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See How Some Cities Are Attracting Events with Big Bucks

Destinations use government-backed grants—also known as subvention programs—to entice organizers and meeting planners to host their gatherings in their cities.

The Vienna Meeting Fund 2025-2028 is a 4 million-euro fund that provides financial support for international events.
The Vienna Meeting Fund 2025-2028 is a 4 million-euro fund that provides financial support for international events.
Photo: WienTourismus/Paul Bauer

Oftentimes, cities become hot spots for meetings and events because of their accessibility, attractions, transportation options, and state-of-the-art facilities.

But some destinations are offering a bigger perk—money—with programs that award grants to help incentivize event organizers to host in their cities, ultimately driving economic growth.

For example, the Vienna Meeting Fund 2025-2028 is a 4 million-euro ($4,119,140) fund that provides financial support for international events that last several days and take place between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.  

These events must meet the funding guidelines: feature predominantly international participants; be held in January, February, March, April, July, August, November, or December; and add value for Vienna as an innovation hub and a business location. This includes association congresses and meetings, as well as corporate events and meetings. Events such as galas, award ceremonies, or Christmas parties, as well as exhibitions, fairs, and cultural or sporting events, are not eligible for funding.

The maximum support available per event, depending on the number of participants, is 60,000 euros.

To receive the full amount, the event has to last at least two consecutive days in a Viennese location and have a minimum of 50 participants on site, of which at least 50% are international. The event also has to be awarded with the label of EcoEvent of the City of Vienna or certified with the Austrian Eco Label.

“The fund has been instrumental in fostering meetings held in the city. From its inception in May 2021, the fund has already aided more than 750 conferences, significantly enhancing Vienna's status as a leading meeting destination,” said Helena Steinhart, international media relations manager at the Vienna Tourist Board. "The new version aims to increase the number of sustainable meetings and promote conferences in months with traditionally lower demand."

Paul Black, head of business events at VisitBritain/VisitEngland, shared that the organization recently completed an external evaluation of its Business Events Growth Programme covering the financial years 2018 to 2023.

“During this five-year period, the program supported 62 potential or confirmed business events in 18 cities across Britain and delivered 45.5 million pounds ($55,499,535) in direct economic return. For every pound invested, we saw a return of 33 pounds in revenue for the U.K. economy, demonstrating the strength of the program as a tool to grow the value of business events in Britain,” he said. 

“We expect continued success in the financial years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, supporting a further 65 potential or confirmed events in 12 cities across Britain on a range of priority sectors,” he added. 

The Business Events Growth Programme offers two funding pillars: Candidate City Bid Support, which provides financial aid for convention bureaus, universities, and destination management organizations in bidding for international business events in key priority sectors; and International Delegate Growth, which supports the creation and growth of business events with the aim to increase international attendance, thereby encouraging greater international trade, inward investment, and wider impact potential for confirmed events in cities across Britain. 

Applicants are also asked to include evidence of sustainability policies in their event planning and examples of wider positive impact objectives beyond direct economic return—for example, plans for community engagement programs, new research and development projects, or partnering with British startups to further drive inward investment. 

Some recent or upcoming events that have received funding include the World Congress of the International Academy of Oral Oncology 2025 in Liverpool; the European Congress for Clinical Neurophysiology 2025 in London; and the International Neurotrauma Society Conference 2024 in Cambridge. 

In May 2024, Kelly Taws, event operations specialist and founder of Athena Event Solutions, partnered with EC Events and Cray User Group (CUG), a corporation that facilitates collaboration and information exchange in the high-performance computing community, to plan one of CUG’s conferences.

She explained that CUG had been considering several locations close to their local sites in three different countries—one of which was Australia. 

At the time, Business Events Perth's funding program offered up to 20,000 Australian dollars ($12,370) of funding support, which could be used toward any logistical expenses or marketing expenses, Taws explained.

The offer of funds was based on the venue being contracted as well as attendees being in person and over 18 years of age, with a percentage breakdown of state, national, and international attendees. The funds could be used to support hosted site inspections, economy flights and accommodations for keynote speakers, accommodations and catering for the main event and subsidiary program, and marketing and promotion of the event to delegates.

“It was a great experience working with Business Events Perth; their contribution was very much like that of a convention bureau. ... They provided a lot of support and that in itself would be more of a sway for me than the funding. That said, as CUG operates as a not-for-profit organization, the funding support did have an impact on the event and venue selections,” Taws said.

In addition to meeting a program's funding requirements, government-backed grants can also come with other obstacles. For example, Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau came under fire last year for its questionable use of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund.

“Chubby Hearts Hong Kong,” an installation of giant heart-shaped balloons designed by British fashion designer Anya Hindmarch, received $7.7 million Hong Kong dollars ($988,745) from the fund. Hindmarch also has a shop in the New World Development’s K11 Musea mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. The art fund’s committee is chaired by New World Development’s CEO, Adrian Cheng, which raised some eyebrows.

In response, the bureau said the committee is “fully committed to the principles of integrity, honesty, fairness and impartiality” and has implemented new guidelines.

If you're thinking about applying for funding, be sure to have your ducks in a row.

“You need to be clear about what you can agree to before you go too far along this route," Taws said. "I recommend being open with your client and the funding supplier from the start. The recognition requested in return for funding can vary. It can range from logos being added to the event website and printed event material to the funder being recognized as an event partner with acknowledgement on social media and in speeches and on banners or booths at the event to representatives being invited to attend free of charge, and photographs be taken for them to use for promotional purposes. ... Be open and clear about what you can and can't offer as recognition, and you might be surprised.”

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