12 February, 2021

Business Events Geelong launches $30K support fund as part of new campaign

Geelong and the Bellarine are open for events and incentives – that’s the message Business Events Geelong wants to spread under its new recovery campaign, ‘You Belong in Geelong’.

In response to recent challenges, Business Events Geelong has established a $30,000 funding program that will support events of up to 50 people by providing financial support to the value of $50 per delegate.

Event managers, PCOs, EAs and PAs must request funds to cover actual event costs, including but not limited to accommodation, venue hire and transport.

Those interested in accessing the funds must book their event in Geelong, The Bellarine and Werribee by 30 April 2021, and events must be held by 30 December 2021. A minimum number of 10 delegates applies, with the offer available only to new bookings.

As part of the You Belong in Geelong campaign, local venues and suppliers have also provided a number of exclusive deals on event packages, experiences, venue hire and food and beverage discounts to event planners looking to take their conferences and business events to Victoria’s second-largest city.

Mark Day, convention bureau manager at Business Events Geelong, said: “Following border closures and mass-scale lockdowns, face-to-face meetings are now more valuable than ever.

“The You Belong in Geelong campaign hopes to re-engage event planners with the plethora of world-class experiences that we have available in Geelong, the Bellarine and Werribee.”

With the challenges the industry has faced in the past year, namely bushfires and the global COVID-19 pandemic, Day said event organisers should look no further than their own backyards as host cities.

“With tour operators, restaurants and venues operating at limited capacity through the shutdown period, it is more important than ever that we band together as an industry and support these local businesses, many of which are family-owned and operated,” he said.

Event organisers with more than 50 delegates interested in accessing funding are encouraged to contact the Business Events Geelong team for a confidential conversation.

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