Tourism Event Grants

To apply, organisations must

• Be based in the Rural City of Wangaratta and hold an event in the municipality of the Rural City of Wangaratta. Or organisations located outside of the Rural City of Wangaratta must host an event in the municipality.
• Hold $20M public liability insurance.
• Have no outstanding acquittals or other debts with the Rural City of Wangaratta.
• Submit a complete application with supporting documents. Failure to provide these required documents will result in the application being deemed ineligible.
• Demonstrate ability to hold the event within required timeframes.

What we will fund

• Marketing, promotional materials & marketing activities that increase the awareness of Wangaratta and appeal to visitors from outside our regional area.
• Costs associated with securing and hosting events.
• Strategic or business plans for event development.
• New innovations or additional activities to expand an event program.
• Other innovate expenses as specified in your application.

What we will not fund

• Local events with a community focus or appeal.
• Events without the capacity to attract visitation outside of the Rural City of Wangaratta.
• Events that have failed to acquit previous funding programs from the Rural City of Wangaratta or meet previous obligations from grant funding.
• Events that have already secured financial support through another Rural City of Wangaratta grant, program or source.
• Events that have already commenced at the time of application, or events that have been completed prior to the application.
• Events held outside of the Rural City of Wangaratta.
• Sporting events that are participant and support crew focused.
• Prize money, awards or activities associated with prizes or awards (e.g. trophies).
• Alcohol licenses, tobacco and gambling related activities.
• Requests for fixed or permanent equipment, building maintenance or capital improvements (e.g. heating or cooling systems, shade sails, solar panels, portable buildings, etc). This funding is specifically for the delivery of events within the Rural City of Wangaratta community.
• Requests to fund salaries, administration fees or personal expenses (e.g. petrol, utility bills, phone bills that aren’t in the group’s name or aren’t incurred by the group).

This grant supports the growth and development of events in the region that attract outside visitation resulting in economic benefits for the town. Events supported under this program must have a strong tourism focus that demonstrate the potential to promote the Rural City of Wangaratta as a destination and aligns with the strategies of the Council Plan. This program has a strong focus on supporting events in their early years, enabling the event to become financially sustainable and viable in the future.

Applicants are required to outline how the funding will assist the event to contribute to one or more of the following key strategies:

• Increase visitation to the region
• Enhance the Rural City of Wangaratta as a holiday destination
• Attract key target markets
• Provides an economic benefit
• Enhances the culture of the community
• Supports and enhances the local tourism strengths
• Grow the event to become financially viable and sustainable