NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund

Photograph of a sunset over hills in Regional NSW.

This fund helps stakeholders create, attract and support business events for regional NSW and also supports new business event infrastructure projects.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Up to $100,000
  • Application opened: 13 February 2023
  • Application closed: 30 March 2023

Program objective

The NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund is designed to help stakeholders create, attract and support exciting business events for regional NSW and to support new business event infrastructure projects.

The Fund aims to enrich these business events with opportunities offered by iconic towns and regions, while helping secure successful conferences and events for regional NSW. 

The two streams of the program are:  

  1. Creation, attraction and/or support for a business event – to encourage towns and regions to create their own new conferences and business events or assist rural and regional NSW to secure conferences, business events and major expos. Funds must be used to drive increased visitation for the event.

  2. Support for a business event project – to support small-medium scale infrastructure projects designed specifically to support the growth of business events in a destination in regional NSW.

Funding for the grant

Grant funding (from a pool of $750,000 excluding GST) will be available as per individual event or business event project guidelines below: 

  • Up to $15,000 (ex GST) for a business event with up to 150 delegates (projected attendance) 
  • Up to $30,000 (ex GST) for a business event with over 150 delegates (projected attendance) 
  • Up to $50,000 (ex GST) for a business event infrastructure project where the venue can accommodate up to 250 delegates 
  • Up to $100,000 (ex GST) for a business event infrastructure project where the venue can accommodate more than 250 delegates 

Funding is to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the applicant. The final amount of funding offered to a successful applicant will be determined by the assessment panel based on information provided in the application. 

Each application will be assessed on a competitive basis using comprehensive scoring criteria to determine successful events and projects. 

This program is funded and administered by Destination NSW.

Eligibility

The Fund is open to

  • local government
  • local tourism organisations
  • convention organisers
  • chambers of commerce
  • business events industry operators
  • industry associations, sole traders
  • corporations and professional conference organisers looking to host a business event or deliver a new business event project in one of the seven NSW Destination Networks.

Who can’t apply

Political parties are ineligible to apply. 

What can’t you apply for

The following items are not eligible for funding under any stream:

  1. Any general event and administrative costs required for the core delivery of the business event program that do not contribute to increasing delegate attendance or pre and post conference length of stay in region .i.e. plenary room hire, day delegate package (DDP) catering, delegate gifts, audio/visual hire, printing etc.
  2. Applicant travel and accommodation.
  3. Any outbound promotion (including competitions, prize promotions and giveaways).
  4. Subsidising delegate attendance or providing travel or accommodation subsidies to attendees. Funding can be used to cover the cost of point-to-point transfer services.
  5. Travel, expenses and accommodation costs of staff working at the business event(s); this does not include costs associated with securing keynote speakers.
  6. Funding any events or projects which have already been provided with a grant under another Destination NSW incentive or investment agreement.
  7. Duplicate or overlap any other NSW Government grant program funding, incentive or investment agreement.
  8. Employment of local resources on an ongoing basis to drive business events growth overall.
  9. Pre-project activities including but not limited to feasibility studies, stakeholder workshops, industry consultations, architectural/drafting and DA costs (including those associated with meeting Council Consent Conditions which may not be incurred until after the project commences e.g. construction certificates, stormwater management plans, etc.)
  10. Construct, maintain or upgrade public transport infrastructure such as roads, airports, railways and ferry terminals.
  11. Buy or lease real estate of any type.
  12. New, or upgrading of, signage for the property either located on the road network or within the property’s boundary.
  13. Start up a business or undertake activities specifically associated with starting up a business— such as business registration, business licences or incorporation costs.
  14. The purchase of non-fixed equipment which may be removable, transportable or transferable.
  15. Funding for small-scale infrastructure projects may not be used to undertake activities that would reasonably be seen as regular repairs and maintenance.
  16. Travel, expenses and accommodation costs of staff working at the business event(s); this does not include costs associated with securing keynote speakers.
  17. Any other activity, as defined under the agreement.

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

You can download the full factsheet:

File

NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund factsheet (PDF 1.76MB)

You can read the online application form:
Home | NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund (dnswextranet.com.au) 

 

 

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Before proceeding to submit your application, read through the 

File

NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund factsheet (PDF 1.76MB)
2

Address the eligibility criteria

The Fund is open to local government, local tourism organisations, convention
organisers, chambers of commerce, business events industry operators, industry
associations, sole traders, corporations and professional conference organisers looking to host a business event, or deliver a new business event project in one of the seven NSW Destination Networks.

