Smith Events

What Smith Events does

Smith Events is a privately held, Winnipeg-based professional services firm specializing in end-to-end event management and production for major sports, festival, and government engagements. The firm is led by founder Jason Smith, who has 25+ years of direct experience envisioning and executing Winnipeg's highest-profile events, including the 103rd Grey Cup Festival, JUNO Awards, NHL Heritage Classic, Canada Summer Games, Manitoba 150, ManyFest, and the Winnipeg Folk Festival Opening Night VIP Reception. Smith Events operates with approximately five employees, engaging directly with clients on a project-by-project basis through negotiated professional services contracts. The company's core offering encompasses strategic planning, operational coordination, budgeting, site management, sponsorship activation, vendor management, and stakeholder liaison across multi-venue events. Beyond event production, Smith Events holds an embedded executive role with the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, where Jason Smith serves as President and has earned CEBL Executive of the Year recognition in 2023 and 2024.

The firm does not operate a technology platform; rather, it monetizes senior event leadership and established institutional relationships in the Manitoba market. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, leveraging Jason Smith's reputation and civic/provincial/sports network to secure engagements from sports franchises, government bodies, festival committees, and entertainment companies. Customer concentration is centered on Manitoba, with anchor clients including the Winnipeg Jets (True North Sports & Entertainment), Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Province of Manitoba, City of Winnipeg, and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Operating geographies are restricted to Manitoba with no disclosed offices, staff, or projects outside the province.

Smith Events maintains no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed shareholders. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-client field engagement, with no traditional marketing or sales infrastructure. The business model is a classic professional services construct: fees are derived from project-based contracts whose size varies with event scale, sponsorship activation responsibilities, and the operational scope of the engagement. Given the firm's small headcount, narrow geographic footprint, and project-based revenue mechanics, scaling would require either expansion of the senior bench beyond Jason Smith or formalization of recurring franchise/festival management engagements that extend beyond single-event production.

Name

Smith Events

Legal name

Smith Events

Website

https://smithevents.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smith Events is a Winnipeg-based professional services firm led by founder Jason Smith that provides end-to-end event management and production for major sports, festival, and government engagements across Manitoba, including the Winnipeg Sea Bears franchise and ManyFest street festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Management Services

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Event Promotion & Tournament Operations (MPAKAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event & Tournament Sponsorship (Title/Presenting Sponsors, Official Suppliers) (MPAKALAB), Anniversary & Milestone Celebration Services (HSACACAD), Premiere, Awards & Festival Access (HSACAMAD), Championship & Cup Organizers (MPAKADAB)

Keywords

• Event management services
• Festival production services
• Event strategic planning
• Sports event management
• Festival coordination services

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Management and Production Services: Smith Events generates revenue by providing strategic planning, operational coordination, budgeting, site management, and production services for major events and festivals. Revenue is derived from professional service contracts with clients including sports organizations, festival committees, and government bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Smith Events provides end-to-end event management and production services for major national sports events, festivals, and government ceremonies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Service delivery spans strategic planning, operational coordination, budgeting, site management, sponsorship activation, vendor management, and stakeholder liaison for engagements such as the 103 Grey Cup Festival, 2017 Canada Summer Games, Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Street Parties, NHL Heritage Classic, Manitoba 150 celebrations, ManyFest, and Winnipeg Folk Festival VIP Reception. Revenue is derived from project-based professional service contracts negotiated directly with clients.

