COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — Festival sponsors interested in grants from the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau have until Friday to apply.
Executive Director Nancy Carpenter told the Commercial Dispatch (thttp://bit.ly/15mTpVY) that so far only one application has been received, from the Dream 365 festival.
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If approved, pre-event funding would be granted at the beginning of the next fiscal year. T
First-time applicants would be required to make presentations before the CVB board at its May 20 meeting. Decisions on grant funding would be made in June.
Carpenter said events can receive up to $15,000, of which 25 percent must be spent on advertising and promotion.
The four festivals that received CVB funding during the past fiscal year — Market Street Festival, the Memphis BBQ Invitational, Dream 365 and Grilling on the River — have met expectations for attracting visitors, she said.
“We’re getting research information back that shows after an event how many room nights were used and what the approximate amount could be adjusted for that particular event,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter said she has not received applications from organizers of other events that have been held previously, including Caledonia Days, Roast’n’Boast, Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival and the Tennessee Williams Tribute.
