EXCELLENCE AND PROFESSIONALISM
After a successful 22-year career in the advertising agency business, Allen McDavid launched AKA Entertainment & Media, LLC. in order to satisfy a desire to produce music shows. He also wanted to be a bigger help to his wife Sarah in operating their store in downtown Greensboro. Because of his downtown retail experience, and to fill a need, McDavid added the production of an annual Downtown Greensboro Guide to AKA's business mix. A Downtown Winston Guide was started a few years later (2008). Both are now an integral part of AKA's business.
AKA's festivals have been recognized for their excellence:
– Named one of 20 Who Shaped the Triad Arts Scene by GoTriad for the art-hop series called ArtsAlive!, the predecessor of "First Fridays".
– AKA's 2004 Samhain festival, Mystic Karnival was named one of the Top 10 New Cultural Events in the Triad.
– AKA's Eden RiverFest won the 2006 NC Department of Commerce Main Street Program's Best Downtown Festival in NC that same year.
– The Twin City RibFest was named one of the Southeast's Hottest Summer Festival Tickets in the June, 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.
– The Twin City RibFest was listed as one of The Top 50 BBQ Festivals in America by USA Today in 2016.
– Named one of the country's best food festivals on MarthaStewart.com in 2008.
– Our State magazine named the Twin City RibFest as one of the NC’s Top 10 Summer Festivals in 2015
– The Twin City RibFest has been included in the Top 20 Event List by the Southeast Tourism several years running.
– The Port City RibFest was included in Philly Magazine as a Reasons to Visit Wilmington, NC.
