Q. How do I calculate attendance to know which funding tier to apply to?
A. Add up your total cumulative attendance over all days of your festival. Apply to the funding tier that matches your cumulative attendance. For e.g., Day 1 – 3,000 people, Day 2 3,500 people. With a total cumulative attendance of 6500, this event would be eligible for up to $10,000.
Q. My event/festival is a series. We have concerts once a month, one evening a week from May until September. Can I apply?
A. No. Events/festivals for the Special Events & Festivals program must be a minimum of two consecutive days. However, event/festival series can apply to the Marketing Leverage Program.
Q. My event/festival is every weekend for the month of July as well as one consecutive week in July. Can I apply?
A. Yes, but you must pick either one of the two-day weekends OR the consecutive week for your application.
Q. Our organization manages multiple events throughout the year. Can I do an application for all our events because some are two consecutive days?
A. No. But you can apply if your application focuses on ONE of the two-day events. You should pick the two-day event with the highest overnight visitation.
Q. My event/festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but we had the event in 2018 and 2019. Can I still apply?
A. Yes, if you have two years of attendance data from 2017 onward you can apply.
Q. My event management company is not based in Virginia, but the event/festival is a two consecutive day festival based in Virginia. Can I apply?
A. Yes, if the event is based in Virginia. However, we prefer that reimbursement disbursements go to a Virginia address.
Q. We are starting a brand-new event/festival is our locality. It will be three consecutive days. We anticipate over 20,000 people. Can I apply?
A. No. Events/festivals must have two years of attendance data from the same event at the same location. However, you can apply to the Marketing Leverage Program for a brand-new event.
Q. How to we estimate the value of our social channel followers if we want to count them as in-kind match?
A. You can value social media followers, post clicks, post shares, and website visitors at 10c each. Check the program instructions for more information on how to value in-kind match.
Q. My event is a free event that does not require ticketing. How do I project prior attendance or future attendance?
A. Work with your local Destination Marketing Organization and locality to try to extrapolate your event data from revenue or visitor center visitation. However, you must justify your projected attendance number in the application. You might consider enacting ways to track attendance for future applications to this program. You might use volunteers to use clickers at entry gates, set up a “free” ticket through an online ticketing site, set up an RSVP GoogleSheet, or find other ways to count attendance.
Q. What is the match requirement for this program?
A. At least a 50% cash or in-kind match is required.
Q. Which one of the official Virginia is for Lovers logos do I use?
A. You can find a list of the official versions of the Virginia is for Lovers logo and request those logos in various formats at this link: https://vatc.org/marketing/advertising/vifl-logo-request/
Q. We have not yet secured the physical location of our event. Can we still apply for the Special Events & Festivals program?
A. No. The physical address of the event is required for this program due to how the funds will be allocated across the ten Go Virginia regions. However, you could apply to the Marketing Leverage Program.
Q. Is the 10% allowance for promotional items only for Virginia is for Lovers branded items?
A. You may use up to 10% of your award for promotional items purchased through the official VTC Merchandiser, Creative Color. More information can be found at https://vatc.org/about/merchandise/. However, we no longer allow the 10% allowance for merchandise from outside vendors or that does not have the Virginia is for Lovers logo.
Q. We had our event in October 2024 and are having it again October 2025, but the grant is due September 11, 2025. Can we estimate the attendance at our 2025 event and apply for the grant?
A. Yes. Your event must have been held at least twice before December 31st, 2025. You would be eligible for this round by providing a reasonable estimate for your 2026 program. And could apply for the next round of the Special Events and Festivals program that will open in Summer 2026 (for calendar year 2027 events) with your 2024 and 2025 attendance figures. Please note that going forward, the SEF program will open for the following calendar year’s event in the preceding summer.
Q. We had our event for the last five years, but it was only a one-day event. If we add on a day and make it two consecutive days, can we apply?
A. No. Your event must have been held at least twice as a two consecutive day event since 2017. You can apply for the Marketing Leverage Program. Once you collect two years of two consecutive day attendance, you can apply for the Special Events and Festivals Sponsorship program.
Q. If we offer free tickets for VTC staff or journalists to cover our event, will I be guaranteed some news articles or blogs?
A. No. VTC is unable to guarantee that VTC staff or journalists will be able to use those tickets or to cover the event. However, should we be able to use that activation that you listed we will contact you for details and let you know who will be attending.
Q. What is the lookback period for this program?
A. The lookback period for this program is between July 1st, 2025 – 60 days after the end of your event.