Buda City, TX, is using grants to encourage local business owners and event producers to market their activities to a geographically broad audience.
The Downtown Co-Marketing Reimbursement Grant will pay up to 50 percent of event marketing costs up to $3,000. To qualify, events must be hosted within the Buda Main Street Program boundaries and must be marketed to an audience at least 50 miles outside of the city limits.
Qualifying marketing materials include magazine, newspaper, billboard, radio, television, targeted web, and social media advertisements.
The city offers a similar program for arts events that attract visitors from outside of Buda.
A third program, the Hotel Occupancy Tax Reimbursement Grant also aims to encourage visitation from at least 50 miles outside of the city limits. Organizations that host events in the city center may apply for a set amount of funds per room night generated by their event. In 2024, funding was set at $100 per room night.
The event producer is responsible for gathering all required documentation and submitting it to the city’s Department of Destination Services.
More on increasing downtown visitation appears regularly in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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