Product overview

Smith Events is an event and music industry management and production company led by Jason Smith with over 25 years of experience. The company specializes in envisioning and overseeing major national events and festivals in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rather than a software product platform, Smith Events offers professional services as its core offering, providing comprehensive event management across sports events (Winnipeg Sea Bears, Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Street Parties, Grey Cup Festival, NHL Heritage Classic, Canada Summer Games), festivals (Manitoba 150, ManyFest Downtown Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival VIP Reception), and other major events (JUNO Awards, concerts). Jason Smith serves as President of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, guiding the organization through its launch and establishing it as a leader in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Management and Production Services End-to-end event management and production services for major sports events, festivals, and government ceremonies, including strategic planning, operational coordination, budgeting, site management, sponsorship activation, vendor management, and stakeholder liaison. Engagements have included the 103 Grey Cup Festival, 2017 Canada Summer Games, Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Street Parties, NHL Heritage Classic, Manitoba 150, ManyFest, and the Winnipeg Folk Festival VIP Reception.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85,000+ visitors for ManyFest street festival in 2019 with similar attendance in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Winnipeg Folk FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Events works in partnership with the Winnipeg Folk Festival as Event Director for their annual Opening Night VIP Reception. Jason Smith directs strategic and operational planning, coordination, budgeting and site management for the VIP event at Birds Hill Park for the 2018, 2019 & 2022 festivals.
• Downtown Winnipeg BIZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Events partners with The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and True North Sports & Entertainment to direct ManyFest, downtown Winnipeg's biggest street festival. Smith Events handles strategic and operational planning, coordination, budgeting and site management.
• True North Sports & EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Events works in partnership with True North Sports & Entertainment on events including ManyFest and Heritage Classic. Collaborative relationship for major Winnipeg sports and entertainment initiatives.
• Province of ManitobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Smith reported to the Minister of Sport, Culture & Heritage and the Manitoba 150 board of directors. Liaised with Province of Manitoba, City of Winnipeg and other key stakeholders for the 150th anniversary celebration.
• Winnipeg Civic Engagement CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Events directs and oversees all Whiteout Street Parties on behalf of the Winnipeg Civic Engagement Committee, which consists of Economic Development Winnipeg, The City of Winnipeg, The Downtown Winnipeg Biz and True North Sports & Entertainment.
• Winnipeg Football ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Smith served as VP, Entertainment & Events for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club (2014-2016), directing all non-football entertainment operations at Investors Group Field.
• NHL / Winnipeg Jets Hockey ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Events acts on behalf of True North Sports & Entertainment in matters relating to the NHL and Heritage Classic game day events and operations. Consulted with NHL and TNSE to develop and manage all Heritage Classic week events.
• 2017 Canada Summer Games Host SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Smith served as Director of Special Events and Ceremonies, working with the Winnipeg Host Society, key sponsors, the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba and government representatives from each province and territory.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: World's largest live entertainment company, operating concerts, festivals, and sponsorship activation. Jason Smith previously served as Local Promoter Rep for 700+ Live Nation concerts; comparable in producing live events at scale, though vastly larger and vertically integrated.
• Endeavor (WME-IMG): Global sports and entertainment company encompassing talent representation, event management, and brand licensing. Comparable in servicing sports franchises and major events, though operates at vastly larger scale with broader portfolio.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): Global sports and live entertainment operator producing concerts, festivals, and major sporting events including NHL and arena properties. Comparable in producing flagship sports events and civic celebrations, but with far broader venue ownership and infrastructure.

Direct peers

• MCI Group: Global meeting, event, and association management firm producing conferences, conventions, and corporate events. Comparable in providing full-service event strategy, production, and stakeholder coordination for organizations hosting major events.
• Freeman: One of the largest brand-experience and event management services firms globally, providing end-to-end event production, strategic planning, and on-site execution for corporate and association events. Comparable in service scope (event production, logistics, stakeholder coordination) though much larger in scale.
• Wasserman: Global sports marketing, consulting, and event management agency that produces major sports and entertainment events including Open Championships and fan-experience activations. Comparable in producing major spectator sports events and managing multi-stakeholder productions.
• C3 Presents: Event and festival production company behind Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza, and other marquee festival properties. Comparable in producing end-to-end festival and major event experiences with multi-venue coordination.
• Paquin Entertainment Group: Canadian entertainment and live event management firm where Jason Smith previously worked as Production Manager. Closest direct peer in geography, scale, and Canadian event-services focus, with overlapping artist/festival relationships.
• Octagon: Sports marketing and event management firm specializing in sponsorship activation, event production, and athlete representation. Comparable in servicing sports leagues and franchises with event production and sponsorship activation services.

Regional players

• Ink Entertainment: Canadian hospitality and event management company producing high-profile experiential events, festivals, and nightlife activations across Toronto and other Canadian markets. Comparable in Canadian event production and brand activation, though geographically concentrated in Ontario.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smith-events

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smith Events