Western Australia Businesses Urged to Apply for Federal Funding

Business events in Western Australia will get a much-needed boost, with the opening of applications for the Federal Government’s $50 million Business Events Grants Program. 

Twenty Western Australian business events have made it onto the approved schedule of business events, which are eligible for the Business Events Grants Program, that is offering between $10,000 and $250,000 to offset the cost for delegates and exhibitors to attend and present at pre-approved business events. 

Business Events Perth chief executive Gareth Martin urged local exhibitors and delegates to apply for the funding, saying it would provide welcome relief to the business event sector.

“As we all know the COVID pandemic has caused monumental challenges to the business events industry, with gathering restrictions and the inability for international and interstate visitors to come to WA, sparking widespread postponements and cancellations of events over the past 12 months,” Mr Martin said. 

“By reducing the cost for buyers and sellers to meet, connect and collaborate at a business event, this program is not just aiding in the recovery of the events sector, it’s also stimulating increased activity in the business events supply chain.”

Mr Martin said supporting local business events would have far reaching benefits.  

“Business events are a huge economic contributor to the local economy with conferences and exhibitions providing opportunities for many local businesses like caterers, photographers, hire companies, audio-visual and staging personnel, as well as attracting high yielding business visitors that stay in Perth’s hotels, and dine at our cafes and restaurants,” Mr Martin said. 

“The Business Events Grants Program will be instrumental in kickstarting Western Australia’s business events sector, with generous grants available to cover up to 50 per cent of costs incurred as part of participating in a pre-approved business event.” 

Grants are available to Australian businesses to participate as buyers or sellers at pre-approved exhibitions, conferences and conventions held before 31 December 2021.   

Applications are now open and close on March 30 at 5pm AEDT. Lodge an application here. 

To see the list of approved Western Australian business events, click here. 

Expressions of interest to be included on the approved schedule of business events are still open and close on 26 February 2021. More information on the fund can be found here. 

Before the onset of the pandemic, the business events sector in Australia was estimated to worth $35 billion in direct economic impact to the national economy, with Western Australia’s share worth about $2.5 billion. 

Mr Martin said Business Events Perth’s Event Here Now campaign had supported 110 local business events since it was launched in August 2020. 

“Through our Event Here Now initiative Business Events Perth is offering up to $30,000 in sponsorship to local business events, and this program has been hugely successful, bringing together more than 56,000 delegates to connect and collaborate in person,” Mr Martin said.