Thousands up for grabs to boost Glasgow tourism
TOURISM venues across Glasgow facing financial hardship because of Covid19 will be able to apply for a one-off grant of £10,000 from VisitScotland.
The organisation has announced the details of a £6million fund to help the events sector in Scotland recover from the pandemic while restrictions are still in place.
The Events Industry Support fund aims to support businesses in the city, particularly those in the supply chain, that are facing these difficulties. They will be awarded the money on a first come first served basis.
The fund is being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by VisitScotland and its EventScotland team, with development input from the newly formed Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG).
It was announced as part of a £10m package of support on July 26 by Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture to help the events industry, parts of which are not yet able to reopen, and those which can are operating with limited numbers and other changes in light of the pandemic.
This will help to ensure that these businesses are able to support the delivery of events in Scotland when we recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The aim is to support businesses which have not received Scottish Government sponsored COVID related funding from other schemes and which meet the eligibility criteria.
This includes suppliers working to organise, stage and deliver in Scotland, business and MICE events (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) and/ or cultural and sporting events and festivals which are open to the public.
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, said: “The events industry has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic as one of the first industries to stop and it will be one of the last to restart.
“There is a desperate need for support and this £6m Scottish Government fund will help a number of businesses in the short term until we can start to run events again.
“This fund is designed to give a much-needed cashflow support to those companies who have faced real hardship during lockdown.
“It is on a first come, first served approach, with only the first 600 applications being awarded funding, so I would urge those in the events supply chain to get their applications in as soon as possible.”
Applications for the fund will open from noon on August 31 until noon on September 14 with full details on the application process and requirements available at: www. visitscotland.org/events/funding/ coronavirus-support-fund