Meet Ms. Victoria Mugwanya, the visionary founder and creative director behind Face Off Exclusive Functions. Victoria is a charming, charismatic forward-thinking entrepreneur with a career spanning over 25 years in the hospitality and the leisure industry, specifically in Food and Beverage and event management. She is a friendly, outgoing person with social butterfly tendencies yet has her feet set firmly on the ground. She exudes a fun, positive and confident outlook on life. She has an energy which drives her to excel in her field and loves creativity and being challenged to try new things. She is a firm believer of “The only thing to fear is fear itself”
Her journey into everything hospitality began at the tender age of 15 when as a student, she asked her father to fund an organised overseas school tour, which would be taking place the following year. After a few days of discussions and negotiations, her father responded by giving her a wager. The wager was that, during the course of her school holidays, she should get a job at the local restaurant and by the time the trip comes around, he agreed to pay for it and to furthermore match whatever amount of money she would have saved up. This was a challenge to be challenged. Fuelled by the spirit of competition and passion to win, Victoria got the job as a server and for the next two school term holidays, she worked at the restaurant going on to make the highest average tips on a daily basis for the duration of her working holidays.
At the end of the wager, she had earned more than her trip’s ticket’s worth but also the respect of her father and peers for her extraordinary spirit to do her best and her unquestionable loyalty and work ethic. She left such a positive impression with the restaurant owners that throughout the rest of her high school years, they would hire her to work and train during her school holidays.
After graduating high school at the age of 18 she was permanently hired to be their client service manager, since she had built such a good reputation between owners and her clients. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship and passion for creating magical yet memorable experiences in the industry. Creating and coordinating vibrant unforgettable events has always been Victoria’s forte.
Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa with a very strong Ugandan Heritage, Victoria worked as a restaurant manager while juggling her studies in Business Information systems and Communications at college. After graduating college, she realised that her heart always gravitated towards the dynamic world of hospitality tourism and planning special intimate events .
At the age of 21, Victoria and her 2 best friends decided to start their own events and function coordinating company which they named Vixens with Victoria as the managing director. With their young and hungry spirit to succeed, they had the “street smarts”, social intelligence, drive and an undeniable dedication to their craft. Their unwavering hard work and commitment to excellence quickly propelled the company through the ranks and went on to be very successful in their community and surrounding areas. Four years after its official opening, the ladies received an offer from a larger company that they could not refuse and so Vixens was sold and the girls went on to follow their different career paths.
Victoria continued following her hospitality calling and went on to be part of the managing bodies in some of the most prominent South African hotels and Fine dining restaurants in the very exclusive areas of Cape Town’s waterfront, Camps Bay, then United Kingdom and Uganda. She takes time to understand her client's needs and makes sure they are met. Working in the service industry can be very humbling yet through experience and tough lessons, she has honed her craft and developed an acute understanding of the intricacies of the hospitality and leisure industry. Her experiences in these world renowned establishments exposed her to a diverse array of clients, each with their unique needs and expectations.
Based in the picturesque town of Entebbe, Uganda, Victoria balances her dynamic career with the joys and responsibilities of motherhood. Her personal journey adds a layer of empathy and understanding to her work. She firmly believes that hospitality is her true calling, as she put it “every time I try to leave this industry, it somehow pulls me right back in... and I love it!”
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, hosting dinners with friends, music, interior design and writing short stories, She is an avid reader and lover of history especially Scandinavian, Roman, Egyptian, and Greek history. She enjoys watching Historical and modern documentaries and has a huge interest in the study of Psychology and sociology.
Victoria's dedication to her craft, combined with her extensive experience and unwavering passion, makes her the driving force behind Face Off Exclusive Functions. With her at the helm, you can trust that your event will be transformed into a unique and unforgettable experience that exceeds all expectations.
