Customer Spotlight: David Santiago, La Pinata Party

Our southwest Regional Account Manager, Rick Rutherford recently was able to sit down with David Santiago of La Pinata Party based in Gardena, CA and one of Southern California’s most trusted event partners. His hope was to learn more about their organization and the major event that spring boarded their success.

How long have you been in the tent business and how did you get started?

I’ve been in the tent and event rental business full-time for just about 12 years, but in reality, it’s been a lifetime. Roughly 28 years and counting. La Piñata Party Rentals was a small shop in Venice, CA, reopened in 1998 with 500 square feet, piñatas, balloons, and community spirit. Today, they operate from a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Gardena, delivering event infrastructure across California and beyond.

My mom saw an opportunity back in 1998 to purchase a tiny, 500-square-foot party supply store in Venice Beach, California. That small shop became the foundation for everything we do today. My brother and I grew up in the family business, making piñatas, blowing balloons, and selling party supplies after school and on weekends. We’d tag along with my dad on deliveries, dropping off tables, chairs, and inflatables for local customers who kept asking for more.

Fast forward to today, and many of those same local clients are still with us, alongside countless new ones. What started with folding tables and backyard rentals has grown into a full-scale event rental operation. We now support everything from small 6’ x 6’ frame tent to 50’ JumboTrac structures and large-scale atrium/garden-style structures spanning 25 meters. The scale has changed, but the roots and mindset remain the same.

 

What factors have provided your greatest growth opportunities?

One of the biggest drivers of our growth has been learning how to give educated “yeses.”

That means understanding when to say yes to a job, a client, or an inventory investment, and just as importantly, knowing when to say not yet. Growth for us has never been about chasing everything, but about being intentional and informed.

Equally important has been building strong relationships across the industry, not just within tenting or rentals, but with planners, producers, caterers, venues, and other event professionals. That broader network gives me a better pulse on the live events industry as a whole. It allows us to forecast more intelligently, invest strategically, and stay ahead of trends instead of reacting to them.

 

What do you notice about today’s rental industry compared to the last few years?

Customization is everything.

With the influence of social media, clients are no longer just looking for rentals. They’re looking for experiences that feel personal, intentional, and often completely unique. More and more, our clients want something they have never seen before, or their own spin on something they’ve been inspired by.

That can mean custom cladding on corporate structures, tiered or sunken seating for wedding ceremonies, branded touchpoints, or flooring and layouts that fundamentally change how a space feels. Creativity and flexibility are no longer a bonus, they are expected.

We’re also seeing shorter lead times across the board. Ongoing economic and political uncertainty has made some clients hesitant to fully commit far in advance, which means rental companies need to be nimble, well-stocked, and operationally dialed in to execute quickly without sacrificing quality or safety.

 

Can you share one of your most challenging or rewarding jobs?

We installed a clear tented wedding last year on a golf course in Laguna Beach in November, which should tell you almost everything you need to know.

The wedding featured a 50’ x 100’ JumboTrac with clear roof panels. Because the course remained open to the public, all work had to be completed after hours. That meant pulling clear roof panels overnight in the dark, by the coast, in freezing temperatures. It was roughly 33 degrees, with ocean air cutting right through us.

When we arrived at 6:00pm to begin staging, golf balls were literally flying toward our trucks. Thankfully none hit our crew or equipment. All materials had to be moved along very specific paths to protect the grass, and everything had to be completed by 11:00pm to avoid noise complaints from a single neighboring property overlooking the course.

We returned at 6:00am the following morning for final detailing, then again late that night to remove everything. All equipment had to be off the course before tee time the next morning.

With careful planning, clear communication, and a team that truly understands execution under pressure, we pulled it off cleanly and elegantly. It remains one of those builds that reminds you why preparation and teamwork matter so much in this industry.

 

What is your outlook on the event business in the coming year?

In Los Angeles specifically, the outlook is strong.

The city is preparing for an unprecedented run of high-profile global events over the next five-plus years. Beyond the main events themselves, the surrounding ecosystem of pre-events, post-events, brand activations, private hospitality, and ancillary experiences will create significant opportunities for the live events industry.

For companies that are well-positioned, operationally sound, and capable of handling complex builds, this period represents meaningful long-term growth.

 

How has working with Aztec Tents helped your business?

I still vividly remember hearing about Aztec back when they were renting structures and thinking to myself, “One day, we’ll own one of those MaxiBeam or JumboTrac tents.”

Fast forward, and here we are being featured in their Customer Spotlight, which is not lost on me.

Working with Rick and the entire Aztec team has been a great experience. We’re also incredibly fortunate that Aztec is only about seven-miles from our facility. That proximity has saved us more times than I can count.

Rick regularly gets last-minute calls, texts, and emails from me. There was even a time we arrived on-site only to realize we needed 8’ legs instead of the 10’ legs we had loaded, and we were completely out. Fortunately, Rick made it happen, even if it meant the Aztec team had to move their own holiday party tent just to access the stock behind it.