Meet Helene Greenberg | Executive Director Vegfest Expos

We had the good fortune of connecting with Helene Greenberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Helene, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Triangle Vegfest in 2014 because I had a few months between my practicum and internship to finish my masters degree. I reached out to our community to ask if they wanted a vegfest and they said YES! WE then set in motion to create our inaugural vegan festival. I had no idea this would become my full time job. Covid pushed me into this full-time when I lost my part-time job. I haven’t really looked back and expanded to five states and 10 festivals.

I have self motivation and the ability to get things done. I would rather put 60 hours towards my own thing than kill myself for another person or business.

The main goal is to educate communities on the benefits of a plant-based diet and the importance of saving the planet, the animals, and health.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
From the start I set out to create vegan festivals that were different from everyone else. On the outside they might look the same, but if you speak to the vendors, they will tell you that we are the most organized of pretty much any event they do or have done. I pride myself on the details and communication. I look at what needs to be done and I figure out the best way to do it. I consider the vendors and the attendees and my decisions are based on what is best for the festival and not always what is best for me (and our team).

I’ve learned lessons every single year and at every single event. I can talk for hours about this. I’ve learned lessons by attending other festivals as well, things to do and things not to do. Here are a few:

*Don’t mix vendors and educational speakers in the same room
*Make sure to have stuff for children to do otherwise the adults can’t stay
*Pivoting is important especially during a pandemic
*Being proactive is more important than reactive
*Apologize
*Weather kills a festival and is out of anyone’s control
*Communicate and then communicate again
*Delegating is important
*Having an incredible team to help is key

We had to move our largest festival a few years ago due to a hurricane and we moved it to the same weekend as another festival. We went from Chattanooga, TN on Saturday to Asheville, NC on Sunday. It was the most stressful month of my life. We did it, but I never want to do it again. I didn’t make the decision lightly and I included the vendors via a Zoom meeting to help make the decision and to pick the best date.

I’ve gotten here by building relationships and trying to be the best at what I do all while pivoting and ebbing and flowing with how the world has changed over the past 10 years. It hasn’t been easy.

This is my activism. It’s important to get the word out about why veganism is important because our planet will no longer exist if we don’t change.

I will kill myself for my vendors. My success is directly correlated to their success and they know how much I care. I do take this personally because it is personal to me. These are my values and ethics wrapped up in a festival where the goal is to reach as many non-vegans as possible and show them how easy it is to be vegan, especially the food.

Vegfest Expos exists to create change and to educate.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Interesting question for an introverted person.

I live in North Carolina so I will answer based on where I live.

If my best friend was visiting the area we would definitely go out to eat and enjoy some of the best vegan food in the country. Raleigh/Durham is now home to many vegan restaurants. The Fiction Kitchen, Pure Vegan Cafe, Pure Soul, Vegan Community Kitchen would all be on the list plus incredible food trucks like Soul’s Kitchen too.

Hiking (with my pups) is easy because we have a ton of pet friendly parks with great trails as close as a mile from my house.

Concerts galore, especially during the warmer months. Comedy clubs and shows too.

Downtown Durham is super fun and a great place to shop and eat. Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street has great food and is just fun to walk around.

In South Carolina, my favorite city is Greenville. There’s incredible vegan food and waterfalls right downtown that are easily accessible.

Wilmington, NC is only a few hours away and there you can access the beach and if you go west, Asheville, NC is gorgeous highlighting the mountains western NC. Great food, great hiking, and a great place to relax.

Escape rooms are a passion so we would grab a few friends and to see if we escape and get along! Ha Ha!

Raleigh is like a mini-Manhattan with some fine dining and great parks too. It’s safe enough to walk around and there’s always something to do.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t do what I do without the vendors. Vendors are family to me. A festival wouldn’t exist without them. Secondly, the attendees are a close second because we need them to attend to support the vendors (and us). Over the past 10 years I have been fortunate enough to develop the most incredible relationships. It’s the kind words and encouragement that has helped me to keep moving forward, especially during the most difficult of times. To every person that has attended, vended, supported, donated, been kind, please know it’s meant the world to me.

Website: https://vegfestexpos.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/vegfestexpos

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/68259719/

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/vegfestexpos

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6vwU6J73RJIu0oWyx9uJA

Image Credits
My headshot was done by Daniel Turbert Photography

Be Kind design by Samm Wehman Art