Pause Fest founder George Hedon. Source: supplied.
The federal government’s Business Events Grant Scheme is causing confusion for Australian events organisers, with events being approved as eligible, only to find out later they shouldn’t have been.
George Hedon, who heads up digital startup and innovation conference Pause Fest, tells
SmartCompany he’s found the whole scheme difficult to navigate, ultimately calling it ineffective for the industry in the current environment.
Pause Fest 2021 was initially approved as an event under the scheme. But, Hedon says he’s been passed between government departments to try to determine how his delegates can apply for the grant funding, only to finally be told they’re not able to at all, and that his event should never have been approved in the first place.