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Dresden Congress Fund

The Dresden Congress Fund provides targeted support to organisers of selected specialist congresses, in order to facilitate their successful delivery in the city. The overarching aim is to enhance the visibility of these events and to strengthen Dresden’s position as an attractive congress destination within the MICE sector.

Dresden Marketing GmbH offers congresses a one-off financial contribution based on a formal cooperation agreement. This partnership is designed to promote mutual visibility and to showcase Dresden as a prime location for professional meetings and congresses.

Requirements & Conditions

Requirements:

  • Congress held in Dresden (with a fee-based venue & programme)
  • Professional audience (business-related interest)
  • Minimum of 400 on-site participants per day
  • Event dates must fall in January, February, March, July, August or November
  • Minimum duration of two days
  • No contractual commitments at the time of application
  • First-time organisation in Dresden
  • Eligible applicants: legal entities, partnerships, non-profit limited liability companies (gGmbHs), associations, federations, and self-employed professionals based in Germany

Excluded formats:

  • Digital congresses
  • Leisure, cultural, sports and consumer events
  • Fewer than 400 on-site participants per day
  • Events already commissioned or legally binding at the time of application
  • Political party events or commercial leisure formats
  • Trade fairs, exhibitions or presentations (except those of a strictly professional nature or linked to an eligible congress)

Legal entitlement:

There is no legal entitlement to participation in the cooperation scheme. The conclusion of a cooperation agreement is subject to the availability of funds.

Application

Would you like to apply for funding from the Dresden Congress Fund?
Please submit your application at least three months before the start of your event. Early submission facilitates due diligence and provides planning certainty. Applications are accepted exclusively online via the designated digital form.

How to apply:

1. Complete the application form
Use the application form below and ensure that all mandatory fields are completed accurately.

2. Attach the required documents
These include:

  • Draft event programme
  • Preliminary financing plan (your own cost plan as the organiser, or use the template available in the Downloads section)
  • Proof of input VAT deductibility, where applicable

3. Submit your application
Please note: Applications can be submitted only via the digital application form. For enquiries, please contact Romana Groß at kongressfonds@marketing.dresden.de.

What happens after submitting the application?

Once your complete application has been received and verified as compliant with the guidelines, it will be reviewed.

Following a positive assessment, the cooperation partner will receive an agreement for signature. This agreement will be sent digitally to the e-mail address provided. Payment will be made after the congress has taken place and upon submission of all complete and verifiable supporting documents, demonstrating fulfilment of the agreed cooperation measures.

Please submit the following documents no later than three months after the event:

  • Final congress programme
  • Informal evidence of participant origin (national/international)
  • Invoice for the event venue (as proof of on-site attendance)

If the deadline is exceeded, payment may be excluded. Further details on the verification of supporting documents can be found in the official guidelines.

Please send all supporting documents, clearly indicating the event and application number, to kongressfonds@marketing.dresden.de.

4. Payment

If the cooperation amount calculated on the basis of participant numbers exceeds the total amount of income and expenses related to the event as evidenced in the financing plan, payment will be limited to the actual eligible costs (less any income received) as set out in the submitted financing plan. In this case, there is no entitlement to the maximum amount. If, on the other hand, the proven costs (less any income received) are higher than the potential cooperation amount, payment will be made at the fixed maximum amount according to the participant scale.

FAQ

Downloads

To ensure you can easily access all relevant information regarding the Dresden Congress Fund, we provide the key documents here for download.

Please note that these documents are updated regularly. We therefore recommend always downloading the most recent version directly from this page.

Contact

Are you planning a specialist event in Dresden and considering applying for support from the Dresden Congress Fund? Or do you have questions about the application process, eligibility criteria or timelines? We’re happy to support you with the next steps.

Your contact: Romana Groß, Email: kongressfonds@marketing.dresden.de

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