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Marketing & Sponsorship Program

Hosting an event in St. Mary's County? Start here.

Visit St. Mary’s MD’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Marketing and Sponsorship Program provides event planners with financial and/or marketing support ahead of their event. In general, allocated funds and/or in-kind services are used to grow event attendance, build destination awareness, and encourage overnight stays in St. Mary’s County.

Tourism-related businesses, nonprofits, event organizers, sports groups, and local community groups can apply for one or both of the following options: 
 

1. The Marketing & Advertising Amplification Program (MAAP) enhances events with advertising and promotional support aimed at boosting overnight tourism. If awarded, VSMMD will use the resources allocated through MAAP for things like:
 

  • Print and digital advertisement
  • Search engine optimization
  • Television and radio advertisements
  • Billboards, transit marketing, etc.
  • Social media
  • Event collateral
  • Influencer and press partnerships
  • Public relations initiatives 

2. Event Sponsorship provides direct funding to support new/growing events and well-established signature events. Eligible events should attract overnight visitors and provide a marketing/sponsorship opportunity for VSMMD. VSMMD will provide sponsorship dollars in line with the sponsorship package offered for the event organizers.

What events are eligible for sponsorships and MAAP:

  • Arts, culture and heritage events (multi-cultural festivals, performances, art festivals, film festivals, food & beverage festivals)
  • Exhibition, trade events and conferences
  • Spectator sporting events
  • Organized races and competitions
  • Live music festivals

Events that are not eligible for sponsorships and MAAP:

  • Community events/holiday celebrations that target residents rather than attract visitors*
  • Fully virtual events
  • Private events
  • Political fundraisers and events
  • Religious aspects of any organization, event or promotional campaign

* VSMMD may sponsor community-based events if they are in support of the tourism industry/stakeholders and have the potential to attract out-of-county attendees. 

To be considered, applicants must:

  • Submit a complete application: The application form and all supporting documentation must be submitted in full at the time of application.
  • Provide a post-event performance report: Recipients must provide a post-event performance report including visitor data and outline of how the funds were utilized.
  • Provide economic impact information: Attendee demographics, origination zip codes, coordinated room blocks, and other data to assess economic impact metrics like local spending, hotel occupancy, and sales tax revenue.
  • Track how attendees found out about their event (collected online during ticket purchase, asked upon check-in to event, post-event surveys, etc.)
  • For repeat events: Provide data from previous years including ticket sales/attendee totals, available demographics, and publicity photos.
  • Have good legal and financial standing: Applicants must be in good legal and financial standing with County, the State of Maryland, and the local community throughout the application process and sponsorship period.
  • Follow all local, state and federal laws pertaining to safety and security. There should be a plan in place to ensure event security and safety of all participants, attendees, and staff.
  • Timing: Lead time is critical to marketing your event effectively. All applications for sponsorships and MAAP funding should be submitted at least three (3) months prior to the event. MAAP applications will not be accepted within six (6) weeks of any event and will be limited to digital marketing only.
  • Non-Discrimination. The Agency, in its employment policies and practices, in its public accommodations and in its provision of services shall obey all relevant and applicable, federal, state, and local laws, regulations and standards relating to discriminations, biases, and/or limitations, such as, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Arizona Civil Rights Act, the Human Relations provisions of the Tucson Code, and the Mayor and Council policy adopted on September 25, 2000, prohibiting the direct or indirect grant of discretionary City funds to organizations that have a policy of exclusionary discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, age, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status or marital status.
  • One sponsorship and MAAP award per organization* per fiscal year (July 1-June 30); organizations may request a sponsorship in addition to the MAAP.
    • Applicants who have events in calendar year 2026 and fiscal year 2027 (FY27) can still apply for funds in FY27.
    • FY26: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 / FY27: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
    • *Multiple organizations may not apply under the same event

Ready to apply? Start here.

Upcoming Information Sessions
What funding are you applying for?
Is this a new event/promotion for St. Mary's County?
Is the event/promotion a fundraiser or support a non-profit?
Are you raising money for a local/national non-profit? For example, a portion of tickets are going to a non-profit or your event provides opportunities for non-profits to participate.
Tell us about the non-profit and/or charitable elements of your event.
For events: How many attendees do you expect?
If this is a new event, you can list your goal. For repeat events, this number should reflect actuals from previous events. For muli-day events, this should be the total number of unique visitors/tickets sold.
Is the event open to the public?
What steps are you taking to ensure attendee safety during the event. For example, if you are selling/providing alcohol, how will you manage ID check? Will you have fire, EMS and/or a police presence at your event?
Does your event have an associated room block or special rate to incentivize overnight travel to the region?
MAAP applicants only: What is your marketing budget for the event/promotion?
If you need an example or template, please email: info@visitstmarysmd.com. Allowable formats: Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, Images.
Allowable formats: Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, Images.
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Visit St. Mary's MD uses constant contact for bimonthly newsletters and other partner content. By selecting yes, you are agreeing to be added to our email list serv via constant contact. We will not spam you and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Do you agree to meet with the Visit St. Mary's MD team for a pre-event kick off and post-event review?