Applications are currently open for Accelerate – a new funding program from the New South Wales Government and Business Events Sydney (BESydney), designed to stimulate the return of business events across Greater Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.

BESydney chief executive officer Lyn Lewis-Smith is urging event organisers to apply to access the Accelerate funding as soon as possible, with first round applications closing on 17 December and funding to be allocated on a first come first served basis.

“With the NSW Government’s slew of announcements easing restrictions over the past month, particularly the removal of the two-square-metre density rule and planning for a NSW Event Saver Fund well in train, we are seeing business events starting to come back to life,” Lewis-Smith said.

Accelerate Sydney Business Events Fund is open to organisers of business to business (B2B) conferences, conventions, symposia, congresses, seminars, training courses and trade exhibitions to offset venue costs matched dollar-for-dollar by the organiser.

While organisers can be based anywhere in Australia, to access the funding their events must be held at a public venue in Greater Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong, and it must be of at least a one-day duration, attract 100 or more delegates and be held between 1 April – 31 December 2022.

“Accelerate will impact across the economy, aiding a wide range of event venues and hotels, event suppliers, catering companies and venues to re-open, re-activate, and re-instate jobs lost during the pandemic,” NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres said.

“Business events are the premium end of the visitor economy, adding millions of dollars to the NSW economy each year. Beyond that, they are also a vital stimulus to business, helping participants generate new markets, customers and growth opportunities.”

A COVID-19 Recovery initiative administered by BESydney in conjunction with Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, Accelerate builds upon the Kickstart 2021 Sydney Business Events Fund launched in March this year which has supported events scheduled through until March 2022.

“Accelerate is designed to provide that final impetus for people to book with organisations answering the call from their teams, their clients and their suppliers to get back in person in 2022, and it will go a long way to re-energise our great city,” Lewis-Smith said.