About the Regional Event Fund

The Regional Event Fund was established in 1996. The program is a mechanism to grow regional visitation by assisting events that contribute to the unique character of the tourism regions of NSW to market themselves to visitors from outside of their Local Government Area.

The Regional Event Fund comprises three individual funding streams providing a development pipeline for events from inception, through emergence, to their establishment as tourism events in regional NSW.

The three individual streams of the Regional Event Fund are:

  • Incubator Event stream – supports the establishment of new events
  • Flagship Event stream – supports the marketing of emerging events to increase their profile and encourage visitation
  • Event Development stream – supports the strategic development of established events as drivers of tourism.

Each of the three streams within the Regional Event Fund have different eligibility, selection criteria and assessment processes. Applications for the three streams are managed separately.

The primary objective of the Regional Event Fund is to provide grants to events in regional NSW that have demonstrated they are, or have the potential to become, tourism drivers for their region. Depending on the stream, grants are focused on event delivery, event marketing or specific growth initiatives.

Secondary objectives include leveraging supported events through Destination NSW marketing and communications activities to build the profile of NSW and specific destinations, and, through the application and feedback process, to offer guidance to event organisers to improve event management capabilities.

Ultimately, the funding program aims to increase visitation to regional events and increase economic benefit to destinations.

This page provides information on the Event Development stream of the Regional Event Fund only. Guidelines for the Incubator Event stream and Flagship Event stream are available separately.

Event Development stream

The Event Development stream supports events that have previously received the maximum funding permitted through the Flagship Event stream and can present a comprehensive strategy for future growth that includes the continued development of its tourism potential to drive overnight visitation to the event.

The Event Development stream will offer one-off grants of up to $50,000 (ex.GST) to support key strategic growth initiatives that will have a direct impact on increasing overnight visitation to the event. A clear strategic rationale will be required for all initiatives together with a justification for the amount requested.

To be eligible for Event Development funding an event must have previously received and completed triennial funding through the Flagship Event stream, be taking place between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 and must align with the fund criteria outlined in the grant guidelines.

Applicants should contact Destination NSW prior to commencing their applications to discuss minimum time frames for submission.

View the grant guidelines here.

Eligibility

Who can apply

To be eligible to apply for any of the three streams of the Regional Event Fund, applicants must:

  • Be the event owner (i.e. own the rights to the event and hold the relevant approvals for the event)
  • Be financially solvent
  • Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • Be a sole trader, company, incorporated association, or trust entity
  • Certificate of currency for at least $20 million public liability insurance, or evidence of ability to secure before entering into a funding agreement.

Who can't apply

Ineligible applicants include:

  • Australian, State or Territory Government agencies or entities, including New South Wales
  • Destination Networks
  • Political parties.

Types of projects funded under this grant

To be eligible for the Event Development Fund grant, your event must:

  • Take place between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025
  • Have previously received and completed triennial funding through the Flagship Event stream
  • Be held in one of the seven Destination Network regions

The Destination Networks include:

  • Destination Central West
  • Destination Country & Outback NSW
  • Destination North Coast incl. Lord Howe Island
  • Destination Riverina Murray
  • Destination Southern NSW
  • Destination Sydney Surrounds North
  • Destination Sydney Surrounds South

View boundaries map here.

Please note: the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Wollondilly are no longer included in the above Destination Networks.

For further information on Destination Networks click here.

Please review grant guidelines for the types of projects not funded under this stream.

What you can apply for

The Event Development stream provides funding to support initiatives that will have a direct impact on increasing overnight visitation to the event. A clear strategic rationale will be required for all initiatives, however activities that may be eligible for funding include:

  • Promotional activities with a measurable overnight visitation outcome (eg: promotions with a unique call to action)
  • Cooperative marketing activities with the tourism industry (eg: the development and promotion of packages to the event that include accommodation or access to other tourist attractions)
  • Costs associated with implementing robust visitor research methodologies
  • Infrastructure costs associated with encouraging extended stays (eg: additional hire costs to extend the event an extra day)
  • Costs associated with the delivery of an improved visitor experience (eg: grandstands, information services, facilities)
  • Costs associated with developing broader accommodation options or the delivery of temporary accommodation (eg: shuttle buses to neighbouring towns, implementation of home hosting programs, creation of temporary camping grounds)
  • Consultancy fees for marketing, PR, digital or event management specialists provided there are clear and measurable outcomes that demonstrate an improvement on existing activities.

