Applications are open to any individual, collective or organisation interested in presenting or collaborating on an event in the Vivid Ideas program that is aligned curatorially and features experts in innovation, creativity or technology. You will need to hold an ABN (Australian Business Number) to enter into an agreement with Destination NSW (the owner and manager of Vivid Sydney). 

If you are applying as a group of individuals, one member must be nominated to sign and manage the agreement for the event. Applicants must meet the following pre-requisites prior to submitting an Expression of Interest for Vivid Ideas 2023: 

• The applicant must be a registered business (hold an ABN, ACN or international equivalent)
• The proposed event must not be a sales pitch or promotional tool for your business, products, or services
• The event must take place in Sydney during the festival period – Friday 26 May – Saturday 17 June 2023 Event must be ready to announce as part of the Vivid Sydney Program Launch in March 2023 (exact date TBC), with event concept, collateral (images and event copy) and speakers confirmed and provided to Vivid Sydney by Monday 9 January 2023. The applicant must be prepared and able to enter into a contract with Destination NSW (Destination NSW owns, manages and produces the festival) for the duration of the event, which includes holding all relevant licenses, insurances and approvals 
• The event must be related to the creative industries, innovation or the technology industry and showcase the latest thinking or innovations.  We are also interested in events that respond to the curatorial theme. 
• The applicant must hold or be willing to take out public liability insurance to the value of $20 million for the duration of their event 
• Applicants must ensure that all public liability purchased internationally is valid worldwide, preferably with the interests of Destination NSW noted. 
• All sessions must be exclusive to Vivid Sydney (in the 3 months lead up to and during the festival period) and we welcome pilot projects. We can discuss this in more detail during the shortlist process. 

Vivid Ideas boasts a prestigious and tightly curated program of cutting-edge talks and seminars, structured networking events, workshops, screenings, and activations. Events must be related to the creative industries, or health and technology sectors and must be able to take place in Sydney during the festival period - Friday 26 May – Saturday 17 June 2023. We are looking for propositions which aim to enlighten, inform, and challenge audiences and events that fuse artforms or present interesting ideas in unusual ways.  We are also interested in events that respond to the curatorial theme or interpret the curatorial theme in unexpected ways. 

Sales / business pitches or strategic marketing events which do not align with the above are not the best fit for Vivid Ideas program. 

Applicants can benefit from the following:

• Inclusion in curated program of talks, discussions, conferences and immersive experiences as part of Australia’s largest and most successful public event.
• Listing of your event on the Vivid Sydney website and inclusion in the Vivid Sydney digital marketing program.
• Networking events with other program participants

Further support, such as investment in the event, venue or talent may be possible subject to negotiations and conditions and considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Vivid Ideas Exchange is Vivid Sydney’s owned and managed festival hub, held in a CBD venue. Events can be industry-facing or for general public audiences. The location for the Vivid Ideas Exchange will be announced in early 2023. 

The venue comes equipped with all necessary staging and audio-visual equipment and production support staff to enable event owners to focus on what they do best – inspiring an audience!  

Space in this venue is competitive and reserved for propositions of a high standard. Events should aim to inform, inspire, enlighten and / or entertain audiences of various age groups and discuss new ideas, technologies, or ways of thinking. 

There is no application cost to enter an Expression of Interest for Vivid Sydney, however fees may apply once your event is accepted into the festival. In consultation with the curatorial team, fees and investment can be discussed. 

At the discretion of Vivid Sydney, some large-scale events may be developed via co-investment on a shared-return model. Budget is not specifically allocated for this investment; however, you may list your budget requirements in your application form for us to discuss with you. 

Depending on the type of event and session time, tickets for Vivid Ideas events can range from free-of-charge up to $100+. For a standard 1-2hr panel discussion we suggest keeping price as low as possible (under $30). 

Destination NSW may enter into a relationship with a third-party ticketing agent with integration into the Vivid Sydney website. Events held in the Vivid Ideas Exchange will be required to utilise this platform for ticket sales or registrations.

Sponsors may be engaged for your event but must be approved by Destination NSW. Sponsors will only have rights and benefits to your event and will not be able to align themselves with the wider Vivid Ideas or Vivid Sydney program. There may be restrictions on sponsors in product categories including (but not limited to) alcohol, cause-related marketing, banking, and credit cards, automotive, technology (consumer and business), cleaning and hygiene, immigration, gambling and gaming, adult products or services and political groups or activities. 

This Expression of Interest does not cover brand activations or partnership proposals. We suggest contacting our Partnerships team to discuss your proposal.

You will be required to enter a contract with Destination NSW outlining the requirements and responsibilities of both parties during the term. Contracts will be sent out from October 2022. We require event concept, collateral (images and event copy) and speakers to be confirmed by Monday 9 January 2023. 

Event collateral will be collected via an online form along with additional event information. Submitted event copy will be edited or re-written by our internal copywriter for consistency across the website. We also require all speaker profiles and head shots to be uploaded to our online system once they are confirmed, to assist with marketing your event. 

You agree that you will not announce your event prior to the Vivid Sydney media launch in mid-March 2023 (date TBC). An information session will be held before the end of 2022 to meet with event owners and introduce them to the festival. 

The Expression of Interest is for creatives, professionals or organisations who can manage and host their own event in the Vivid Ideas program. If you are a speaker who is interested in hosting an event in which you may speak, we advise applying to be part of the Vivid Ideas Exchange program - however we expect proposals to include either a panel of speakers and/or a topic that is of specific interest 

Please note we are not looking for book launches or business-generating events unless they align with the above curatorial directives. 

If your proposition is an immersive, technology-led experience which you can self-produce, we would love to hear about it. However, we are not looking for street performers or corporate entertainers for the Vivid Ideas program and do not book performers for specific events via the Expression of Interest. 

If you are a musician who is looking to self-produce an exclusive event, we suggest applying as part of the Vivid Music program or the Cross Aft Form Expression of Interest. 

We may be interested in site-specific immersive performance work if it is technology led or presents a new way of experiencing performance, alternatively please apply under the Cross Art Form Expression of Interest. 

Applications will be assessed and shortlisted for inclusion in the Vivid Ideas program by the Vivid Sydney Curatorial Panel, see all Key dates. 

Please keep a copy of all submitted material, as this cannot be returned by Vivid Sydney. 

The decisions of the Vivid Sydney curatorial panel are final, and no feedback can be given on individual applications. 

Applicants must ensure that any personal costs associated with their application are included in their proposed artist fee and it is covered in the cost of presenting the event. 

Please see key dates and timelines here.

For updates and important information on Vivid Sydney we recommend signing up to 'My Vivid' on https://www.vividsydney.com/user/register

We recommend monitoring www.vividsydney.com and Vivid Sydney social media channels.

This Expression of Interest process is not applicable for industry or corporate hospitality events, brand activations or product launches. Please contact the Vivid Sydney team if you would like to discuss opportunities to align your brand with the festival.