The Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Center seeks applicants wishing to stage annual events in Charlotte County to attract overnight visitors.

Under the Charlotte County Tourism Event Development Program administered by the VCB, those chosen for the program will receive seed money to launch their event for the first two years, said county Tourism Director Sean Doherty. Seed money is up to $10,000 for each year for those chosen. The amount of each award is contingent upon the number of applications received, according to the VCB.

Applicants must present a regional marketing plan showing the potential to draw overnight visitors staying for county attractions.

Those staying overnight pay a Tourism Development Tax, a 5% charge on revenue collected on the rental of living quarters or accommodations that are rented for a period of six months or less.

The revenue goes toward marketing expenses for Charlotte County and the Gulf islands.

In addition, applicants must be able to project the number of overnight visitors and provide information on how they arrived at that projection, such as having formed a hotel partnership.

Applicants should also include plans on how the event will be established as an annually occurring event.

Doherty emphasized events must draw people from out of the area and should apply to a broad audience and not just locals, since an event of only local interest would result in attendees not needing hotel rooms.

Also, a recurring event appealing to a wide range of people from other states would raise Charlotte County’s recognition as a destination, he explained.

One of the recent recipients of EDP funding was Iguanaland, a Punta Gorda attraction on Bermont Road featuring a wide variety of reptiles, plus a petting zoo. Its owner received seed money for Iguanafest, which has become an annual event.

Some events have gone on to national and even international fame.

When he was president of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, John Wright moved the Wine and Jazz Festival from February to early fall and received EDP funding for the event.

Many attendees to the Wine and Jazz Festival came from out of state and some flew in from Europe, Wright said.

An applicant’s event “must be in the slow season,” Doherty said.

The first Florida International Air Show at Punta Gorda Airport took place in 1981, and it, too, received seed money from the county.

The nonprofit air show, staffed and run entirely by volunteers, raises money for local charities.

Englewood Beach Waterfest, which was canceled in 2024 due to damage from Hurricane Helene, is slated to return in 2025. It attracts attendees from out of the area and fills hotel rooms and was an early recipient of EDP funding.

After the first two years, an event is expected to operate on its own, Doherty said. Hopes are that this year’s applicants will produce a new event that will draw visitors year after year.

Other events getting their start from the county’s seed money include Big Orange Music Fest and Peace River Jam.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 22.

There are various program guidelines, including meeting in person with a VCB program liaison or Doherty. In addition, an oral presentation is mandatory and must include an overview of the event, how it will be marketed and how the event will draw people from outside the market for overnight stays. At the conclusion of the event, successful applicants must provide a post-event documentation report.