For those working in the Vineyard’s event world, summer is a season of beautiful celebrations, complicated logistics, long days, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes magic. And Jessica Shai, founder of GATHER Event Company, is no stranger to that rhythm. Shai’s career began right here on Martha’s Vineyard before taking her to Boston and eventually bringing her home again. Today, GATHER is part of the Island’s close-knit community of event professionals. We caught up with Shai to talk about building her business, what makes planning events on Martha’s Vineyard so unique, and what an ideal off-the-clock Island day looks like once the summer rush finally begins to slow.
What lead to your founding of Gather Events?
I always dreamed of being an event planner. The beauty, the organization, the logistics, it all was so appealing on how it all came together. I started my career on Martha’s Vineyard planning friends weddings and events and then eventually got an amazing career opportunity to work for Liz Page Associates in Boston. So I packed my bags and moved to the city for a job in corporate and non-profit event production. From there I learned so much about the world of event planning and production. It was so dreamy to plan an event for a year, see the space transform in a day, and then the event wrapped up and it was done. After working in Boston for many years, I married my husband we decided to build our life on Martha’s Vineyard, where we met. Coming back to the island, I knew I wanted to work for myself to have the scheduling freedom of a business owner. I took a leap of faith and created GATHER Event Company. We hit the ground running and have loved it ever since.
From your perspective, what makes planning an event on the Island unique?
The vendor family here. As we all know, Marthas Vineyard is a very special place, and with that comes a lot of logistics. The way the island lives and breathes is just ingrained in the vendors. We’ve all missed the boats, had to stay on hold for hours for a reservation and mastered the time it takes to get from point a to point b. We all know each others work styles, so it really feels like a family. There’s one vendor who has a mid-July BBQ each year and it is so fun to see your “co-workers” out and about and not setting up or an event. However I will say, I’ve had extreme success with off-island vendors as well. Once they get here, and feel how special it is, they work with the ebb and flow of the island and it’s so magical to see it all come together. One thing I can not leave out is the island itself. I feel like Martha’s Vineyard herself plays a special role in all of our lives and her beautiful landscape is a guest all its own.
After a busy Vineyard event season, what does your perfect completely-off-the-clock Island day look like?
I don’t know how much that actually exists for me but if I were to wrap up all my favorite things in one day, it would be start at the Farmer’s Market, make a fresh island-grown picnic, pack it all up with my two kiddos and head to the beach for an afternoon lunch and swim. Then wrap the day up with my husband out to dinner either up island or in town at our endless amazing restaurants we have here!
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