What does “Marketing with a Mission,” mean to you? At The Williams Agency, community comes first. With a focus on local food, culture, sustainable agriculture, and green business strategy, the Williams Agency uses its services and grassroots strategy to not only engage the community, but build something interactive and sustaining.
Nicola Williams, founder and CEO of The Williams Agency, celebrated her 20th anniversary. Her experience with event planning, marketing, and public relations is unparalleled, and her mark remains visible in the many events and brands seen in Cambridge and Greater Boston. With a strong and experienced team behind her, Nicola and The Williams Agency continue to grow.
I gained the opportunity to work as a Marketing Intern for The Williams Agency for 8 months while in graduate school, and it has been a wonderful blur of food festivals and localvore-friendly events and projects. To give you a taste of the accomplishments of The Williams Agency, here is a tour of the projects I got to participate and work on with the team.
Boston JerkFest
The Boston JerkFest is a Caribbean themed food festival that celebrates Caribbean culture and, my favorite, the delicious and spicy Caribbean cuisine. Whether you want to listen to live Jamaican music while sipping on a coconut, munch on a plate of Jerk chicken, or watch chefs compete for the best jerk dish in Boston, the Boston JerkFest makes everyone happy. The Rum & Brew on Friday night was a new twist this year, and it had a line out the door for two blocks. Unlimited tastings? Yes, please!
Buy Local Trade Show
Farm, restaurant, specialty food vendor, green business, and everything in between! The Buy Local Trade Show involves hundreds of businesses and gives a unique opportunity for businesses to connect, and together, make their work grow. Now, maybe you’ll notice that your local coffee shop has only local breads and treats! Our community only gets stronger when we work together, and that’s what the Buy Local Trade Show is all about.
Hyper-Local Craft Brewfest
I love my beers and ciders, but I especially love my local beers and ciders. What makes this Brewfest Hyper-Local? Every single product at this event comes from New England, and you’d be surprised just how many tasty brews we’ve got here in our backyard! This was such a warm and friendly event at the Center for the Arts at the Armory in Somerville. Each vendor took great care explaining what went into every flavor. My favorite? Have you tried the Americain from Bantam Cider? It’s like liquid apple pie! And Bantam is just around the block in Somerville.
The Moringa Project
Food describes one of the greatest aspects of Greater Boston. With such a diverse population, the restaurants, farmers markets, food trucks, street vendors, and pop-ups make Boston an exciting place to eat at. For a foodie from California like me, it makes it a lot easier to call home. The Moringa Project takes that seriously too, and is a market feasibility research grant aimed to support local farmers who grow culturally connected foods by connecting them with ethnic food entrepreneurs and community members who may not be able to find the ingredients necessary for their dishes, such as the Moringa, a Vietnamese green that cannot be found in New England, but can be grown here! It keeps the farm-to-table dream alive and continues to support all things local.
Vermont JerkFest
With the Boston JerkFest such a success, The Williams Agency, in collaboration with Jamaica Awareness, decided to make its debut in the beautiful mountains of Killington, Vermont. Inspired by the Boston JerkFest, the Vermont JerkFest had great food, music, and activities. Listening to Third World Band while snacking on the addicting rum cake from Goodway Bakery in the beautiful mountains is just an example of what made this festival special.
Boston Local Food Festival
Bringing local food together for one huge extravaganza is an awesome idea, and the Boston Local Food Festival makes that idea a reality. Nicknamed the nation’s largest one-day farmers market, the Boston Local Food Festival celebrates the food that makes New England special and gives the community an opportunity to engage, learn, and of course EAT. The Williams Agency works with the Sustainable Business of Massachusetts to bring this even to its fullest potential. I especially appreciate being able to work with such wonderful bloggers, who told the stories of so many of our vendors, created mouth-watering recipes, and highlighted just what makes our local food program so special. September 20 couldn’t come fast enough.
These are just mere highlights of what The Williams Agency contributes to. The year-long calendar hosts even more! Both big and small projects are treated with care because every kind of business, organization, and event deserves the chance to grow and make a difference to our community. I have learned a lot, and most importantly, met wonderful people who made coming to work an absolute pleasure. Cheers!
by Nusheen Orandi, Marketing Coordinator
