Deadline: 22-Jun-23
The Kiama Municipal Council is currently accepting applications for the Destination Event Funding Program to support event organisers to plan and deliver successful events.
This funding program specifically supports events that attract intra and interstate visitation and appeal to Kiama’s key visitor markets. These are events that occur outside of recognised peak periods, bolstering the local events calendar. They encourage overnight stays and drive the visitor economy in the immediate term, inspiring repeat visitation over the longer term.
This fund aims to encourage sustainable practices to build long term capability and increase collaboration and partnerships to deliver stronger and beneficial outcomes for local events.
Specifically, these are events that:
- attract intra and interstate visitation
- appeal to Kiama’s key visitor markets
- occur outside of recognised peak periods
- encourage overnight stays and inspire repeat visitation over the longer term.
Event Categories
This program supports events that are categorised as major or destination events.
- Major Event
- Brand Profiling for Kiama
- National and State media exposure
- Distinct engagement or enhancement opportunities
- 5,000+ followers on social media
- May enhance the culture of the region
- May leave amenity improvement of the region
- Destination Kiama profiling
- Community impact / benefit
- Reflect the character and culture of the region
- Engage with the local tourism industry
- Engage with the local community
- Economic Impact
- Between $600,000 – $1M economic impact from year 3 of the event or as a one-off event
- Full capacity of beds/ OVE across the LGA
- Size and Scale
- Paying attendees 5,000 +
- OR More than 10,000 FREE attendees
- Target of 35% out of area visitation
- Suggested Support/ Funding
- $10,000
- Brand Profiling for Kiama
- Destination Event
- Brand Profiling for Kiama
- Regional media coverage
- Possible state media coverage
- Enhancement opportunities
- 1,000+ followers on social media
- Destination Kiama profiling
- Strong potential to enhance perception of the region
- Community impact / benefit
- Reflect the character and culture of the area
- Engage with the local tourism industry
- Economic Impact
- Between $50,000 and $1M economic impact from year 3 of the event
- Full capacity of beds/ OVE across the LGA
- Size and Scale
- Paying attendees 300 +
- OR more than 1,000 FREE attendees
- Target of 35% out of area visitation
- Suggested Support/ Funding
- $1,000 to $10,000 (includes in-kind and cash contributions)
- Brand Profiling for Kiama
Funding Types
- Financial Support: Financial support for events that fall within the criteria can be provided for the full amount requested or for a lesser amount, to be determined during the assessment period. Funding received through this program is designed to be used to increase the spend by visitors. Examples of what this funding can be used for:
- Increasing the saleability of the event and bolster attendance from people outside of the local area (drawcards artists, keynote speakers, performances, entertainment etc.).
- Media campaigns, distributed to key markets outside of the immediate area.
- Digital, print or public relations marketing activities.
- Adjusting delivery & implementing measures to make the event more inclusive, diverse and accessible.
- Funding joint campaigns and partnerships with other tourism operators and/or events to increase overnight and repeat visitation.
- Increasing the length of the event program to encourage overnight stays.
- In-Kind Support: Funding applications can include support that offsets costs of council provided facilities and services that assist in the administration of your event. This can include:
- Waste services
- Reserve and venue hire
- Area event signage (highway panels)
Funding Eligibility
- For an application to be eligible for the Destination Events Funding Program, it must meet the following requirements:
- Considered a Major or Destination Event or demonstrate ability to adequately justify why the event otherwise meets the purpose of the Funding Program.
- Application received at least three (3) months prior to the proposed event start date.
- Application submitted on time and completely, including all supporting documents.
- Event must be based in the Kiama LGA (or at least 60% if an event that spans over more than one Council area).
- Attract overnight visitation from outside the area and have an objective to grow this aspect.
- Proactively engage with local businesses in the event planning and/or delivery of the event.
- Present strong financial management i.e. financially solvent / self-sustainable and the event itself not entirely reliant on council funding.
- Be held at a desirable time of year (outside peak visitation periods).
- Event undertaken within 12 months of receiving approval of funding.
- Not have received funding support/grant from another department of Council for the same event (i.e. Kiama Cultural Grants).
- Not be a regularly re-occurring event e.g. a weekly or monthly scheduled market
- Have met and complied with all Council funding, reporting and acquittal obligations for any previous funding.
- Individuals or organisations associated with the event have no outstanding fees or equipment owed to Destination Kiama or Kiama Council.
- They strongly encourage event organisers to be a Destination Kiama partner.
For more information, visit Kiama Municipal Council.