Support package for events

We have summarised the main points for you below:

Goal

The goal of the support package is to ensure that organisers can plan and host events from 1 February 2021, despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Eligible costs

The support package includes unavoidable cancellation costs relating to services provided by third-parties elsewhere in the value chain (e.g. suppliers, technical equipment, caterers, artists and performers, bars, personnel , florists, space rental, reversal of transactions, advertising subsidies), as well as staff costs directly related to planning and hosting the event in question.

The amount paid out under the support package is the difference between the unavoidable costs incurred and event revenue, insurance cover and any other support measures.

If the application is successful, 90% of the total eligible costs submitted will be reimbursed, up to the current maximum of EUR 1m. Costs incurred after the application is submitted can also be taken into consideration. However, down payments for space rental made a long time in advance are ineligible.

Who can apply for support?

Organisers who are planning to hold an event in Austria and who bear the associated financial risks. Alternatively, event agencies and event planners can apply for support as organisers under certain circumstances. The eligibility criteria also apply to international organisers.

Limits on participant numbers

The exact details of the limits can be found in the “support package factsheet (PDF)“.

When does the support package kick in?

Cancellation of or any limitation on the scope of the event must objectively come as a consequence of Covid-19:

• Travel or any other restrictions related to the time spent in the host town/city caused by the pandemic which affect a significant proportion of those involved in staging the event, participants, speakers or individuals designated beforehand as being indispensable for staging the event. In this case, “significant” means a reduction of more than 30%; persons involved in staging the event, participants and speakers are each considered separately. Eligibility for support is established once any of the three groups specified above is reduced by at least this amount.
• Regional lockdowns/curfews in place in the host town or city, the maximum permissible number of participants for the dates the event is scheduled to take place is lower than that at the time of the application (e.g. due to official orders)

Criteria

• Provision of a detailed plan for staging and financing the event
• Provision of a draft Covid-19 prevention plan
• Compliance with the limits on participant numbers defined in the official guidelines
• Precautionary measures to keep damages to a minimum
• Minimum revenue of EUR 15,000 from the event (events which do not generate revenue must demonstrate minimum expenditure of EUR 15,000)
• Balanced relationship between revenue and expenditure
• At the time of the application, hosting the event in accordance with the statutory regulations must be possible on the dates scheduled
• Only one application can be submitted per organiser

Deadlines

Applications for financial support can be submitted through the ÖHT from 18 January. Support is available for events hosted from 1 March 2021 onwards. Applications can be submitted until 15 June 2021 for events to be held until the end of 2022. The process is managed by the ÖHT.

Applications

Applications are made through the ÖHT. For additional information visit: Support package for events – Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank www.oeht.at (German only)