Small Business Spotlight
September 2026

What makes a major event valuable to a local economy?

The crowds matter. So does the visibility. But the real opportunity comes when that energy moves beyond the event itself—into neighborhood businesses, restaurants, vendors, partnerships, and new relationships that continue long after the crowds have gone home.

That is the thinking behind MMFB Event Productions.

Led by founder Alysis Vasquez, the woman-owned production company has spent the past decade building experiences that connect celebration with economic opportunity. From large-scale festivals and food events to music festivals and cultural community gatherings, MMFB now produces or partners on more than 25 events each year.

The company has also developed a network of more than 300 local small businesses, along with an extensive roster of DJs, bands, fine artists, performers, and experiential activations—creating an ecosystem that connects major events directly to the communities where they take place.

It is an increasingly important idea in a place like Hudson County, where global reach and intensely local communities exist side-by-side.

From Attendance to Economic Activity

Major cultural events can attract enormous attention, but economic impact doesn’t happen simply because people show up.

It has to be designed.

MMFB approaches event production with the surrounding economy in mind. Programming, vendor placement, physical layout, partnerships, sponsorships, and audience flow can all influence whether visitors engage with nearby businesses—or simply attend an event and leave.

That approach can be seen in the scale of MMFB’s work.

Since 2021, MMFB has produced Jersey City’s July 4th festival, bringing together more than 100,000 attendees and over 100 participating businesses. Each season, the company also produces four JC Night Market events, with approximately 50 participating businesses at each event.

Those numbers represent more than attendance. They represent opportunities for local restaurants, makers, retailers, entrepreneurs, performers, and service providers to be seen by audiences they might not otherwise reach.

MMFB’s promotional network extends that reach even further. Participating businesses can gain visibility through sponsorship and marketing opportunities, reaching more than 35,000 local email subscribers and a combined audience of over 70,000 Instagram followers across @jcnightmarket and @midnightmarketevents.

Entertainment may be the draw, but the greater opportunity is to turn that attention into foot traffic, visibility, relationships, and commerce.

Designing with Purpose

Alysis founded MMFB Event Productions in 2016 on the idea that community celebration and economic opportunity can and should reinforce one another.

Ten years later, the company has built a production model that combines creative programming with a strategic understanding of how events interact with the places in which they happen.

Since 2019, MMFB has also developed long-standing municipal partnerships across Jersey City and Bergen County, providing another important bridge between public-sector priorities, community programming, and local businesses.

“We love creating unforgettable experiences, but the real goal is impact. If our events bring people together and also bring customers into local businesses, then we’ve done our job.”
— Alysis Vasquez, Founder, MMFB Event Productions

That philosophy extends beyond the businesses serving event attendees.

MMFB also uses events as platforms for B2B connections, bringing together small businesses, vendors, sponsors, service providers, public-sector partners, artists, entertainers, and community organizations.

With a built-in network of more than 300 small businesses, those introductions can lead to collaborations, contracts, referrals, sponsorships, and repeat business—extending the economic value of an event well beyond a single day.

A Different Way to Think About Major Events

The FIFA World Cup offers perhaps the clearest example of the opportunity.

A global event can put a region in front of an extraordinary audience. But for local businesses, the more meaningful question is: How do we participate?

MMFB’s work demonstrates one answer.

Through intentional programming, curated vendors, strategic layouts, community partnerships, sponsorship opportunities, and B2B connections, major events can become platforms that bring local entrepreneurs into a much larger economic ecosystem.

MMFB already has much of that infrastructure in place: more than 25 events annually, four seasonal Night Markets, hundreds of local business relationships, established municipal partnerships, a robust entertainment network, and direct marketing channels reaching tens of thousands of local consumers.

That distinction matters.

The strongest local economies don’t simply attract major opportunities. They develop ways for businesses within the community to participate in them.

Global Reach. Local Character.

Hudson County occupies a distinctive position.

It sits at the center of one of the world’s largest economic regions while remaining a collection of highly individual cities, neighborhoods, business districts, and communities. That combination creates opportunities that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.

It also makes local connection especially important.

As major events, new investment, visitors, and cultural activity continue to flow through the region, businesses that understand how to connect those larger forces with the local economy will play an increasingly important role.

MMFB Event Productions is one example of that innovation at work.

Michelle Richardson, Executive Director of the Hudson County Economic Development Corporation, sees that ability to connect the two as increasingly valuable:

“As Hudson County and Jersey City continue to evolve as destinations for large-scale events, MMFB Event Productions brings a strategic lens to event production. Their work helps strengthen small-business engagement in ways that last beyond the event itself.”
— Michelle Richardson, Executive Director, HCEDC

Turning Moments into Momentum

The lesson extends beyond event production.

Economic development increasingly depends on making connections: between large opportunities and small businesses, between visitors and neighborhoods, between entrepreneurs and institutions, and between global attention and local commerce.

MMFB’s ten-year trajectory demonstrates what those connections can look like at scale: 100,000-plus attendees at Jersey City’s July 4th celebration, 50 businesses participating in each Night Market, a network of more than 300 local businesses, more than 25 events annually, and marketing channels capable of extending visibility to audiences well beyond the event itself.

That is part of what makes Hudson County such a dynamic place to build a business.

Its strength isn’t simply its proximity to opportunity. It is the people and businesses finding innovative ways to turn that opportunity into something local.

MMFB Event Productions is helping turn major moments into lasting local momentum.

For more information about how the HCEDC can help grow your business, explore the HCEDC website!

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MMFB Event Productions

Download the September 2026 Business Spotlight at: MMFB Event Productions