The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s most popular tourism destinations and its economy depends strongly on the tourism industry. The region hosts a variety of major events each year, which reinforce its reputation as a leading tourism destination. These events support local businesses and contribute to a range of community development goals.

Council aims to position the region as Australia’s premier events destination, and has adopted the Sunshine Coast Major Events Strategy 2018-2027, and appointed the Sunshine Coast Events Board.

The sponsorship program helps support events that attract tourists during the low seasons, and generate media and destination exposure for the region.

Business events which focus on conventions, conferences and incentive travel are also eligible for funding. Information for holding a business event can be found on the Visit Sunshine Coast's website, business events.

Applicants are encouraged to review the sponsorship guidelines (PDF, 116KB) for further information on event eligibility and the accepted use of sponsorship funds prior to submitting a major event sponsorship application. Applicants should also make contact directly with council's tourism and major events unit, before submitting an application to ensure the event concept is suitable. Please email suncoastevents@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au in the first instance and one of our experience partnership managers will be in touch.

Council's major event sponsorship program is open year-round, however applicants are required to submit their documentation a minimum of 8 months before the proposed event start date. Applications received less than 8 months from the event start date may not be considered, due to the reduced timeline for branding and marketing/promotional opportunities.

Major event sponsorship suitability checklist

Are you able to provide the following information:

the total number of event participants/attendees by location (local, intrastate, interstate, and international)
an accurate estimate of projected visitor nights from the event participants/attendees
an accurate event budget, including projected spend from local businesses and suppliers
event media coverage information, including the size and type of audiences
a comprehensive event marketing plan.

Apply with the major event sponsorship application form (DOCX, 2997KB). Applicants are required to submit an event budget summary (XLS, 59KB) as part of the application process.

Process

Guided by the Sunshine Coast Major Events Strategy 2018-2027, the Sunshine Coast Events Board will review all sponsorship applications and make recommendations to council. This process may take up to 12 weeks, depending on when the application is received.

Event organisers are required to submit all documentation a minimum of 8 months prior to their event date in order to be considered by the Sunshine Coast Major Events Board.

The Sunshine Coast Major Events Board meetings will occur on 6 occasions during the 2023 calendar year. Please note the following deadlines: Applications due 3 January (Meeting date 14 February)

applications due 14 February (meeting date 28 March)
applications due 2 May (meeting date 13 June)
applications due 27 June (meeting date 8 August)
applications due 21 September (meeting date 24 October)
applications due 24 October (meeting date 5 December).

All applicants should make advance contact with the major events team before submitting an application.

Contact

For more information about staging a major event on the Sunshine Coast, contact our major events team via email suncoastevents@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.

The major events team has experienced partnership officers to:

guide you through the sponsorship application process
support you through the permit process, and
connect you with local event industry suppliers.