The SmithFest Vision

At SmithFest Events we dedicate ourselves to “different”. This means providing our patrons and sponsors with events that you wouldn’t expect to see from anyone else. We make it our goal to add “WOW” factor in every event, and make our events unpredictable and exciting.

When you buy a ticket for a SmithFest Event be prepared to buckle up and enjoy the ride. An unmatched level of participant service is an essential element in every event we produce.

 

The History of SmithFest 

In 2007, Fred Smith, Founder of SmithFest Events and the SmithFest Foundation, was in search of a way to get his friends and family to put their busy lives aside to come together for a fun & exciting day.  There is no doubt he found it, and he called it SmithFest.

SmithFest is an extremely elaborate, exciting, and unique scavenger hunt based out of the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts.  The event has grown immensely since that first event in 2007, and takes pride in its status as the World’s Largest Charity Scavenger Hunt.

After two years of running as a fun, local event, Smith filed for non-profit status under which to run the SmithFest Scavenger Hunt.  The status was granted, and the SmithFest Foundation was born.  In 2010, the event managed to raise $5,000 for a local organization supporting Kids in Disability Sports.  In 2011, the Foundation Board voted on its annual beneficiaries, deciding on the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  SmithFest 2011 once again saw tremendous growth, with over 100 teams registering for the event, and donating $50,000 to the two beneficiaries.

The Smith Brothers both got their first taste of the event business working for the professional hockey club formerly based out of Lowell’s Tsongas Arena.  As leaders among the game-day event crew, they discovered a passion and a knack for the job.  The two put their own spin on the entertainment and promotional aspects of the game day production to the point of becoming “local celebrities”.

After their time in the professional hockey scene, Fred pursued a career as a Correctional Officer where he remained for 10 years while Brian acquired a business degree then focused much of his career towards Operations & Project Management.

The two took a giant leap in 2011 deciding to leave their respective careers to chase their shared dream of running events for a living and named their company SmithFest Events, after their flagship event.  The non-profit scavenger hunt is still an important part of their lives, along with the friends and family who helped to build it.  SmithFest takes pride in its roots in the community; it has been a friends-and-family production since day one.

Their first event as a company would once again turn heads, just this time on a much larger scale.  On June 16th, 2012 the Smith Brothers pulled off an event that started as a wacky fundraising idea.  The event was the first-ever Musical Chairs World Championship, an all-day music festival featuring a enormous game of musical chairs and a $10,000 first prize.

As their company motto, “Dedicated to Different”, implies they aren’t about to take on your average dinner party or golf tournament.  These clever and imaginative brothers are out to make waves and turn heads with their growing events business.  The MCWC certainly accomplished that, gaining media attention all over the world including several notable sources both locally and nationally (Yahoo!, ESPN, NESN).  The event even managed to draw the attention of ESPN the Magazine who plans to run a 6-page feature in August 2012.

SmithFest Events prides itself on its ability to provide exceptional patron service & unique marketing opportunities for all of its events.  The company plans to continue running both SmithFest and the Musical Chairs World Championship, as well as mix things up again soon with their next unique event idea.  Stay on your toes; you never know what these guys will come up with next.