Restarting Australia’s Business Events Sector
The program closed on 30 March 2021 and received 1,729 eligible applications requesting over $56 million in funding. The program’s $50 million in funding is fully exhausted with more than 1,500 applicants awarded funding.
In August 2021, the Australian Government committed to providing further support for the program. An additional $6 million has been allocated to the program for distribution to applicants who have upcoming events that were assessed as eligible but missed out on a grant as part of the original program. No new applications will be sought at this time.
All enquiries about a potential program extension should be directed to the Austrade Program Delivery team on 1800 048 155 or BEgrants@austrade.gov.au.
Business Events Grant Opportunity
This program is demand driven and will be open until all funding has been allocated.
What do you get?
Grant funding from $10,000 per entity per application up to a maximum of $250,000.
Who is this for?
Australian businesses including sole traders.
Overview
The Business Events Grant program aims to support the event industry including the tourism sector to fund Australian businesses to participate as buyers or sellers at pre-approved business events including exhibitions, conferences and conventions from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. It aims to ease the financial pressure for business event organisers and to incentivise Australian business to participate as buyers/sellers at pre-approved events.
Funding is to support the sustainability of events in government priority areas and to cover the cancellation costs that may occur to planned events due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
The objective of the program is to:
- support delegates that are buying or selling to participate in ‘business events’. Business events includes exhibitions, conferences, and conventions
- promote Australian businesses, including to a domestic audience.
The focus of the program is to support the promotion of Australian business capability, including to a domestic audience, bolster supply chain resilience, enhance industry match making opportunities and Australian product and service value add. Events will need to have a trade element that brings together buyers and sellers.
Approved events are listed on the Schedule of Approved Business Events on the Austrade program website. The Schedule of Approved Business Events will be updated from time to time as new events will be added once approved. It is therefore important that you check the list at the time you submit your application. A list of eligibility criteria and the application process for the schedule of events, along with the relevant priority sectors will be published on the Austrade program website.
Eligibility
What are the eligibility criteria?
To be eligible you must have an ABN and be one of the following entities:
- an individual (sole trader)
- a partnership
- a company, incorporated in Australia
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- an Industry Association promoting the selling or buying of a product or service on behalf of its members.
We can only accept applications where:
- you intend to register to attend one or more of the events on the Schedule of Approved Business Events
- your attendance at an approved event will assist your business to do one or more of the following:
- develop your marketplace diversification (particularly to the domestic market)
- improve supply chain value and resilience for the Australian economy
- enhance your ability to pivot to new markets
- support Australia’s regional economy
- your business aligns with a government priority sector and the sector benefits from your attendance and participation in the event
- you have a minimum of $20,000 in total eligible project expenditure
- you can provide evidence from your board (or chief executive officer or equivalent if there is no board) that the project is supported, and that you can complete the project and meet the costs of the project not covered by grant funding.
You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- unincorporated association
- any organisation not included in section 5.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
- a Commonwealth, State, Territory or local government body (including government business enterprises)
- a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.
We assess your application against the eligibility criteria and provide advice to the decision maker on the eligibility of each application.
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide in your application should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested. You should define, quantify and provide evidence to support your answers. The sample application form displays character limits.
The program delegate, Austrade’s CEO or their delegate, will make the final decision.
If your application is successful, you’ll receive a written offer. If you are unsuccessful, we’ll notify you in writing.
Successful applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth. The grant agreement will specify the reporting requirements, payment schedule and milestones necessary to receive payments.
We’ll pay 100 per cent of the grant on execution of the grant agreement. You’ll be required to report how you spent the grant funds at the completion of the project.
Payments will be made by direct credit into a nominated bank account.
Need help?
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