Q & A with Wine + Food Festival Executive Director, Jeff Gerber

Hilton Head Island’s Wine & Food Festival is a favorite in the Lowcountry. The 38th annual event takes place March 19th to 25th and will feature delicious sips and tasty bites from the region’s culinary leaders. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the John F. & Valerie Currie Educational Scholarship Fund for college students pursuing a degree in the hospitality and tourism field.?

Ahead of the festival, we spoke with Executive Director Jeff Gerber about his start in the Food and Beverage industry and what we can expect at this year’s festival.

Q: Please tell us a little about your background, where you are from, and your job history.??

A: I grew up on the Oregon coast. After serving in the Army, I completed my degree at the University of Oregon. In college was when I first started working in the Food & Beverage(F&B) industry. A few years after graduating, I moved to South Carolina. During my time in the Army, I was stationed in the South and loved it so much, and then spent nearly 25 years in the F&B industry. My experience covers everything from pizza to micro-breweries, to steak houses, to fine dining. Some of my duties have included running/building wine programs with lists ranging from 50 - 600 bottles in size.

Q: How did you find yourself as Executive Director of the Wine & Food Festival? How long have you been with the organization?

A: started as a volunteer in 2003. After a couple of years, they asked me to run the judging competition. Then a couple years later, they asked me to join the board. Then in 2015, the executive director quit for health reasons on February 1st, and the festival started in early March. So February 8th was my first day as the executive director, and the rest is history!?

Q: Can you tell us about Hilton Head Island’s Wine & Food Festival??

A: The festival started as a one-day event 38 years ago. We have grown this into a week-long event, and the estimates are that the festival has about a $4M impact on the local economy between hotel rooms, going out to dinner, shopping, and golf.?

Q: What is your favorite memory from past Wine & Food Festivals??

A: We are a nonprofit, and we give scholarships to USCB and TCL. We have given $120,000 in scholarship money to the schools during my time. We also were able to donate money to TCL to help start the Culinary Institute of the South. So, I would say my favorite overall memory has been giving back to the community.?

Q: How much planning goes into the Wine & Food Festival? Can you tell us about all the behind-the-scenes work??

A: I tell people my year is three months that are fairly easy and low stress, then six months of an average job and then three months of non-stop. Planning includes making budgets, applying for grants, speaking with sponsors and volunteers, coordinating with locations, creating marketing plans, and much more.?

Q: What can festival-goers expect to see that’s different at this year’s Wine & Food Festival??

A: We added a beer garden a couple of years ago, which was extremely popular. So last year, at the last minute, we added a craft beer tasting at the Westin. That was really well received, and we look forward to this being even better this year with more time to plan.

Q: What are some activities that a first-time festival attendee needs to do??

A: Go to the Saturday event. That is where the most diversity is. There is food, spirits, a beer garden, and of course, lots of wine. Remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint. There is more than you can taste, so take your time, and enjoy what you are doing at the moment. The spit and dump bins can be your friend!?

Q: How many attendees do you expect to see this year? Is it different from other years??

A: Somewhere between 3500 - 4000 people. We have been growing at about 10-15% annually. We try and grow, but not too quickly, as we do not want the events to get so big as they negatively affect people’s experience.

Q: What is your favorite event or aspect of the festival?

A: The people! I have met people from all over the country and the world at the festival. They come from all walks of life, and they all like having a good time. They are positive people, and you see them walking around, smiling, and talking to strangers they meet at the events. It is pretty cool to stand back and watch.

Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to work their way into event planning??

A: Learn to be organized. There are a ton of moving parts, and you have to have a system to track everything. Find someone to mentor you. It can be challenging to figure it all out on your own. You can look at event planning at a property, working on weddings, or hotels that host events, like the Westin and Sonesta.

Q: What is something you’ve learned during past major events that you’ve managed??

A: Be flexible. Life doesn’t care that you spent a year planning how the event will go. There are surprises every year, and many of them could not have been anticipated. Accept that this can happen, and if it does happen, then choose to face the challenge with a positive attitude. You knew it could happen, and trying to fix things with a bad attitude doesn’t help the people you are trying to lead deal with the challenge. You don’t get paid to do the easy things, you get paid to fix things. Also, there is nothing that a glass of wine won’t fix! Cheers.

Thanks, Jeff, for taking the time to share your story with us. Make sure to attend this year’s Hilton Head Island’s Wine + Food Festival and raise a toast to the best the Lowcountry has to offer.?