moments worth capturing, having a content-minded partner matters. Because the story of Battle of the Babes doesn't end when the lights go off.
Pieces of Posh
Event Partner
Pieces of Posh brings lifestyle, personality, and bold self-expression into the content space. As a lifestyle influencer and content creator, Pieces of Posh covers everything from hosting and style to wellness, bargains, thrift finds, and experiences, all through a lens centered on joy. That made Battle of the Babes a natural fit. The event was designed to be experienced, photographed, shared, and remembered. Pieces of Posh helped bring that lifestyle perspective into the event partnership.
The 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition may have centered on eight mixologists and their cocktails, but the event itself was built by many more people. It was built by the DJ who kept the room moving. The production team capturing the moments. The content creators telling the story. The PR partner getting the message into the community. The hospitality partners helping guests feel taken care of. The organizations creating community around the event. And the creative partners who helped turn an idea into an experience.
That is what makes an event feel bigger than its schedule. It becomes a shared effort. To every one of our event partners: Thank you for putting your name, your hustle, your creativity, and your people behind Battle of the Babes.
We don't take it for granted. Thank you for Showing Up and Showing Out. The 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition was made possible by a community that believes in showing up for one another.
And to everyone who attended, shared the event, brought a friend, ordered a cocktail, cheered for a competitor, danced to the music, visited a partner, or simply showed up and brought good energy into the room:
Thank you.
This one was special because we built it together.
