The Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival (MVF&WF), the Edgartown Board of Trade and its Board of Directors recently announced AJ Williams as the new Festival Director. The Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival was created by the Edgartown Board of Trade to enhance tourism on the Island and to support and promote Island initiatives through broad-based community involvement, according to a press release. Ms. Williams has begun planning the seventh annual Island event, which will run from October 16 to October 19.
Ms. Williams is currently the President and Creative Director of AJ Williams Events, a Boston event planning company known for its nonprofit galas and high-profile events. She has more than two decades of experience producing private and complex public events, both on the Vineyard and throughout New England. Her experience includes collaborating with chefs such as Gordon Ramsey, the Food Network’s Gail Simmons, Ted Allen, and local and national chefs. She has put together events from visiting chef dinners to wine tastings, lectures to concerts, music to food and wine festivals. In addition to a distinguished career in event production, Ms. Williams also brings experience in fundraising, marketing, public relations, as well as event strategy.
“As a fan of the Festival, I am thrilled to join the team of the Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival and look forward to working closely with Christina Cook and the festival committee to enhance the overall Island experience to ensure its continued success,” said AJ Williams in a press release. “The Edgartown Board of Trade has created an exceptional Festival and I am committed to growing the MVF&WF with focus on local talent and building relationships.”
“I’m really looking forward to working with AJ to execute this year’s Festival,” said Christina Cook, President of the Edgartown Board of Trade and Chairperson of the Festival, in a press release. “A four-day festival has a lot of moving parts, and I’m confident her festival background in both fundraising and logistics will be a great fit for us here in Edgartown.”
Ms. Williams replaces Festival Director Beth Lopes, President of Cronus Events, LLC, who recently retired after four years of service to the Festival. Annie Cooke-Ennis, Vice-President of the Edgartown Board of Trade, stated, “Through Beth’s leadership, the Festival has seen tremendous growth over four years. We thank Beth for all her hard work and dedication over the last four years.”
For more information, visit mvfoodandwine.com.
