The Conway A&P Commission is now accepting funding request applications for 2025 events. Included in this packet is a copy of the Commission’s policy for event funding, as well as the funding request form to be filled out by the requesting party. Please review the attached guidelines before submitting your funding request documents. You may drop the completed request form and 8 copies off at my office or mail them to:

Conway A&P Commission

900 Oak St.

Conway, AR  72032

The deadline for submitting the 2025 funding request form is October 15, 2024. Should you receive funding, it is your responsibility to follow the required guidelines listed in this document. Guidelines which are not followed could result in funding being reduced or voided. 

Before forms are turned in for review by the A&P Commission, please make sure you have completed all of the following steps. Failure to complete these steps could result in your application being disqualified:

• All forms must be fully completed with all questions answered, even if your answer is “not applicable” 
• A total of 8 copies delivered by the deadline
• Remove the qualifications document from your application before submitting so that the information you submit only contains the questions you have answered.

If you have any questions, I can be reached by phone at 501.932.5409 or by email at rachel@conwayarkansas.org.  

Thank you,

Rachel Shaw

Executive Director

Visit Conway

CONWAY ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION COMMISSION

SPECIAL EVENT ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM

1. DESCRIPTION of funding types

The Special Event Advancement Program, provided by the Conway Advertising and Promotion Commission, is designed to help organizations hosting events in Conway in efforts related to special event development. Assistance may be provided in one or more areas:

1. SEED MONEY
2. ADVERTISING AND PUBLICITY
3. A&P EVENT INCENTIVE

The purpose of providing funding is to stimulate tourism and produce a positive economic impact on the businesses of the city of Conway. The Event Advancement Program has limited funds and is not designed to provide total financing or advertising budgets for any event. However, it serves as an incentive and an endorsement for those organizations that are working toward promoting tourism in the City of Conway.

Regardless of the type of funding you are awarded, all grantees are required to complete the following steps:

1. Require as many attendees as possible to complete an A&P survey (which can be downloaded at VisitConway.org/resources). Organizations receiving funding are responsible for making copies of the survey for distribution. The organization must submit a summary of the data collected in returned surveys when making their presentation at an A&P meeting. 
2. After the event, the organization is required to give a report to the A&P Commission at one of their monthly commission meetings, which are held the second Monday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at Conway City Hall, 1111 Main St., Conway, AR 72032. This must occur for funding to be received. 
3. Turn in receipts for reimbursement to Jill Walden at Lisa Stephens, CPA office. No funding will be provided until the event has taken place and receipts are turned in.
4. All receipts and funding reimbursement requests must be made within 90 days of your event. If receipts are turned in later than 90 days your request may be denied. 

1. SEED MONEY

Seed money shall be considered only for “new” events. It should give organizations some financial help but is not designed to fund the event in full.

1. Seed money will be administered to new events only and is limited to a period not more than three years. The A&P Commission feels this is ample time for the event to establish itself with sponsorships and other fundraising efforts. If granted the 1st year, the organization should not assume they will receive subsequent year’s allocations. The organization must re-apply each year. The schedule is as follows:

YEAR                  Amount available       

1st Year Event – up to $5,000.00

2nd Year Event – up to $2,500.00

3rd Year Event – up to $1,000.00

2. The A&P Commission will make its decision on funding based on which events they believe will make the most favorable economic impact by generating additional tourism business in Conway. 

3. If seed money is granted to your organization, the A&P Commission will require the organization to:

1. Agree in writing to abide by the terms as stated in the Funding Guidelines.
2. Agree in writing that organization bankruptcies or event deficits will not be covered by A&P funds. The Commission will not “bail out” events that incur losses. 

1. ADVERTISING AND PUBLICITY

If event Advertising and Publicity funds are granted to your organization, the A&P Commission will advise you of their specific award as follows:

1. Advertising purchases specific to your event.

Advertisement artwork must be preapproved by Rachel Shaw. All forms of advertising being paid for in part by the A&P Commission must include the Visit Conway logo, which may be obtained from Rachel Shaw.  Advertising that is not preapproved and does not include the proper logo will not be reimbursed. Chamber of Commerce, Conway Development Corporation or Conway Downtown Partnership logos are NOT acceptable. Please allow five business days for approval. 

