Causeway Coast & Glens District Council: Tourism Events Growth Fund

Overview

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council recognise that as part of economic growth since the Covid Pandemic there is still a need to allow event organisers to have flexibility in outputs. It is important to support our events sector as they will play a massive part in reinvigorating our tourism offering as we adapt to changes in trends both from the visitor and from the business sector.

It is likely in the short to medium term that the demand will be from closer-to-home markets. As a destination it is therefore important to showcase our events with fresh offerings for delivering exceptional events that promote the Borough as an all-in-one experience to stay and play which will in turn generate economic benefit for the area.

Key features of this fund include:

• Tourism and economic targets have been revised to allow for greater flexibility of outputs.
• The event must run as a ‘live’ event with an in-person audience in the form of a mass gathering or public festival.
• As a contingency mechanism this grant funding application also provides an opportunity to detail your scenario planning. Should the governments guidance change relating to public health advice in relation to mass gatherings and events, Council will allow applicants to implement an event ‘hybrid’ delivery or alternative format.
• Hybrid delivery options must be detailed within your grant application. Scenario planning for hybrid events must demonstrate both in person event attendance and online event engagement. This allows for flexibility to adopt an alternative or hybrid delivery approach with both ‘live’ physical attendance and/or ‘hybrid’ online event programming.
• Provision of Disabled Toilets - Provision of a Mobile Accessible Changing Facility must be in place throughout your event. All organisers of large-scale public events, (visitor numbers in excess of 3,000), in receipt of grant funding from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, must include disabled toilets to Changing Places standard. This access to dignified toileting provision may be in the form of a mobile/portable facility or a permanent Changing Places Toilet (CPT) facility. The criteria for this standard, and locations of existing CPT facilities can be found at www.changingplaces.org. The Council now have MACUs (Mobile Accessible Changing Units) for hire at your event, subject to availability. Please note this is a chargeable service. For further information and to book, contact town.management@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk.
• Other accessible units are available to hire outside of Council.

The key objectives to supporting and sustaining tourism events will be to:

• Assist with project costs that will provide event delivery, sustainability, and skills retention within the organisation. 
•  Support events to plan for the safe return of event delivery in 2025-26, adhering to the latest public health advice for events and mass gatherings. 
•  Allow event organisers to scenario plan for varying levels of event delivery. Full event proposals for the preferred delivery option should be submitted as scenario one. Alternative or hybrid delivery contingency proposals should be submitted as scenario two or three. 
•  Demonstrate economic support and benefit from the use of local artists, suppliers and event professionals. 
• Enhance the profile and appeal of the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area e.g., through media and marketing campaign/exposure focussed on the domestic market 
• Promote a quality visitor experience to the domestic market and promote confidence in engaging with events. Note: a 'visitor' for a tourism event as 'someone who comes to spectate or attend the event. They can either buy a ticket to attend the event or gain free entry, anyone who participates in the event or makes the event happen is deemed a participant and not a visitor. 
•  Support the wider economic recovery of the tourism events sector within the Borough of Causeway Coast and Glens. 
•  Generate economic benefits for the Causeway Coast and Glens area (where possible) through increased visitor numbers, bed nights and spend.

The Tourism Events Growth Fund will offer financial support to eligible events taking place between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.

Who can apply

To be eligible for grant-aid, you will have to show that your organisation is a bona fide organisation that is well run and that it falls into one of the following categories:

• Has a properly adopted “Governing Document” such as a constitution or memorandum and articles of association which clearly show that it is non-profit making and taking.
• Is an external non-profit making organisation organising a substantial event/festival which generates both tourism and economic benefit for the Borough.

All events must take place in Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. For those events which take place at a number of venues, (some of which may be in other Local Authority areas), funding will only apply to the actual event which takes place and provides benefit within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area.

Criteria

Events must satisfy the parameters below to apply for the Tourism Events Growth Fund:

• Events with an overall total budget of between £10,000 and £30,000 (Events with a total budget in excess of £30k are ineligible. In-kind support / Volunteer time must not be included in the budget). Maximum award - £15,000
• Total visitor numbers greater than 600 (Previously 1,000). (Participants at the event cannot be included in your visitor numbers. For example if there is a competitive element, the competitors cannot be counted as visitors).
• The event must take place over a minimum of 2 days (Events must have a start and end date and run for consecutive days). Events should encourage overnight stays were possible (The event must last for a minimum of 5 hours on each day).
• No requirement to demonstrate return on investment.
• Events must demonstrate how they will promote the Causeway Coast and Glens as a tourism destination through branding, marketing and media activities. Details should be provided within your marketing plan.
• In-kind support / Volunteer time must not be included in the budget.

Funding

Up to 50% of total project costs of the event for maximum grant of £15,000

Eligible costs may include the following:

• Insurance (applicable to the event only)
• Programming Costs including online/hybrid
• Venue Hire
• Performance/Artist Fees
• Transport
• Equipment Hire/Purchase
• Advertising/Communications (marketing & media costs, printing/signage etc.)
• Administration (stationery, postage etc.)

Successful applicants will be offered no additional support from Council for this event, financial or otherwise.