- Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa is the head of events of for activations like Bacardi Holiday Club and part owner of restaurant The Royale.
- She started the company at just 20 years old with her friends looking to create their own party scene.
- Amahle initially wanted to be a politician before founding Until Until Events.
She’s at the epicentre of Johannesburg’s groove scene.
Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa is the head of events of music and culture activations agency Until Until Events and with trailblazing parties like Bacardi Holiday Club, Genesis: All Black, Sunday Roast and more. They create a vibrant social scene for everyone.
It’s hard to believe that the birth of such a prominent events company, that has been at the forefront of the South African live entertainment market, came from a group of young friends looking to give themselves and the people around them a good time.
Amahle tells TRUELOVE all about the tale of Until Until Events.
The brainchild of young innovative minds
The year that began everything was 2013 at just 20 years old, Amahle and her friends discovered a whole market for party goers.
“We started, this year would be 11 years ago, on a tennis court,” she shares. “We were a bunch of kids looking to party and we realised that we could throw the parties ourselves, so that’s how High School Cool was born. And then over a period of like two years, we then realised we were good at what we were doing so why not formalise it into a real business.”
Now 30 years old, Amahle took on the role of chief operating officer and administration before moving on to head of events - as the company grows to manage corporate clients like Absa and Durex.
Each activation that Until Until Events holds has its own DNA that makes it unique. The grunge party scene that is Genesis All Black has a different flavour profile from the serene day concert of Good Morning that was born out of the Covid-19 restrictions.
On how her company keeps every event fresh and distinct, Amahle explains, “Well, I think, for us, we always believe one thing, that the simplest and the dumbest idea will stick and so I think people maybe try to overcomplicate some things that are simple.
“So, if you think about it, Sunday Roast was just born out of wanting a groove on Sundays and offering people a plate and you call it Sunday Roast … So, for us I think we don’t limit ourselves creatively just because it’s an event.”
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Talking business
Amahle’s business has grown from just a few friends organising events to branching out into agency work that takes care of clients like Spotify and Amazon Prime Video and employing about 20 people.
“First of all, we have employees, which I think is crazy. How am I in charge of other people, like what do you mean by that,” she laughs.
“We're employers, we now work with people from all walks of life that might not necessarily know the Until Until story. There are a strategist here or a freelancer doing that. I think that for me, being able to see the company is amazing. I’ve seen it growing in our workforce, growing in the size of our offices, growing in the clients that we have.”
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Taking a chance and a leap of faith
Not only does she curate some of Johannesburg’s most sought-after events, but Amahle is also a co-owner of restaurant and bar The Royale, situated in Craighall.
Heading into the realm of entrepreneurship is no easy task but being able to pin down seven-figure purchase orders from clients while running the day-to-day, highlights just how savvy and forward-thinking Amahle and her team are.
Interestingly, Amahle initially wanted to be a politician and has an educational background in politics, philosophy and economics that she was working towards while building Until Until Events. She believes that life will present you with opportunities that can’t be passed up.
If given the opportunity, Amahle said that she would tell her younger self, “Focus a little bit more. I think there’s a lot of things that I could’ve done faster, sooner, if I’d just had my head to the ground – obviously you’re a 20-year-old so let’s also be fair to me – but I would’ve said focus more on what you want out of life, more about yourself and less about everybody else.”
