Destination NSW with the Department of Industry is offering grants to local communities wanting to create, expand or bring new events through the NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund.
The Fund is designed to help create, attract and support exciting business events for Regional NSW and to support new business event initiatives aimed at enriching the events with opportunities offered by iconic towns and regions while helping secure successful conferences and business events for their future.
Grant funding (from a pool of $500,000) will be offered until 30 June 2019 or until funds have been exhausted.
The four streams of the program are:
- Creation of a New Business Event – To encourage towns and regions to create their own new conferences and business events.
- Attraction of an Existing Business Event – To assist rural and Regional NSW to secure conferences, business events and major expos. The business event should have previously been held in a capital city, interstate or overseas and funding is being sought to bring the event to a Regional NSW location.
- Support for an Existing Business Event – To support events that are held in Regional NSW and may rotate between locations. Funds must be used to drive increased visitation for the event.
- Support for a Business Event Project – To assist rural and Regional NSW implement business event projects or initiatives aimed at driving growth in the visitor economy of Regional NSW. This may take the form of a business event series or roadshow; a specific element of a business event where the main event is being held in a capital city or interstate; or a small scale infrastructure project specifically designed to support growth in business events.
Where relevant, applicants may apply for funding based on the following scale:
- Up to $30,000 for a business event with up to 300 delegates (projected attendance)
- Up to $60,000 for a business event with over 300 delegates (projected attendance)
The Fund is open to local government, local tourism organisations, convention organisers, chambers of commerce, business events industry operators, associations, corporations and professional conference organisers looking to create or host a business event in Regional NSW. Stakeholders who received funding under the Regional Conferencing Development Grants Pilot Program may be eligible to apply for funding under the third stream – Support of an Existing Business Event.
Applications open on Monday 24 September 2018 and will be assessed on a first-come-first-served basis until the Development Fund monies have been fully expended (or 30 June 2019, whichever occurs first).
Applicants must allow a minimum of three months, from the date of application, before the business event is held.