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Marcato Digital Solutions in Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Managing Live Events: Marcato Digital Solutions

Managing Live Events: Marcato Digital Solutions

Thursday, July 27, 2017

"It’s the quality of life. That’s the reason I live here.”

Marcato Digital Solutions made its mark with the creation, development, and evolution of an innovative event management system that simplifies and automates the management of sporting events, music and film festivals, and conferences.

Why Nova Scotia?
When asked why he chose to base his business in Nova Scotia, CEO Darren Gallop explains “For me, this is where I am, this is where I want to be, and this is where I’m going to build my business from. It’s the quality of life. That’s the reason I live here.”

Nova Scotia also provides Marcato with a significant geographic advantage - in a single business day it can service European clients in the morning and Western Canadian and American clients in the afternoon. There is also a more down-to-earth reason: our province’s competitive cost of doing business means Marcato can provide meaningful, exciting work to Nova Scotians.

What challenges have you faced and overcome?
Marcato’s greatest challenge is familiar to many Nova Scotian exporters: where to market? The global live events market is large, dynamic, and competitive. New events and festivals are always being added, and new competitors are constantly emerging. Choosing the right marketing strategy is vital to survival.

Where NSBI comes in.
The results have been stellar: Marcato has more than doubled its sales travel, leading to an exponential growth in revenue.

“NSBI worked with us to identify key markets and regions where we could focus our marketing efforts. This includes providing travel and logistics support that helped us attend trade shows, meet clients, and make important connections.” - Darren Gallop, Marcato

A future in Nova Scotia.
In 2016-2017, Marcato built on its success, winning contracts with major festivals including Bonaroo, Just for Laughs, and Lightning in Bottle. Although Marcato enjoyed a first-mover advantage, the live events marketplace is becoming more competitive. The company continues to build on Nova Scotia’s strengths: affordable cost of living, advanced infrastructure, and lifestyle.


Nova Scotia has the right mix of post-secondary education, established multinational firms, and an active startup community that results in a well-connected, global, cluster. Learn more about globally competitive ICT in Nova Scotia.

Interested in export? Nova Scotia Business Inc. is dedicated to supporting the growth of business in Nova Scotia and our team of Regional Business Development Advisors is available to assess your needs and provide practical advice on taking your next steps toward growth in global markets.

Nova Scotia businesses like Marcato Digital Solutions are focused on building a strong and thriving community for today and for generations to come. We’re proud to be able to support them. Our 2016 - 2017 Annual Report tells their stories. View the full report.