We design events and activations
that make your people feel it.
You know what your brand stands for.
Host & Gather is a brand experience and event production company, serving founder-led, nonprofit, and corporate brands across the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, Upstate New York and beyond.
Host & Gather makes sure that your event NEVER feels like any of those.
The organizations and brands we serve want to design events and experiences differently.
Ones that break the mold without losing professionalism and taste, that feel specific to them and their missions, and shake up the traditional run of show.
You’re in good company!
Are you so done with corporate events and brand experience that give “business as usual?”
- The nonprofit gala that runs like clockwork but whose attendees didn’t donate as planned.
- The business summit that looks exactly like the previous three years.
- The product launch with all the backdrops, flowers, and food, but not a single moment that communicates what the brand stands for.
Ones that break the mold without losing professionalism and taste, that feel specific to them and their missions, and shake up the traditional run of show.
- The nonprofit gala that runs like clockwork but whose attendees didn’t donate as planned.
- The business summit that looks exactly like the previous three years.
- The product launch with all the backdrops, flowers, and food, but not a single moment that communicates what the brand stands for.
You’re in good company!
Are you so done with corporate events and brand experience that give “business as usual?”
The organizations and brands we serve want to design events and experiences differently
She built Host + Gather Events because she had developed a process, a perspective, and a genuine obsession with hospitality that she knew could close that gap.
The obsession is real — she thinks about the welcome that makes a guest feel expected, the flow that moves a room from strangers to community, the details nobody else thought of that become the thing everyone talks about afterward.
She is THE a vibe and dead serious about producing events that deliver results.
A truly unstoppable combination to have in your brand’s corner.
Wa'Kena has spent 20+ years producing events in some of the Capital Region's most demanding environments — galas that needed to raise real money, corporate gatherings that needed to feel like the organization at its best, brand moments with a hundred moving parts that all needed to land at exactly the right time.
She knows what kills these important events too – the tired “always done this way” formats and excessive decor budgets without any strategy –
And how to replace them with hospitality-focused experiences that your attendees will be talking about for weeks.
Meet Wa’Kena Jackson Founder & Event Producer
Before a vendor is contacted or a venue is toured, we map out your event around its objective. What does success look like for the event, who is the audience, the guest flow, every transition. Who needs to be in the room, how they need to feel when they arrive, and what has to happen before they leave.
THE BLUEPRINT
These are the details nobody else thought of. The welcome that makes a guest feel expected. The prompt during a mastermind that turns a table of strangers into a real conversation. The moment that moves the room from a gathering into a shared experience that bonds people. These aren't extras — they're woven into the blueprint from the start.
The Surprise & Delights
On-site, everything is choreographed. Wa'Kena holds and develops the master run of show so the host holds only one job: hosting. Being present and connecting with guests and attendees. Experiencing the moment they spent months building. And when the last guest lingers — she designs for the linger — the post-event follow-up keeps the momentum alive.
The Experience
Every Host + Gather experience is built through three layers.
How we make sure your event feels nothing like the ones you've been to.
"Wa’Kena was absolutely exceptional in planning and coordinating Sister Chris’s 80/30 celebration. From start to finish, every detail reflected thoughtful preparation, creativity, and genuine care. She created a beautiful experience that honored Sister Chris in a way that felt both meaningful and personal."
-Robin
80/30 Celebration
Hospitality isn't the cherry on top of your event. It's the infrastructure the whole thing runs on.
The oohs and aahs only last 30 minutes. What happens after is the whole point.
If brands and businesses were more honest about who needed to be in the room at an event, they’d see better results (aka audience curation matters)
Intimacy is a feeling, not a headcount. An event with 150 people can feel more connected than one with 25 — if it's designed right.
The host should be hosting. Not managing vendors, not chasing the caterer. Hosting.
A pretty room gets a photo. A thoughtful experience gets a lifetime relationship.
Events are tools. They should grow your brand, your community, your donor base, and your revenue (Event ROI is NOT JUST TICKET SALES).
Corporate style networking is a snooze fest and should be overhauled IMMEDIATELY
