Thrive
‘Major overhaul’ planned for Elite Event funding program

Local tourism leaders have agreed to revamp a funding program for events that showcase Pinellas County and its municipalities to national audiences.
The changes to Elite Events will increase grant maximums, enhance funding flexibility and amplify program criteria. Tourist Development Council (TDC) members unanimously approved the modifications Wednesday.
Funding recommendations annually spark debate. However, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC) now has $3 million, a $1 million increase, to distribute through 2025.
“Most years, we present an annual refinement of the program,” said Craig Campbell, director of community engagement. “This is not most years. This is a major overhaul, for sure.”
Events previously deemed elite include the Valspar Championship golf tournament in Palm Harbor and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. VSPC had $2 million to disburse and received 51 applications totaling $3 million.
Just 21 applicants qualified for the program. That number could decrease in 2025.
“This wasn’t about making it easier for events to get funding,” Campbell said. “It was more about recognizing those true elite events that check all the boxes.”

The Valspar Championship is annually considered an Elite Event. Photo by Mark Parker.
Top-tier applicants can now receive between $150,000 and $250,000, a $100,000 year-over-year increase. Campbell said the “elite of the elite” would receive the maximum amount.
Awardees previously had to prove their event attracted 50,000 unique attendees, led to 15,000 overnight stays or generated 100,000 broadcast views. Event organizers must now meet all three thresholds, and VSPCS increased its viewership criteria to 500,000.
Campbell said viewership now extends to any platform associated with a broadcast network, like NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Second-tier criteria include 50,000 unique attendees, 15,000 room nights and 100,000 broadcast views or public relations efforts valued over $50,000.
Applicants must only meet two of those thresholds to receive between $75,000 and $150,000. Campbell said “some tremendous events” might lack a national audience but excel from a public relations standpoint, and VSPC wants to recognize those impacts.
He said the agency will also begin considering environmentally friendly practices. Applications, which launch in the spring, will include a section for organizers to highlight their sustainability plans.
“We are curious how they plan to produce a sustainable event and how they contribute from that standpoint,” Campbell added. “How we factor that into the overall scoring will be determined.”
Category III offers between $50,000 and $75,000 for events that meet one of three thresholds: 20,000 unique attendees, 7,500 overnight stays or 500,000 broadcast views. Organizers could also qualify by providing public relations or media coverage valued over $100,000.
Category IV awards $25,000 to $50,000 if an event attracts 10,000 attendees or results in 3,000 overnight stays. VSPC considers the final category as “destination enhancement” functions that can receive up to $25,000 if attendance exceeds 5,000.
County commissioners must approve the program overhaul in late February. VSPC would then launch fiscal year 2026 applications March 3; organizers have an April 4 submission deadline.
“We’re asking more of every level of events,” said Brian Lowack, CEO of VSPC. “However, we are willing to participate and fund them at a higher level if they meet those standards.”
He said the agency could use leftover funding to attract new events that have not applied to the program. Commissioner Brian Scott, chair of the TDC, asked if VSPC was working to offset the loss of events at storm-damaged Tropicana Field.
Campbell said that was a question for the business development team. However, he noted a well-attended volleyball event and the Savannah Bananas, a wildly popular exhibition baseball team, relocated outside the county.
St. Petersburg City Council Chair Copley Gerdes guessed that Pinellas lost 40 to 50 events in 2025 due to Hurricane Milton decimating the stadium. Campbell said the Tampa Bay Rays “planned on producing their own concert festival, but that got scrapped as well.”
“But that was in the Elite Event program,” he added.
