Procedure

To qualify for the Pre-financing and/or Guarantee Scheme, you must meet the following general conditions:

• You are organising an international multi-day conference in the Netherlands during which knowledge transfer is the main theme
• The organisation of the conference is led by a party with demonstrable experience in organising such gatherings. This often involves a Professional Conference Organiser (PCO), but this is not mandatory.
• Your application must be received by us at least 8 months prior to the start of the conference.
• Your application will be processed subject to receipt of a balanced budget.
• When organising a hybrid conference, >50% of the participants must be physically attending.

Specific additional conditions - Pre-financing

Stichting VGF requires a (balanced) conference budget and liquidity budget.

Sample budget

The application must be accompanied by:

• A detailed description of the conference:
  • The name of the conference
  • The date of the conference
  • The conference location and venue
  • History of the conference
• The programme/pre-announcement and the members of the organising committee
• A copy of the deed of foundation or an extract from the Chamber of Commerce, showing who is authorised to represent the organiser

The amount of the pre-financing depends on both the size of the conference and the liquidity budget.

The loan must be fully repaid to the VGF by direct debit before the start of the conference.

Specific additional conditions - Guarantee

Stichting VGF requires a final, balanced and detailed budget. The guarantee may not be included in this budget.

Sample budget

This budget must also state the final registration fee and the final programme.

The application must be accompanied by:

• A detailed description of the conference:
  • The name of the conference
  • The date of the conference
  • The conference location and venue
  • History of the conference
• The final programme/pre-announcement and the members of the organising committee
• A copy of the deed of foundation or an extract from the Chamber of Commerce, showing who is authorised to represent the organiser

The maximum risk that can be covered by the guarantee scheme depends on the size of the conference. The following factors play a role in the assessment: the number of expected participants, the size of the budget, the break-even point (in relation to the number of expected participants), the programme, the history of the conference and the possibility and presence of any sponsorships.

The final budget can only be changed after consultation with the VGF.

If, due to disappointing participant numbers, payment obligations remain outstanding that cannot be met by the conference's own financial resources after the final verifiable operating account of the conference has been drawn up, the VGF will cover the deficit up to the set guarantee amount.

The guarantee contract must be signed by the organiser (a representative authorised to sign) and the treasurer of the VGF no later than six months before the start of the conference.