We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bearta Alchacar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bearta, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I started organizing fundraisers for UNICEF at first by bringing dance instructors together to have fun and teach a master dance class at different restaurants. Space was always an issue. I eventually bought my own venue and started hosting weddings and various cultural events. I eventually started organizing outdoor festivals because I felt cultural events should be available to all classes not just for those who can afford tickets. In June of 2022 – we were able to bring over 30,000 people to downtown Raleigh to share cultural experiences including performances, food, beer and wine on City Plaza.
I always liked TED talks and wanted to find out how to apply for a license to host TEDx in Raleigh. I thought our city would benefit from having a platform to share ideas with the community.
Once one has an idea, unravel the complexity, research and follow up until you make things happen.
Patience to see results is important as well.
First year we held festivals we only had 2500 people and it grew over the years. Patience to see results is important.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Bearta and I came from Lebanon to attend NCSU. As an immigrant, life was not easy and fitting in a new culture was not easy. Having had French and Arabic as native languages for math and science specifically, made English tough.

I have three grown boys and they are my gifts from life. I own my business and I have an incredibly reliable crew that helps with the day of the event. I have some reliable vendors that I use on regular basis and this helps building a good relationship with them.

I am involved in my community and passionate about serving on Raleigh’s Human Relations Commission which is in line with the festival. The festival provides a platform to promote and encourage cross-cultural exchange, respect and understanding between cultures through dance, food, wine and music.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Most businesses had to pivot and adjust during COVID. We are no different, for events – we held our first TEDx Raleigh in 2020 with 60 people in a 3500 per our Governor’s orders. The Sheraton Downtown was open to it because hotels were empty and downtown suffered a great deal since everyone was working from home.

We held few online small events but I am not a huge fan of zoom so it was not as exciting. Human interaction has so much power. The energy you feel when you meet in person vs. Zoom is so different.

We were all in stand still mode. For those of us, extraverts, this was definitely a test. Aside from dealing with refunds and rescheduling events, and uncertainties, we had to keep thinking positive not only for us but for those around us.

Now, that events are back, people are ready to attend outdoor events, free, family friendly, pet friendly, with quality entertainment.

We have expanded and have taken on more special clients this year. Festivals and events are incredibly fun and so happy to be able to be creative in production and content.

iNSIDE SCOOP: This year, we are launching a new venture: RALEIGH’S IMMIGRANT STORIES!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My friends joke that I have hustle and I respond that the side hustle is my main hustle. Having 30,000 attendees at the event and running successful events especially with over 40 local international communities in Raleigh with communication and language fluency being sometimes an issue. I feel lucky to have been able to turn an idea into reality by working diligently to addressing each variable and researching how to do it efficiently.
One very common mistake most entrepreneurs make is to go over budgets. For sustainability, it’s important to make sure each event is self-funded.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ncvibes.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearta.alchacarpowell/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bearta-alchacar-5a3474b8/

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