Business Events Growth Programme

This programme is provided by Visit Britain. Visit Britain is a national tourism agency – a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

Visit Britain plays a unique role in building the country’s tourism product, raising Britain’s profile worldwide, increasing the volume and value of tourism exports and developing England and Britain’s visitor economy. Working with a range of partners in both the UK and overseas, its mission is to grow the volume and value of inbound tourism across the nations and regions of Britain and to develop world-class English tourism product to support growth aspirations.

The Business Events Growth Programme (formerly the Event Support Programme) forms part of Government’s commitment to build the business events sector, supporting the attraction of international business events which align with the Government's priority industry sectors.

VisitBritain has been tasked by goverment to promote business event tourism through the establishment of a Business Events Growth Programme for winning international events to the UK, and developing and internationalising growth events already in the UK.

The Business Events Growth Programme offers three forms of support;

• Bid Enhancement & Support to support the winning of new international business events to the UK (formerly Live Bids)
• International Delegate Growth to support the growth of existing Business Events in the UK (formerly Internationalising Growth Events)
• Government advocacy to support the UK’s business events industry

VisitBritain is offering grant-funding of up to £20,000 per event under the following strands of the Business Events Growth programme; Bid Enhancement & Support and International Delegate Growth.

The programme is open to Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) or venues and event organisers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are collaborating with DMOs.

Applications must be discussed and agreed with local DMOs (if applicant is not a DMO) prior to application.

DMO applications must be agreed with the relevant National Tourist Board (NTB) - VisitEngland, London & Partners, Tourism Northern Ireland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales.

Note: Applications will only be considered if they have already been discussed, and agreed as viable with the relevant National Tourist Board (London & Partners, Tourism Northern Ireland, VisitEngland, VisitScotland, Visit Wales), and with Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) as applicable.