The
third round of a Grant for international events and conferences has
attracted as many as 69 project applications
with
a total value of 2.8 million euros.
The
hopefuls included organisers of 32 conferences,
23 cultural events
and 14 sporting events. The deadline to
applyfor the funding, which can cover up to 70
percent of conference costs, was the end of September. Decisions will
be reached in early December.
Financed
by the EU's Regional Development Fund and administered by Enterprise
Estonia/the Estonian Tourist Board, the grant allows organisers of
large, international conferences to have 15,000 to 32,000
euros of their costs reimbursed provided they meet certain criteria.
To
qualify, conferences have to be international, help raise
Estonia's profile as a travel destination,
be at least three days in length, include a minimum of 300 overnight
stays and involve a local or regional sightseeing element.
Onlynon-profit events
and only Estonian organising committees are eligible to apply.
Funds
can be used to cover a broad spectrum of conference-related expenses
from organisation and
marketing to opening and closing events.
The
aim of the programme is to promote Estonia as a
conference destination and increase the number of overnight
stays, especially during the low season. According to Monica Hankov,
Product Development Director of the Estonian Tourist Board, the more
professionally organised the events and conventions are, the more
attractive they are, and that spells increased attendance, higher
hotel occupancy and an overall positive influence on the
local economies.
The
budget for the current funding round is 1 million euros. During the
two previous rounds, 41 events were given a total of 2.1 million
euros in support.