For more information regarding eligible Local Government Areas, please refer to the Destination Network Boundaries Map, effective 1 July 2022.  

The following other conditions apply:

  • Destination NSW may, at its discretion, provide promotional support (non-cash) to Business Events or Projects funded by the NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund as part of its ongoing marketing activities. Destination NSW will, from time to time, request event information, imagery and video content to assist with the marketing of business events or projects supported through the Fund. A photo brief is available at Destination NSW’s website www.destinationnsw.com.au.
  • Destination NSW reserves the right, as a condition of funding, to make use of event or project data for the purposes of market research and evaluation to enable the long-term development of events in NSW.
  • Successful Applicants should retain all records relating to the event or project, including expenditure, and make them available for audit purposes if required.
  • All business events or projects financially supported by Destination NSW through the Regional Business Event Development Fund are encouraged to consolidate their financial position through corporate and other support.
  • The Minister for Tourism has final discretion on the dispersal of any funding under the Regional Business Event Development Fund.
3

Address the assessment criteria

Creation, attraction and/or support for a business event assessment criteria:

  1. Number of anticipated delegates, their regions of origin, expected number of bed nights, (and if relevant, anticipated accompanying persons).
  2. Evidence of local support. This can include support from chamber of commerce, local councils, civic leaders, local Member of Parliament etc.
  3. Sufficient quality infrastructure i.e. accommodation, meeting venues etc.
  4. The link of the conference or business event topic/theme to the local community and/or relevance and evidence of research to show that topic area is either unique and/or how it can leverage an existing similar event.
  5. Use of local produce, entertainment, venues, attractions and transport and pre and post local conference touring elements.
  6. Local resources to deliver the conference or business event and any jobs (full time or part time) that might be created.
  7. Sustainability of the conference or business event, beyond one year, if possible.

Support for a Business Event Project assessment criteria:

  1. Number of anticipated delegates, their regions of origin, expected number of bed nights, (and if relevant, anticipated accompanying persons).
  2. Evidence of local support. This can include support from chamber of commerce, local councils, civic leaders, local Member of Parliament etc.
  3. Evidence of demand for business event project or initiative and demonstrated capacity to add value to the local visitor economy.
  4. Use of local produce, entertainment, venues, attractions and transport and pre and post local conference touring elements, where applicable.
  5. Benefits to the region to be generated through implementation of the business event project or initiative.
  6. Sustainability of the business event project or initiative.
  7. The applicant has an existing Meet in NSW venue or supplier listing, or agrees to update an existing listing or create a new Meet in NSW listing once the new project has been delivered.

Start the application

Applications are now closed.

Destination NSW will administer the Fund and the assessment of grant applications. Destination NSW will make payments against the achievement of milestones, to be mutually agreed. 

Applicants are encouraged to read the assessment criteria and funding terms and conditions before beginning their application. Read the funding Terms and Conditions here.

Applications to the Fund are to be submitted via the online portal which will open from 5pm, Monday 13 February 2023. Applications must be submitted prior to midnight on 31 March 2023. 

Apply now

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Jobs and Tourism

The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.

The assessment process is outlined in the terms and conditions available at Business Event Development Fund | Meet in Regional NSW (meetinnsw.com.au) 

Applications for the Regional Business Event Development Fund will be assessed by a panel convened by Destination NSW.

The Panel will consist of representatives with experience in Business Events, regional tourism, marketing, communications or visitor research and Destination NSW.

At the conclusion of the assessment process, the Panel must reach consensus and submit a 
final list of applications recommended for funding which is then briefed into the NSW 
Government Portfolio Minister for Tourism.

Upon Ministerial approval, Destination NSW will notify all applicants of the outcome of the 
assessment process.

Destination NSW will liaise with successful applicants in relation to 
the funding agreements and payments.
 

Support and contact

For any further questions, please contact the Destination NSW Regional Conferencing Unit via email at conferencing@dnsw.com.au or call 02 9931 1111.

Program evaluation

Destination NSW will conduct an evaluation of the program following completion. 

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