7 Feb 2023
$750,000 funding boost for NSW Business Events industry
Regional conferencing venues across the state will be seeing even more visitors walk through their doors thanks to the NSW Government’s 2023 NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund.
Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin was on the North Coast today to announce the 2023 funding program and said applications would open from next week.
“We are kicking this year off with a bang by offering $750,000 worth of grants to the NSW regional business events sector,” Mr Franklin said.
“We know the significant value this sector brings to the regional NSW visitor economy with domestic overnight conference visitors injecting almost $430 per night when they stay in our regions – that’s 68 per cent more than what domestic overnight leisure visitors would typically spend.
“Whether an event owner has their eye on a great regional NSW venue for their next convention, or a hotel has plans to upgrade their conferencing facilities, this program is about helping make these ambitions a reality with grants between $15,000 and $100,000.
“Since the NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund’s launch in 2017, more than $3 million in funding support had been delivered to over 160 business events and grassroots projects.”
Member for Tweed Geoff Provest said he was delighted to see additional funding support allocated to the NSW regional business events sector.
“After 2 years of COVID, border closures and catastrophic flooding events, the business and industry in the Northern Rivers has suffered enormously,” Mr Provest said.
“By injecting funds into the regions that need it most will boost visitor numbers and see local businesses flourish.”
General Manager of the Tweed Tourism Company Bradley Nardi said the NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund had played an instrumental role in getting events off the ground.
"The success of our 2022 Australian Society of Travel Writers Convention was made possible thanks to the grant we received from Destination NSW,” Mr Nardi said.
“These additional funds meant that we could deliver both a pre and post-conference delegate touring program which showcased over 100 tourism businesses based in the region – from accommodation, tours and hospitality to food producers, artists and retailers. This delivered immediate visitation benefits, as well as ongoing media coverage for The Tweed and we couldn’t be happier that this NSW Government funding support is available once again.”
Managed by Destination NSW, the 2023 NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund offers matched dollar-for-dollar funding of grants between $15,000 and $100,000, and is designed to assist stakeholders create, attract and deliver new business events and business event-related infrastructure projects in regional NSW.
Funding applications are open from Monday 13 February 2023 and close on Friday 31 March 2023. For more information, go to https://www.meetinnsw.com.au/business-event-development-fund