Event Development funding is not intended to replace previous or other event funding. Event Development stream grants must be expended on the initiatives described in the application.

The applicant will be required to suggest milestones for the delivery of the initiative to which Destination NSW will assign fund payments.

What you can’t apply for

Event Development Fund stream monies must not be used for:

  • Existing marketing and promotional activities
  • Existing infrastructure and operational costs
  • Existing staff costs or expenses, including travel costs
  • Event launches
  • Live broadcast or webcast production costs
  • Prize money, gifts or contributions to charitable groups. (Where some event proceeds go to charity, evidence will be required to show adequate funds are retained for the ongoing operation of the event), or performer/artist fees and travel expenses.

What your application needs to include

Applicants are encouraged to:

  • Read the grant guidelines in full
  • Check their eligibility for the program
  • Contact Destination NSW to discuss submission timeframes
  • Speak to their Destination Network to advise of their intent to apply
  • Submit their application with sufficient time to deliver initiatives for which funding has been sought following assessment. Event owners should contact Destination NSW prior to commencing their applications to discuss minimum timeframes for submission.

All applications for grants from the 2024/25 Event Development stream must be submitted through the Destination NSW online application form.

APPLY NOW

Applications must be in the form of a proposal document that includes the following elements:

  • A description of the event, its history and relevance to the local region
  • A city/town profile that demonstrates its capacity to absorb increased visitation beyond current event capacity, including the availability of full-time and temporary accommodation, transport and other services relevant to the event, infrastructure and venues
  • A summary of the organisational and management structure of the event including a clear division of responsibilities, the skill set of key personnel, the use of external agencies and consultants and the reliance on and availability of volunteers
  • A summary of event visitation trends over the last three years of the event including data, audience/visitor research methodology, relevant industry partnerships, results and key learnings
  • A summary of the strategic vision for the event for the next three to five years outlining its growth potential, key opportunities, strategic initiatives for success, SWOT (strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, threats) analysis, limitations and risk areas
  • A summary of the key growth initiative that funding is being applied for, including a detailed description, involvement of partners/contractors, delivery timeline and clear success metrics on which the milestones will be based
  • A full event budget for the next event including a detailed cost breakdown for the initiative funding is being sought for supported by quotes or other relevant information
  • A marketing plan outlining strategies for achieving growth beyond current attendance and visitation, key target audiences, marketing channels and measurable objectives
  • Letters of support from local Council, key tourism or industry partners and other relevant stakeholders that reference the initiative being proposed
  • Any supporting information that the applicant considers relevant to their application.

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria for the Event Development stream, when completing the online Application Form.

Destination NSW is looking for mature events that have previously received the maximum funding permitted through the Flagship Event stream; and can now present a strategy for future growth that includes the continued development of its tourism potential to drive overnight visitation to the event and surrounding region.

Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:

  1. Economic impact (50% weighing)
  2. Strategic marketing alignment and community impact (40% weighing)
  3. Event planning and due diligence (10% weighing).

Application process

Applications are now open for the Event Development stream of the 2024/25 Regional Event Fund.

Applications for grants from the 2024/25 Event Development stream must be submitted through the Destination NSW online application form.

Applicants are encouraged to:

  • Read the grant guidelines in full
  • Check their eligibility for the program
  • Contact Destination NSW to discuss submission timeframes
  • Speak to their Destination Network to advise of their intent to apply
  • Submit their application with sufficient time to deliver the initiatives for which funding has been sought following assessment. Event owners should contact Destination NSW prior to commencing their applications to discuss minimum timeframes for submission.
APPLY NOW

After the application is submitted

The Event Development stream is an open and non-competitive grants program.

Eligible applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria and the assessment criteria outlined in the guidelines. Eligible applications are assessed on their comparative merits against the nominated criteria.

Applicants will be advised via email and/or letter of the outcome of their grant application once approval is determined by the decision-maker.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing and offered the opportunity of a feedback session about their application.

Support and contact

If you need assistance or further information regarding this fund please contact the Grants Administration Team via email on grants.admin@dnsw.com.au

Destination Networks

For information on Destination Management Plans, regional tourism strategies and local visitor economy stakeholders click here.

Event listings

For assistance or questions about the Get Connected program, Destination NSW websites or the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), please call 1300 137 225 or email support@atdw.com.au.

Program evaluation

Destination NSW will undertake an evaluation of the Program.