Events Industry Support in Northern Ireland

Events are powerful tools. They have the ability to give Northern Ireland a competitive advantage benefiting the image, economy, tourism performance and future potential of the region.  They can enhance Northern Ireland’s reputation as a destination to live, work, visit and study. Events can also stimulate the economy, generating new jobs, business and training opportunities whilst attracting visitors at times of the year when there is surplus capacity in the accommodation sector.

Whether it is home-grown events or major one-off internationals, events in general have the capacity to showcase our people and places on a global stage. Events can drive visitor numbers, generate increased spend and also provide platforms for the visitor to interact with the local culture, local people and explore our scenic landscapes and cities.

Tourism NI periodically runs funding programmes for events and capital development. Information about these schemes, when open will be available here. To keep up todate please ensure you are on our Tourism NI Events Fund mailing list by signing up here. 

For information about previous schemes please click here. 

International Tourism Events Funding Programme

Tourism NI’s International Tourism Events Fund for 2025-26 is now OPEN for applications. The closing date is Monday 6th January 2025 at 12 noon. 

Please note applications received after this deadline will not be accepted. 

The scheme is an Open Call process and applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis. Please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants for eligibility and requirements of the scheme which are available below.

Please note the minimum criteria to apply to the scheme: 

• Must achieve 10,000 visitors.
• Must have a minimum income and expenditure of £200,000 (Excluding Tourism NI's grant request).
• Must attract a minimum of 10% of visitors from out-of-state (ROI, GB, Overseas).
• Must have a minimum economic return of 10:1.
• Must occur on consecutive days with no break in days. 

Given the importance and potential economic impact of homegrown international events, Tourism NI will proceed with the International Tourism Events Fund for 2025-26. The International Tourism Events Fund 2025-26 will be the only fund available for financial support at this time. 

Please refer to the guidelines at the link below for details of the scheme requirements and guidance on the application process. Tourism NI is not a core funder of events. Event applicants must be able to demonstrate how funding from Tourism NI would contribute to the delivery of its tourism growth objectives and the criteria set out in the scheme guidance. 

Upon confirmation of Tourism NI’s 2025-26 operating budget, further information will be shared on any other non-financial support that may be available.

To view the Guidelines for Applicants for International Tourism Events Fund 2025-26, click here.

To apply to the International Tourism Events Fund 2025-26 please click here.

Events Marketing Resources & Toolkits

The Event teams at Tourism NI has produced a variety of marketing resources, toolkits and videos that will help to benefit your event and the overall events industry.

The resources include as variety of professional videos and recorded webinars on topics such as video marketing to help you create great content for your future event, generating sponsorship, and accessibility and inclusivity at your event. Find out more here.

Working with Tourism NI

For further information on the Tourism Event Funding Programme or to find out more about events in general please contact: eventsunit@tourismni.com

Email digital@tourismni.com with your content, thoughts and ideas for our social media channels or to find out about any marketing opportunities we may have.

You can access a catalogue of free images and photos to either use on your website, social channels or event programmes by registering to Northern Ireland's New Content Pool for free.  Should you have any queries please email medialibrary@tourismni.com 

Get in touch with tidi@tourismni.com  to find out how to get your event or accommodation showcased on Tourism NI’s official Tourism website; Discover NI.