The Victorian Government is backing the return of a packed calendar of crowd-pleasing public events in regional and rural areas in 2022, bringing thousands of visitors and creating local jobs.
The $20 million Regional Events Fund will open forapplications on Monday, with organisers of festivals, sports events, exhibitions and other attractions encouraged to consider making an application for support.
Funding is available for the attraction, development, marketing and growth of public events across Victoria.
The Regional Events Fund will increase economic benefits to Victoria by driving visitor numbers and length of stay, thereby boosting spending in regional areas, growing jobs and contributing to the state’s reputation as Australia’s leading events destination.
Since 2016, the Regional Events Fund has supported more than 250 events including one of Australia’s most loved and longest running cultural events, the Queenscliff Music Festival.
Other annual regional events which have been supported by the fund include The Lost Trades Fair, the Winton SuperSprint and the Chillout Festival, a significant driver of tourism in the Daylesford and Macedon Ranges region.
This year, the RONE exhibition in Geelong attracted visitors in the thousands, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
The fund will provide up to $1 million to support costs associated with securing, marketing and delivering an event of international or national significance and has the capacity to attract large-scale visitation. Up to $500,000 is available to assist with the implementation of innovative strategies to increase visitation for existing events.
Regional events that have been affected by the global pandemic, bushfires, floods, or economic change are eligible for $50,000 under a dedicated Event Industry Support category.
The $20 million commitment to the Regional Events Fund is part of the $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan which aims to boost annual visitor expenditure to $35 billion by June 2024, supporting 300,000 jobs.
For eligibility details and information on how to apply, visit corporate.visitvictoria.com/events/regional-events.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula
“Regional events are fantastic for local communities and integral to many local economies, and that’s why we continue to back them in a major way.”
“After a very tough time, public events will be prime drivers in our recovery. We want restaurants and cafes busy and hotels full across the state and this fund will help that happen.”
As stated by Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas
“Victoria is renowned for hosting amazing regional and rural events and as we reopen, this new support will enable organisers to plan with confidence for a really stunning comeback.”
