I met Melissa Lagowski and Big Buzz when I was the Co-Chair of a annual event known as BenFest, a summer festival hosted by St. Benedict Church in Chicago. BenFest had the distinct pleasure of being the oldest continual running family festival in Chicago. While that is a great moniker, the fact was we made very little money.

The event was a two-day festival (Friday night and Saturday) that coincided with the birthday of our parish patron Saint Benedict. The focus of the event was family, fun and community. BenFest had a kids area and then a band area which culminated with a “better band” on Saturday night.

We were lucky to make about $5,000 over the two days and many hours of volunteers. We knew we needed help. Enter Big Buzz. To say Melissa turned the event on its head is an understatement.

First she implemented it to a three-day event. Next she redesigned the entire layout, then booked bands for the three days that drew large crowds. Finally she expanded the size of the event to encompass three surrounding side streets as well as the courtyard.

Rather than going into more boring details, I will just give one that says it all—what was once an event that would make $5,000 dollars in a good year has grown to over $40,000 and that number increases every year

While I am no longer on  the committee, BenFest is fortunate to have Melissa and Big Buzz spearheading this event every year

If you are in any situation and are looking for someone to take command of your event, I highly recommend Melissa and her team.