The purpose of the Event Sponsorship program is to support groups through "the sponsorship and/promotion of events recommended by the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Commission and anticipated to enhance the local economy through increased convention and/or tourism (visitor) activity in the city."
The funding for this program is generated by Oklahoma City hotel tax receipts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the funds from the hotel tax have declined significantly. As such, the ability to support events is dramatically less than in previous years. As stated in the financial guidelines for the program, all sponsorship funding awards are subject to the availability of funds to the CVB. The hotel industry has been one of, if not the hardest hit industries during this pandemic, and consequently, hotel tax collections are at all-time lows. Even though funding may be awarded, the payment of any award may be less than the anticipated amount due to the actual availability of funds.
Note: The deadline for applications to be turned in is January 13, 2023. The committee meeting to review applications is scheduled for January 26, 2023. All applications submitted must be for events occurring on or after March 1, 2023.
