The Meetings Mean Business (MMB) grant program helps destinations by providing financial assistance for facility costs or host destination expenses as you bid for regional and national meetings or conventions.
Why You Should Apply
Attracting meetings and conventions generates significant economic impact from additional room nights and visitor spending.
Hosting a successful regional or national conference can raise a destination’s profile among meeting and event planners, therefore generating more meeting and event sales.
Securing grant funding for a bid can encourage further sponsorship and partnerships for the convention in your destination.
Destination can bid on a variety of different kinds of meetings and conventions that best fit their business model, including but not limited to associations and organization meetings, trade shows, reunions, educational or social meetings.
Guidelines
MMB grants are only open to Destination Marketing Organizations and Native American tribes
Eligible organizations can receive up to $30,000 in MMB funding each fiscal year. This can be for multiple events.
The fund has $110,000 per fiscal year available for matching grants. Destinations may apply for 50%of the costs for convention facility rental, in-community convention transportation or eligible host costs, up to a maximum of $30,000.
This grant does NOT fund in-state events that are regularly scheduled or those that rotate destinations within the state.
Events that are currently funded through statutorily required expenditures (earmarks) are not eligible and those requesting this grant are not eligible for a Joint Effort Marketing grant for the same project, during the same fiscal year.
Please see MMB Grant Guidelines for complete grant requirements.
Application must be received at least 90 days prior to event.
If you’ve never used the electronic grant system, please contact the Grant Manager to set up your organizational account. See the Electronic Grant Program User Manual for additional instructions.
MMB Grant Deadlines
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m.
Grant Type
Deadline
Meetings Mean Business (MMB)
February 1
April 1
September 1
Guidance
The Tourism Development Specialists and Grant Manager are available to review grant applications before the final submission. To ensure the best MMB grant application possible, we offer feedback and support throughout the entire process. Reach out to us anytime for assistance to take advantage of our expertise.
