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                    Business Event Sponsorship Program

                    The Yarra River board walk at night, with the brightly lit ciity buildings in the background
                    The Business Event Sponsorship Program supports businesses and individuals hosting business events such as conferences, showcases, workshops, seminars, exhibitions and networking functions in the City of Melbourne municipality.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Applications for the Business Event Sponsorship​​ Program are closed. Please refer to the Key dates section below for information on applications timelines.​

                    The funding will support business events aligned to the program objectives. These are to support and promote quality business events that:

                    • include in-person attendance and have high relevance to City of Melbourne’s knowledge workers
                    • have vision and solutions that benefit the City of Melbourne.

                    Sponsorships are offered up to the value of $10,000 to organisations and individuals delivering events to encourage business development and capacity building.

                    Online information session​​​​

                    2023-24 program guidelines

                    Applications are for events dates between February and November 2024.​​

                    Key dates​

                    • Applications open Tuesday 22 August 2​023 at 9am AEST.
                    • Applications close Monday 25 September 2023 at midday AEST.
                    • Assessment and approval in October and November 2023.
                    • Successful applicants will be publicly announced after letters of agreement are in place.

                    Information for applicants

                    Online information session

                    ​Join the online information session on Wednesday 13 September at 1pm. 

                    Register via Eventbrite​.

                    Are you eligible?

                    To be eligible for a Business Event Sponsorship, you must:
                    • propose to deliver a business event including a multi-day program, conference, exhibition, pitch competition, showcase, demo day, product demonstration, networking, or meeting with a minimum attendance of 100 people 
                    • deliver the business event within the City of Melbourne municipality boundaries
                    • have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
                    • be an Australian registered business, sole trader, company, business cooperative or partnership and provide documented evidence of its legal structure
                    • have no outstanding acquittals or debts to the City of Melbourne
                    • demonstrate financial viability as evidenced by a basic business plan, including projected financial statements.
                    • provide evidence of current public liability and professional indemnity insurance policies when requested and maintain these insurances when delivering the event
                    • have failed to comply with the terms and conditions of any previous funding agreement or sponsorship from City of Melbourne.​

                    Key objectives

                    The program supports organisations and individuals delivering business events in line with the City of Melbourne’s objectives. The objective of this program round is to support and promote quality business events that:

                    • include in person attendance and have high relevance to City of Melbourne’s knowledge workers
                    • have vison and solutions that benefit the City of Melbourne economic, social and /or environmental benefits.

                    How to apply

                    Applications must be completed online via SmartyGrants and be submitted by the deadline.

                    We do not accept applications sent by email or via post. Applications must address the eligibility, assessment criteria, answer all questions and be submitted prior to the program closing date.

                    What we will fund​

                    Before submitting a grant application, it is important to understand the types of activities and initiatives we fund and those we do not.

                    We fund expenditure items that are directly related to the set-up and delivery cost of the proposal.

                    What we won't fund​

                    Operational expenses that are considered as ongoing costs such as office rental payments, utilities, wages and personal expenses.

                    Assessment process

                    Applications are scored against the following criteria: 

                    • purpose and expected impact of the event
                    • quality and viability of the event.

                    City of Melbourne completes a due diligence process to all applications to ensure all eligibility criteria are met.

                    Applications are individually assessed by a panel including senior management from City of Melbourne which will consider the diversity of applications as a set.

                    Canvassing or lobbying of Councillors, employees of City of Melbourne or assessment panel members in relation to any funding application is prohibited. No further consideration will be given to an application submitted by an applicant who has canvassed or lobbied City of Melbourne staff, Councillors or assessors in relation to their application. Successful applicants are prohibited to lobby Councillors or City of Melbourne staff when seeking additional benefits in the sponsorship agreement.

                    Technical assistance

                    Refer to the SmartyGrants help guide for technical assistance related to submitting your application. The SmartyGrants support desk is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on 03 9320 6888 or by email at service@smartygrants.com.au. ​

                    Interpreter and translation services​

                    If you need an interpreter when calling the City of Melbourne, please call the following relevant translation services: 

                    Our multilingual information telephone service offers assistance to people from a non-English speaking background. Visit Translation services.​​

                    If you are deaf, hearing-impaired, or speech-impaired, please call us via the National Relay Service:

                    Teletypewriter (TTY) users phone 133 677 then ask for 03 9658 9658

                    Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 03 9658 9658

                    Previous Business Event Sponsorship Program recipients​

                    View the recipients of the 2022-23 BESP round.

                    Other grants and funding options​​

                    There are a range of other grants and funding options available to businesses. Business.gov.au has a grant finder which publishes grants and funding opportunities from all levels of government.

                    Find out more about other grants and sponsorships opportunities.​

                    Contact us

                    Contact name
                    Business Funding team
                    Telephone number
                    03 9658 965803 9658 9658
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