Built on
Something Bigger
We produce extraordinary events for our clients. We also invest in the people and organizations that keep this industry running. That commitment does not stop when the last speaker goes dark.
"This industry runs on passion. People who work it pour everything in, late nights, long drives, relentless problem-solving. When they hit a wall, they deserve a community that shows up."
How We Give Back
Three organizations. One throughline: making the live events industry stronger for every professional who calls it a career.
SEARCH Foundation
When an industry colleague faces crisis, financial help should not be one more thing to worry about. BDEP is a proud SEARCH100 monthly giving member, contributing directly to peer-to-peer emergency relief for events and catering professionals across the country.
ILEA Boston
The International Live Events Association is the global standard for event industry professionalism. David Buono has served two full terms as Vice President on the ILEA Boston Board of Directors, shaping programming, standards, and community for New England's event professionals.
Massachusetts Live Events Coalition
Born in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, the MLEC became the advocacy voice for every venue, DJ, caterer, and production company locked out of work across Massachusetts. David serves as Director-At-Large, ensuring the industry has representation where policy decisions are made.
The SEARCH
Foundation
Since 1997, the SEARCH Foundation has operated as the event industry's emergency net: a peer-funded, peer-run 501(c)(3) that steps in when a florist loses everything to a flood, a DJ is sidelined by cancer, or a caterer's family faces sudden catastrophe.
The acronym says it plainly: Special Event Assistance Relief and Crisis Help. One hundred percent of crisis relief donations go directly to qualified individuals in need. No bureaucratic overhead. No runaround. A real check to a real person from a community that understands what it means to live event-industry life.
Black Diamond Event Production participates in the SEARCH100 program, an ongoing monthly giving commitment that keeps the relief fund stable and responsive year-round.
- SpecialFor professionals in the live events world, no matter the role or title.
- EventCatering, meetings, production, entertainment, and every discipline in between.
- AssistanceDirect financial support, not referrals or red tape.
- ReliefFor crises: illness, accident, natural disaster, and loss.
- CrisisBecause a crisis does not wait for the right moment.
- HelpBy event professionals, for event professionals. Full stop.
Association Leadership
Giving back is not only financial. It is time, expertise, and showing up for the rooms that shape this industry.
ILEA Boston Representing New England's creative event professionals since 1988
ILEA is the principal global association for live event professionals, spanning 40-plus chapters across 35 countries. The Boston chapter brings together planners, producers, AV companies, caterers, venues, entertainment specialists, and every discipline that makes a live event happen.
David Buono has served two consecutive terms on the ILEA Boston Board of Directors as Vice President, contributing to education programming, industry standards, and the community infrastructure that elevates New England's event scene.
MLEC Formed in response to COVID-19 lockdowns on the Massachusetts events industry
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live events across Massachusetts, thousands of DJs, caterers, photographers, production crews, and venue staff lost their livelihoods overnight. The Massachusetts Live Events Coalition was formed specifically to give those professionals a unified advocacy voice in state government.
David Buono serves as Director-At-Large of the MLEC, working alongside industry peers to ensure the economic and cultural value of the live events sector is never overlooked at the policy level.
A Record of
Showing Up
Community investment is not a one-time gesture. It is a track record built year over year.
Let's Make
Something Great
When you book Black Diamond Event Production, you are working with a team that is invested in this industry at every level. Bring us your wedding, corporate event, or gala. We will bring everything we have.
Frequently Asked
What is the SEARCH Foundation?
SEARCH stands for Special Event Assistance Relief and Crisis Help. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has provided direct financial assistance to event, meetings, and catering professionals since 1997. Anyone in the industry facing catastrophic illness, accident, natural disaster, or serious loss can apply for aid. Black Diamond is a SEARCH100 monthly giving member.
What is ILEA Boston?
ILEA Boston is the New England chapter of the International Live Events Association, the principal global association for creative event professionals. Founded in 1988, it serves planners, producers, entertainers, AV companies, caterers, venues, and every discipline that touches a live event. David Buono has served two terms as VP on its Board of Directors.
What is the Massachusetts Live Events Coalition?
The MLEC was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate for Massachusetts event professionals impacted by statewide shutdowns. It represents DJs, caterers, photographers, production crews, venues, and everyone else whose livelihood depends on live events. David Buono serves as Director-At-Large.
Why does a DJ and AV company do this kind of work?
Because the event industry is a community, not just a market. The people who light up dance floors, wire boardroom AV, and photograph first dances deserve the same professional support networks that other industries take for granted. Black Diamond invests in that infrastructure because a stronger industry makes for better events for everyone.
How can I support the SEARCH Foundation?
Visit searchfoundation.org to learn about their SEARCH100 monthly giving program or to make a one-time donation. If you are an event professional in crisis, you can also apply for direct financial assistance through their website.
Does this affect how Black Diamond prices or operates?
Not directly. Our giving commitments are part of how we operate as a company, not a fee passed to clients. When you work with BDEP, you are working with a team whose values include the long-term health of the industry we share with every other vendor at your event.
We got into this industry because we love what live events do to a room. We stay committed to giving back because the people who make those rooms possible deserve a company that has their back.
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