Clarke Allen

Clarke Allen

DMCPNC, US
Entrepreneur. Event Designer. Author. Speaker. Student. Teacher. Working with individuals to help them live outside of their "Inevitable Box".

Clarke Allen, BS, DMCP


Clarke is the founder and owner of the Clarke Allen Group, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. His entrepreneurial spirit and restless creativity propelled Clarke to open several businesses, becoming one of the most respected event design and production companies on the east coast. Clarke is known for his ability to build client relationships and vendor partnerships.


Clarke was recognized early for his ability to sell an entire experience instead of merely a hotel room. Knowing little about starting a business, his strong passion and grit led him to founding a series of businesses over the last 21 years. In 2000 Clarke decided to co-locate his two companies, Charlotte Arrangements and Creatrix and decided to develop an old warehouse in the NoDa neighborhood. In 2005 after purchasing an additional 3 acres he designed and build CenterStage@NoDa. In 2013, Clarke pulled all his companies together under the flagship Clarke Allen®, an award winning, multi-million dollar company producing over 250 programs each year. His impressive reputation has attracted clients such as the Carolina Panthers, Lowe's Home Improvement, Samaritan's Feet International, Preston Bailey, David Tutera, Will Ferrell, the Steve Smith Family Foundation, the late Dr. Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey.


Clarke is the author of The Inevitable Box: A Quest for Significance, which details his road to self awareness and enhanced emotional intelligence learned while facing the lowest moment of his life and then fighting to overcome traits that affected him personally and professionally. The goal in writing this book is to challenge readers to reach beyond boundaries of their comfort zone as it compels people to confront the fears keeping you from experiencing the destiny that is inevitable in everyone's lives.


Clarke has been speaking to corporations, organizations and industry partners for the past 16 years sharing his proven method of personal change management and his knowledge of the event industry. His areas of interest are: leadership development, change management and methodology, people management, emotional intelligence, convention and meeting event development, creativity and design, event creation and the stakeholders.


When Clarke is not planning jaw-dropping events and unparalleled experiences, you can find him at home cooking up a gourmet meal, checking out the local breweries in Charlotte, working out, or finding his Zen in yoga class. As always, the driving force and source of inspiration behind all he does are his two sons, Carson and Cooper.

Clarke Allen, BS, DMCP


Clarke is the founder and owner of the Clarke Allen Group, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. His entrepreneurial spirit and restless creativity propelled Clarke to open several businesses, becoming one of the most respected event design and production companies on the east coast. Clarke is known for his ability to build client relationships and vendor partnerships.


Clarke was recognized early for his ability to sell an entire experience instead of merely a hotel room. Knowing little about starting a business, his strong passion and grit led him to founding a series of businesses over the last 21 years. In 2000 Clarke decided to co-locate his two companies, Charlotte Arrangements and Creatrix and decided to develop an old warehouse in the NoDa neighborhood. In 2005 after purchasing an additional 3 acres he designed and build CenterStage@NoDa. In 2013, Clarke pulled all his companies together under the flagship Clarke Allen®, an award winning, multi-million dollar company producing over 250 programs each year. His impressive reputation has attracted clients such as the Carolina Panthers, Lowe's Home Improvement, Samaritan's Feet International, Preston Bailey, David Tutera, Will Ferrell, the Steve Smith Family Foundation, the late Dr. Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey.


Clarke is the author of The Inevitable Box: A Quest for Significance, which details his road to self awareness and enhanced emotional intelligence learned while facing the lowest moment of his life and then fighting to overcome traits that affected him personally and professionally. The goal in writing this book is to challenge readers to reach beyond boundaries of their comfort zone as it compels people to confront the fears keeping you from experiencing the destiny that is inevitable in everyone's lives.


Clarke has been speaking to corporations, organizations and industry partners for the past 16 years sharing his proven method of personal change management and his knowledge of the event industry. His areas of interest are: leadership development, change management and methodology, people management, emotional intelligence, convention and meeting event development, creativity and design, event creation and the stakeholders.


When Clarke is not planning jaw-dropping events and unparalleled experiences, you can find him at home cooking up a gourmet meal, checking out the local breweries in Charlotte, working out, or finding his Zen in yoga class. As always, the driving force and source of inspiration behind all he does are his two sons, Carson and Cooper.

The Inevitable Box

The joys and pitfalls to being an Entrepreneur/Human. With humor and candor, Clarke shares his experience as an entrepreneur and the unanticipated traps that all business owners fall victim to at different stages in their business. He reveals how most people live from within a box that has been created by living a story created by someone else. Clarke shows you how through hard work, courage to be vulnerable, and the desire to change, you can re-write that story, and become your authentic...
EntrepreneurismInspirational / Life-changing

The Anatomy of an Event

The art of a special event is in the design. A lifetime occasion should speak to the guests through their experience and their senses, which work to create a memorable, emotional reaction. This session takes you through a distinctive model that gives structure and definition to the complex world of special events. With over 20 years of designing and producing some of the country's most amazing events, including the 82nd birthday party of Dr. Maya Angelou (where she dubbed him the "giver of...
Educational / Informative

How to Make a Meeting an Event

Effective meetings should increase ROI (Return on Investment, or Retention of Information). This presentation provides tips, tricks, and suggestions for producing exciting, energetic, and effective meetings to "tell a story" and enhance the message. Attention to the environment, meeting design, menu development, and coordinated communications leaves a lasting impression on attendees. With a focus on these details, Clarke can help you increase and retain attendance, improve attendee experience...
EventsEducational / Informative

How to Best Package your Destination Assets

When it comes to assisting your client, you want to tell the story of the destination and highlight all of its hidden treasures. Clarke Allen used this approach with FBI National Academy Associates Convention. Not only did he arrange local concerts by world-renowned artists like the Charlie Daniels Band, but he also organized test drives at the Speedway and celebrity golf experiences, which highlighted the destination's resources. It is through services that accommodate and impress your...
EventsEducational / Informative