April 15 2021
Tourism Australia’s international business events subvention fund will be extended by a year and receive another $3 million in funding while its domestic business events partnership program, launched in the wake of the pandemic, will also extend by a year and be supported by an additional $1 million in funding, according to an announcement made by the federal tourism marketing agency this morning.
“Since its launch in 2018, the Business Events Bid Fund Program has helped attract 40 international events to Australia worth approximately $411 million in economic value,” said Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan.
“With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and consumer confidence rising, this program will continue to assist those bidding against international competitors for events and continue to position Australia as a leading business events destination,” said Tourism Australia’s Managing Director Phillipa Harrison.
Applications for the Business Events Bid Fund Program are currently open and will close at the end of next financial year, for events taking place up until the end of 2026.
Domestic partnership marketing program, the Business Events Boost Program, will also continue into the next financial year with another $1 million granted to fund the initiative.
Launched to support pandemic recovery for business events, the program supports industry-led marketing and distribution activities to help the industry secure domestic event business.
“Given the positive feedback that we’ve received from industry about the Business Events Boost Program, we felt it was essential to provide additional funding so that industry can continue to access support while demand for domestic business events increases,” said Harrison.
The program will reopen for applications on May 3 and close at the end of the financial year, for projects to be delivered next financial year. The program is already supporting over 80 partners this year.
Tourism Australia’s specialist business events unit Business Events Australia (BEA) will continue to oversee both of these programs. Applications for both are completed via the Business Events Australia website.
As part of this morning’s series of announcement, BEA has also released a documentary-syle video series showcasing Australian expertise across several industry sectors to continue positioning of Australia as a smart destination to attract international association events to Australia in the future.