Regional Tasmania can be a great place to host an event, being ripe with nature, history, and great venues. For the last year, event and festival organisers haven’t been able to take advantage of that, with many events being cancelled or postponed.
To support regional Tasmanian events, the Tasmanian government has introduced the Tasmanian Regional Event Recovery Fund, a fund that aims to support regional event organisers gain the confidence and means to get back to business.
The Basics
So, what’s there to know about the Fund? Well, let’s start with the basics. The Fund is aimed to help support businesses with running events. That’s to say it won’t provide core funding for an event, but rather provide an event organiser with the resources and measures they need to overcome any challenges in running their event.
To do so, a total of $1.5 million has been allocated, with events able to apply for up to $100,000 in funding over three years.
Pretty good– but what counts as a challenge needing support? Good question. An area needing support can include marketing, business development, risk management, event evaluation, strategic planning, and governance and structure.
Applying
Does that sound right up your alley? Great! Let’s get into the application process. To be eligible, applicants must tick a few boxes.
- The event must be hosted in regional Tasmania, with the aim of encouraging interstate and intrastate visitation.
- The applicant must be able to agree to a funding agreement with Events Tasmania.
- The applicant must be able to obtain public liability insurance of $20 million.
- The applicant must be able to host an event that adheres to the Tasmanian government’s COVID-19 safety rules.
Ineligibility
This fund is specifically designed for regional tourism events. As such, conferences, conventions, expos and events that are primarily a showcase for stall-holders to sell or promote services and products will have to sit this one out.
Ticking all those boxes? Preference will be given to events that thoroughly engage with Tasmania. That can be done by encouraging visitation and collaborating with the local community and stakeholders. Essentially, if you’re positively sharing the Tasmanian brand, you’ll be looked upon favourably.
Ready to apply? You’ll want to hop online to read the full list of requirements here and then head over to SmartyGrants to lodge your application online. Submissions open on the 9th of July 2021, close on the 3rd of September 2021, and successful applicants will be notified on the 29th of September 2021. Good luck!
Photo: Aranxa Esteve
