Major event accessibility and inclusion (Stream Three)

Applicants must:

• be financially solvent, have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be a sole trader; company; incorporated association; or trust entity
• have appropriate insurance cover including at least $20 million public liability insurance
• have the consent of the landowner and development approval (if required)
• have provided a completed datasheet; an event management plan that includes an accessibility and inclusion plan; and evidence of co-contribution.

For profit entities and events that exist to make a profit are eligible to apply and must demonstrate the event will deliver a clear public benefit.

Applicants must demonstrate the event:

• will take place in one of the 93 regional NSW LGAs, Unincorporated Far West Region or Lord Howe Island
• will occur between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.

Applicants must demonstrate the project type is aligned to the following:

• Stream Three: the purchase or hire of accessibility infrastructure and inclusive programming in conjunction with a Stream One or Stream Two application.

Eligible applications will be assessed against four program criteria:

One - Economic Impact

Applicants must demonstrate how the event provides economic benefit to regional NSW by demonstrating that the event:

• is regionally significant, as defined by evidence (i.e., through previous event ticket sales) or letters of support confirming the event is able to attract over 5,000 people. Events that will attract fewer than 5,000 people can demonstrate they are regionally significant by providing strong evidence of economic benefit through visitation and by providing letters of support. Applicants must be able to demonstrate how they calculated their estimated visitation figures
• provides an economic benefit to regional NSW through increased visitation, employment and by engaging local suppliers
• is able to stimulate the local economy by attracting more than 30 per cent attendance from visitors, with a visitor defined as being someone who lives 50km or more from where the event is being held
• has the ability to generate interstate, national and/or international exposure and provide marketing benefits for regional NSW, as evidenced through a marketing plan. 

Applicants are required to submit a completed data sheet as part of the economic impact criteria. The data sheet will generate a benefit-to-cost ratio for the application, however it is not a requirement of the funding that the application generates a benefit-to-cost ratio greater than 1.0.

Two - Strategic Alignment

Applicants need to demonstrate the project meets the objective of the fund to boost the economic and social recovery of regional NSW by attracting new major events to regional areas and supporting existing iconic regional events to grow.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• how the event will leave a positive legacy within regional NSW and provide benefit to the host community beyond the actual event itself
• how the event is aligned with the Destination Management Plans relevant to the region, the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030, and other regional strategies and policies
• the event has the support of the Destination Network and the local tourism industry. This can be demonstrated through letters of support
• has support from the local council, community groups and/or other relevant stakeholders. This can be demonstrated through letters of support.

Applicants should consider scheduling the event in an off-peak or shoulder period and consider the accommodation capacity of the host location, including if the scheduling will clash with another major event hosted in the same region. 

Three - Accessibility and Sustainability

Applicants must demonstrate:

• the event has an accessibility and inclusion plan outlining how the event will be accessible and inclusive for people with disability
• they have a strong commitment to going above and beyond the basic requirements to improve the visitor experience for people with disability
• there is a long-term vision for the event that will benefit regional NSW over multiple years, including a commitment to host the event in regional NSW in future
• the event and/or project is sustainable and can be delivered again in future without the need for further government funding.

Four - Deliverability and Affordability

Applicants must demonstrate the project is deliverable and financially viable by providing:

• a well-developed event management plan with clear strategies for measuring and evaluating visitation and the visitor experience
• a risk management plan for the event that clearly outlines the strategies and processes used to mitigate risks
• evidence of a well-structured and organised event management committee or external events company in place to manage the delivery of the event
• a detailed event budget including competitive quotes for services and equipment relevant to the funding.

Applicants must provide evidence of the required cash co-contributions and are encouraged to maximise the financial co-contributions towards their project. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure any prizemoney for competitors is equitable for male and female competitors.

Assessment process

The Regional Events Acceleration Fund Assessment Panel will review applications on an ongoing basis until 4 October 2022 or until the funding is fully committed. The assessment process will take approximately ten weeks from the time an application is received, and event owners will be notified as soon as is practical following the assessment outcome.

During the assessment process the Department of Regional NSW may request additional information from the applicant. Advice may also be sought from other NSW Government agencies or other third parties (such as probity advisors) to assist with the assessment of projects.

The Assessment Panel may also recommend part-funding of events where there is insufficient funding available for the whole event, where only a component of the project is considered suitable for funding or a lesser funding amount to what is requested is deemed more appropriate. 

Funding recommendations made by the Assessment Panel will be considered and approved by the Department of Regional NSW.

Other factors may be taken into consideration when determining final projects to receive funding, including geographical distribution of events across the eligible LGAs in regional NSW, total amount of funding available, the importance of the event to the local economy, suitability of events for other government funding opportunities, and alignment with existing NSW Government policies and strategies.

The Assessment Panel can recommend projects are approved for funding without the requirement for a co-contribution at its sole discretion.

The Department of Regional NSW, at its sole discretion, can take other factors into account that may make an application ineligible for funding, including issues that could cause reputational or other risk to the NSW Government.