ONE of the organisers behind Orange’s premier car event says state tourism funding is too difficult to access and the applications system needs to be reviewed to avoid community organisations losing heart.
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The Gnoo Blas Classic Autofest has missed out on Destination NSW funding for the third year in a row.
It applied for $20,000 through the flagship event fund, which supports events to boost their profile and encourage overnight visitors and the Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club would have used the money to promote the event more heavily in Wollongong, Canberra and Newcastle.
President Denis Gregory said he spent more than three days on the application only to receive another letter of rejection.
Others have paid people and it’s their job [to fill out applications] – we’re just a club.
- Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club president Denis Gregory
He said the event was already encouraging people to stay overnight, with a dinner and leisurely drive keeping car entrants entertained for the entire weekend.
“It’s the biggest single event other than the [Australian National] Field Days – last year we had 5500 attendees from 105 different postcodes,” he said.
He said he was optimistic this year because he met with Destination NSW last year to review his last failed application and the representative said the club had answered the questions well.
“She said, ‘I don’t really know why you didn’t get your funding, but between you and me, I think it’s the luck of the draw’,” he said.
“But we got the same form letter back.”
Mr Gregory questioned some of the categories, particularly requirements for operational and marketing plans, plus a request to estimate future growth – the club used previous growth to forecast the number of people it believed it could attract.
“It’s ridiculous to predict the future,” he said.
Mr Gregory said other events, including the inaugural Orange Winter Fire Festival last year and the Canowindra Balloon Challenge had received funding.
“Others have paid people and it’s their job [to fill out applications] – we’re just a club,” he said.
“They should make the forms easier to do – it’s discouraged us, we’re tossing up whether to try again.”
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A Destination NSW spokeswoman said the flagship event fund was “highly competitive”, with 130 applications received annually.
“In 2018, the fund was able to offer 33 new grants from this application pool within its budget,” she said.
The spokeswoman said Mr Gregory had accepted Destination NSW’s offer to work through the application again.
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