DAVE CALZARETTA

President
Magnificent Events, Ltd., Plainfield, IL

www.magevents.com

Email


Where do you find inspiration?
My wife and my children inspire me to excel in business. Everything that I do is for them. I am also inspired by the fear of failure. Those two components have given me the drive and determination to push the boundaries and limits of what is possible.

What excites you most about the year ahead in the events industry or your personal business?
With each year presents a new set of challenges. I am excited that both Magnificent Events and Maggie Speaks have grown throughout these tough economic times and we have reinvested in the business to help expand our services. We continue to build relationships and partnerships that put us in a “trusted advisor” role with our clients, which gives us license to bring creative ideas to the table for their events.

What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t get too excited about the highs and don’t get to down about the lows. Be accountable and up front with people and tackle challenges head on.

What do you hope attendees will take away from your session?
It is important to educate your clients on what is new and exciting in entertainment. Innovation is a major key to moving our industry forward and bringing new ideas to your clients will let them know that you are working to add value to their events.

BIO
Dave graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN with a degree in accounting. He began his career in the entertainment industry in 1998, when he founded the award winning national cover band Maggie Speaks. Performing over 2,000 shows over the past 13 years across the globe, Dave gained exposure to all facets of the entertainment community through his work at corporate events, weddings, charity galas, country clubs, festivals and nightclubs. In 2000, Dave left the corporate world to pursue a full‐time career in the entertainment industry, founding Magnificent Events. He quickly established himself as one of the top talent buyers for nightclubs and festivals around the Chicagoland area. With a keen eye for talent and a strong business background, Dave was able to build Magnificent Events into a company that helps clients secure top quality professional entertainment and production for their events. Magnificent Events currently books over 5,000 dates annually and is the exclusive talent buyer for 7 different night clubs, 15 different festivals and numerous corporate and private clients. Between 2006 and 2007, Dave added two bands to the Maggie Speaks musical family with the creation of the bands Spoken Four and Final Say. Collectively the bands in the Maggie Speaks musical family perform over 450 shows a year in the private, corporate, wedding, festival and nightclub markets.

In 2008, Dave was elected to the Board of Directors for the International Association of Corporate Entertainment Producers (IACEP). In 2011, he was elected to the Independent Society of Event Specialists (ISES) Chicago Board of Directors. He speaks nationally at industry conferences on the topic of Emerging Trends and Talents in the entertainment industry. He is married to his best friend Denise and is the proud father of 4 beautiful children.