I think what thundering1 has said here is some of the best advice I have read!! Well done on that...   Good luck on the new venture, and dont get burnt in the process, from what you say about the venture into the  event photography business, thats the reality of trying to make a living..  

Assemble as good a kit as you can afford, and go for gear that is not going to drop like a stone in price the moment you walk out of the shop.. The outlay on this to start off as A Pro will be considerable.. And what you decide to go into will perhaps determine what will be the best to buy..

Danny O'Byrne  http://www.digitalartzone.co.uk/

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice" Eliott Erwitt