The International Wine and Spirits Competition Group will be managing The Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair after forming a partnership with the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. The wine and food festival just finished its 13th year in April attracting nearly 10,000 people, the event’s founder, Keri Schmidt, said. Schmidt, who is also president of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, said IWSC Group, an events company based in the United Kingdom, will own 60 percent of the festival and the chamber will own 40 percent. “I think they will provide great assistance to us reaching a higher level of exposure we’re looking for,” Schmidt said. “[Becoming] nationally known has been a goal of ours and I think we’ve achieved that to some extent but being internationally recognized is also something that’s going to be extremely positive for us.” She said the IWSC Group would likely bring more events to the table that the chamber was not able to deliver. “I think that the IWSC Group is bringing a depth of experience in event planning on a global scale that we haven’t had before,” Schmidt said. “Although they want to maintain the characteristics that made everyone fall in love with the Sugar Land Wine and Food Fair, I think that they’re going to bring enhancements to the event.” Although Schmidt said all of the specifics are not planned yet, the festival will be held April 5-9 in 2017. It will still have some of its biggest attractions, including its Grand Tasting, Sip & Stroll and Bistro Brunch, she said. “It’s going to be an amazing ability to meld the global experiences that they’ve had with what we’ve built here in Sugar Land,” she said. She said IWSC Group Chief Executive Officer Allen Gibbons first contacted her in November gauging interest in a potential partnership. “I think that we have held a position as the premier multi-day wine and food festival in the region since its inception,” Schmidt said. “We were the first multi-day wine and food festival in the Houston region and we’ve built a great loyal following. I think that’s part of what attracted them.”