More than 100 organizations across the state support the importance of a dedicated event fund
Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Travel Association announces that a broad and diverse coalition has joined together in support of establishing a dedicated event fund in California. The group launched a website to outline the importance of creating a state-run fund and to continue rallying support for the effort.
Nearly half of states across the country have established a dedicated fund, which allows them to use specific funding to help bid on, support and retain sporting, cultural, and business-related events, among others. Dedicated funding streams have become essential in ensuring states and cities have the resources needed to attract events that help stimulate the local economy,
benefit local business, and bring together communities.
“California is home to state-of-the-art facilities, has unrivaled tourism destinations, and is easy to navigate with several major airports conveniently located across the state,” said Barb Newton, CEO of the California Travel Association. “With all that California has to offer, we should be the standard bearer when it comes to hosting events. Instead, we continually lose business to destinations like Florida and Texas, both of which have established funding sources to bring events to their cities. A dedicated event fund will help ensure California is on a level playing field with other states.”
Events big and small bring important revenue to communities across California, as people stay in hotels or short-term rentals, dine in local restaurants, visit small businesses, utilize public transportation, and extend their stays beyond just the event window. While many California cities have hosted big events in recent years, the financial landscape has rapidly changed and
additional support is necessary to ensure that cities have the resources needed to bring visitors to their communities.
“This isn’t just about international sporting competitions or big-name events,” said Tracy Farhad, President & CEO, Visit Tri-Valley. “For dozens of California’s mid-sized cities and small towns, youth sporting events, business conventions, and cultural events help to boost our local
economy and support small businesses. With strained budgets, we need extra resources to ensure we can offer event organizers what they need to be successful.”
For many traditional tourism destinations, like beach cities including San Diego, being able to host events during off-season and outside of summer travel are essential for the community’s financial stability.
“Hosting events in San Diego is a tremendously important part of our local economy—not only for event venues and hotels—but for our small businesses and merchants,” said Mark Neville,
Sports San Diego CEO. “An event fund in California will help ensure we can continue to welcome people throughout the whole region.”
The California Travel Association, in conjunction with the California Sports Coalition, will be working closely in coming months with stakeholders to develop specifics of how a California Event Fund would be created.
For more information and to stay up to date, please visit: caltravel.org/ca-event-fund
About California Travel Association
Since 1981, California Travel Association (CalTravel) has been the unified advocacy voice of the travel and tourism industry in California. Its mission is to protect and advance the interests and
investments of California’s travel industry through advocacy, collaboration, and education. More information is at https://CalTravel.org.
