VTC Marketing Leverage Program
The next round of VTC “Live Passionately” Marketing Leverage Program applications opens September 11, 2008. The application must be received no later than 5 p.m. on November 12, 2008 at the VTC offices. Grading of applications is expected to be completed and award/denial notifications made in mid-December 2008.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) “Live Passionately” Marketing Leverage Program is designed to stimulate new tourism marketing programs through the creation of tourism partnerships and to extend the VTC “Live Passionately” campaign. The objective of this program is to leverage limited marketing dollars, resulting in increased visitor spending. This objective can be accomplished through actions including the following:
- Encouraging and stimulating investment by combined efforts of local, regional and statewide entities for marketing initiatives;
- Marketing Virginia as a year-round leisure travel destination for individuals and groups;
- Marketing Virginia as a meeting, convention, sports, and/or environmentally friendly travel destination;
- Marketing Virginia to international travelers;
- Targeting the drivers of visitation to Virginia, such as history and heritage, beaches, affluent travel, epicurean travel, small town America, and/or outdoor recreation;
- Extending the limited VTC marketing budget by tying local and regional marketing initiatives into the VTC “Live Passionately” campaign.
VTC “Live Passionately”Marketing Leverage Program Guidelines
- A minimum of three entities must partner financially to apply for funding consideration. Partners may consist of Virginia towns, cities, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations (DMO), private businesses, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other not-for-profit entities. DMOs are no longer required to be a financial partner; however, all applications must include a letter of support from each DMO(s) within the project coverage area. DMOs can be – and are encouraged to be – partners in the application. A list of DMOs can be found at http://www.vatc.org/csir/dmolist.asp. Programs that are regional in scope are encouraged. All partners in the application must be listed on www.Virginia.org and must provide a reciprocal link to www.Virginia.org from their website. One partner must serve as the lead partner who will administer the program. The lead applicant can only be the lead partner in one program per funding cycle and the program can apply only in one funding tier. A potential vendor of services for or to the application partnership program, either directly or indirectly, cannot be a partner in the application. Applicants are encouraged to seek services through a competitive bid process and are encouraged to utilize SWAM (Small Business, Women, or Minority-Owned) vendors, when possible. For more information, please visit http://www.dmbe.virginia.gov/.
- There are two levels of funding in the VTC “Live Passionately” Marketing Program. The maximum match amount in each program will be as follows:
TIER ONE LEVERAGE PROGRAM
Up to $5,000 Maximum award of $5,000 with a 1:1 match required
TIER TWO LEVERAGE PROGRAM
$5,001 to $25,000 Minimum of $5,001 up to a maximum of $25,000 with
a 2:1 match required (two dollars from partners matched
by one dollar from VTC).
There are very limited funds for this program, therefore funding will be awarded on a merit scale. Awarding of funding is based upon information contained in the application and will be scored based upon the VTC “Live Passionately” Marketing Program Scoring Guidelines. Since awards are determined from these scores, the application must be as complete as possible. Actual award may or may not equal amount requested and is based on available funds at the time of award. In making decisions on grant applications, the Virginia Tourism Corporation may consider such factors as type and scope of the applying organizations, the organization’s additional resources, past awards to the applying organizations, the impact and priority of the proposed project, the timetable, the number of applications received, the dollar amounts of the applications received and most importantly, the impact of the project’s ability to increase and track overnight stays and visitor revenue in the program coverage area.
Eligible Programs Expenses
- Printed Materials
- Placement of Advertisements
- Website Development
- Travel and Trade Show Booth Rental/Participation Fees
- Dues and Memberships in travel organizations
- Fulfillment Costs associated with marketing program
- Tradeshow Displays
Ineligible Expenses
The following will NOT be funded by the VTC Marketing Leverage Program:
- Programs that do not contribute to increased visitation to the partner’s area and to Virginia.
- Administrative expenses including office space, salary and personnel costs, office supplies, office equipment, normal office postage, and other administrative costs.
- Costs of promotional items and event production costs.
- Maintenance fees for websites are NOT eligible.
- Travel expenses, including accommodations, transportation, and shipping costs, are NOT eligible for funding
Additional requirements and requested information contained in the VTC Marketing Leverage Program Scoring Guidelines must also be met.
Questions regarding the Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Leverage Program should be addressed to:
Virginia Tourism Corporation
Hollis Sullivan
Tourism Development Manager
901 East Byrd Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-545-5546
hsullivan@virginia.org