Contact information for Rachel:

Rachel Shaw

Email: rachel@conwayarkansas.org

Phone: 501.932.5409

2. Publicity of your event may include but will not be limited to the following:

1. Local Cable Channel Announcements/cable advertising
2. Newspaper/Magazine
3. Radio
4. Billboard/Marquee
5. Mail outs
6. Online advertising
7. Paid social media advertising

1. A & P EVENT INCENTIVE

Event Incentive funding will be awarded at the discretion of the A&P Commission. These events will be solicited by the A&P Commission.

1. CRITERIA

Written Requests: Organizations requesting Commission support for 2025 must submit their request to the Commission by October 15, 2024. Requests must be submitted on the Commission’s form, but additional pages of explanation will be accepted.   

Added consideration shall be given to events presented by groups that:

1. Have a successful track record
2. Stage the event, when at all possible, at city owned facilities

Economic Impact: Written requests must substantiate the economic impact of the proposed event as it pertains to the primary mission of the A&P Commission, which is to promote the city of Conway and to attract visitors to Conway hotels and restaurants. The primary question to be considered by the Commission is how many dollars the event will generate in the local economy. The key criteria include number of visitors expected for the event and the total impact on local lodging, restaurant and retail business receipts.

Budget:  The request will include an explanation of how the support or funds will be administered by the requesting organization. This request must be specific and must detail each amount requested including vendors and amount for each vendor. 

Recognition:  Organizations receiving support or funding from the Conway A&P Commission will credit the Commission by using the Visit Conway logo on any materials in which you plan to ask for reimbursement, and on all sponsor recognition at the appropriate level. The organization will also be required to include the Visit Conway logo on all forms of advertising which A&P funding is paying for. This logo was new in January of 2024. 

Indemnification: The organization must agree in writing to indemnify the Conway A&P Commission for any liability associated with the organization and/or the event. 

Compliance: All events shall abide by local, state and federal laws. Furthermore, the event shall not be of a questionable nature and may not exclude race, creed or religion. It must be open to the public with provisions made for that purpose, e.g. handicap facilities, available parking, etc.

Event Changes: If significant changes have to be made to an event i.e. location change, date change, format change, max capacity, etc., the event owner is required to notify the commission of the proposed changes. Some changes may result in the event no longer being eligible for funding or not being eligible for the full amount originally allocated. This decision will be up to the discretion of the A&P Commission. 

Payment of Invoices: Requesting organizations will be reimbursed directly by the A&P Commission for approved expenses once paid invoices have been turned in. All invoices and receipts must be submitted to the Commission within ninety days of the event or the invoice will not be paid. Pending approval of the invoices, payment will be made at the next regularly scheduled A&P Commission meeting. Invoices will not be paid before an event occurs unless the requesting organization has received approval from the Commission. The invoices submitted to the Commission should not exceed the amount approved by the Commission. Documentation of expenditures will be required, e.g. copies of canceled checks, invoices, etc. No additional funds will be granted. Receipts can be dropped off at the office of Lisa Stephens, CPA, which is located a 715 Front St., Conway, AR 72032, emailed to Jill Walden at Jill@lisastephenscpa.com or turned in at the time of your in-person report to commissioners. Please note that reimbursements can take up to 30 days to be processed and paid. 

Survey & Reporting to Commission: Organizations receiving funding should have as many attendees as possible fill out a visitor survey, which can be downloaded at VisitConway.org, and then submit a recap sheet to the A&P Commission. A representative from the organization needs to give a recap of the event at one of the A&P Commission’s monthly meetings. This presentation should be scheduled for an A&P meeting taking place within 90 days of the event’s completion. The recap should include but is not limited to the following: the number of participants, number of spectators, number of overnight stays in local hotels, and number of meals eaten at local restaurants. Presenting organizations are expected to provide a one-page summary of data collected from visitor surveys. 

Notification: If an event is voted to be supported in part by the A&P Commission, the requesting organization will receive notification in the form of a letter in the mail. Please make sure to include a mailing address on your application for this purpose.

Year-to-Year Support: Commission support of an annual event will under no circumstances obligate the Commission to continue support for the event in subsequent years. Organizations should not assume nor budget Commission support annually. The Commission reserves the right to terminate funding or promotional support at any time should they deem appropriate. If an event is voted to receive funding for either seed money or advertising purchases, the organization must read, understand and comply with the Commissions Funding Guidelines.