Seeking support for fresh ideas
THERE is £150,000 of public money available for event and activity providers looking for financial support for their plans in 2025.
The Tourism Management Board is overseeing the process and the aim to boost the visitor economy.
Event organisers have until the end of October to apply, and the TMB have said it’s an opportunity for 'fresh ideas' to be put forward.
Now this is not such a fresh idea, but it’s disappointing not to see more creativity in the process, extending to the adoption of a suggestion proposed following last year’s Island Games of a £10 ‘commission’ from the States for each bed night filled by a sporting body or club.
And they would be paid risk-free – as the bed would have been filled before the commission is paid.
What about setting aside say, £50,000 of that budget for sports support along those lines?
It would mean that sporting events could be excluded from consideration for general support – where last year it took about a third of the total event budget – and given that a single night from a sports team would only secure the claimant in the region of £200, rather than the current lowest level grant of £1,000, maybe help more events too.
It’s time we heard some fresh ideas from the Tourism Management Board, not just the event organisers.