TRADE SHOW ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TSAP)

The Montana Department of Agriculture and the Agriculture Development Council are proud to offer qualified agricultural companies assistance with developing existing markets and reaching new markets by exhibiting at wholesale trade shows that are consistent with a company's marketing plans and goals. Department's support includes reimbursement for 50% of the booth cost of wholesale, domestic trade shows; advice on show exhibiting; and a supplemental packet of information with exhibiting tips.  

Funding for this program comes from the Growth Through Agriculture Program which was established by the Montana Legislature to strengthen and diversify Montana's agricultural industry through development of new agricultural products and processes.

Companies can apply for reimbursement for 50% of the cost of booth space and other eligible expenses (up to $2,500) at wholesale, domestic trade shows, whether they are based regionally or nationally. This will help the company defray the expenses of exhibiting at trade shows until the sales from the show come in.

Once the company has determined a trade show's effectiveness, the company must fill out and submit the Trade Show Assistance Program application. Application deadlines are listed below. Applications are reviewed on a competitive basis by the Department, and once a company's request is approved, a contract will be issued.

After the company exhibits at the trade show and returns a survey, the Department will generate the reimbursement.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Montana Department of Agriculture's Trade Show Assistance Program (TSAP) is to provide Montana value-added agriculture companies with assistance in developing existing markets and accessing new markets by sponsoring exhibition in wholesale trade shows which are consistent with individual company marketing plans and goals for expansion.

**Please note that the application does not imply or guarantee reimbursement from the Montana Department of Agriculture. Application approvals and reimbursement amounts are subject to funding availability. Applications are awarded on a competitive basis.

AWARD CALCULATION
The award is based on 50% of eligible expenses as outlined below (BASE AWARD). Your Base Award is then adjusted based on whether you are eligible for the Made in Montana bonus. It is the intent of the Trade Show Assistance Program to provide financial assistance for exhibiting at trade shows as follows, as ideal steps to trade show success:

• Ideally, Company has either participated in a Test Marketing program (provided by Department, broker, or distributor) or walked the show to gauge potential for success;
• Company will exhibit at a trade show for the first time in their own booth and get significant risk mitigation from the Trade Show Assistance Program (up to $2,300) to determine the show’s fit with Company’s marketing plan;
• Company will exhibit on its own if the trade show is a fit for their company.

Please note that while the maximum award amount will be based on the estimates provided in the application, your reimbursement will be based upon approved receipts provided after exhibiting at the show, not to exceed the amount determined by Trade Show Assistance Program staff.

EVALUATION:

ELIGIBILITY
To be considered eligible for the Trade Show Assistance Program grant, the following criteria must be met:
1. Application is received prior to exhibiting at trade show;
2. Applicant has not received or been denied Growth Through Agriculture program funds for trade show;
3. Applicant has not received TSAP funds in the past 12 months;
4. Applicant’s company name is registered with the Montana Secretary of State;
5. Applicant’s company is a Montana company;
6. Applicant’s company or product provides an economic impact to Montana’s agricultural industry;
7. This is the first time Applicant will exhibit at the trade show in an individual (not shared) booth;
8. Trade show is outside the state of Montana; and
9. Trade show is for business-to-business (wholesale) customers. application.

The Montana Department of Agriculture will make the final decision as to a company’s eligibility for this program. Companies not eligible for Agriculture’s TSAP grant may apply for the Montana Department of Commerce’s Trade Show Assistance Program grant, available at madeinmontanausa.com/TSAguidelines.asp. With questions, contact the Made in Montana program manager at 406.841.2757 or madeinmontana@mt.gov.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
TSAP applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Agricultural Economic Impact to Montana – Application should demonstrate the applicant's agricultural economic impact to Montana. The economic impact can be through increased sales, increased utilization of Montana agricultural inputs, employment retention or addition, or added value.

• Marketing Strategy – Applicants should offer reasons why the proposed trade show is consistent with their marketing plan and growth strategy.

• Potential for Success – Applicant's goals should reflect careful consideration and realistic expectations for the trade show and should be specific, measurable and attainable with deadlines for achieving objectives.

• Budget – The TSAP reimbursement amount will be figured as 50% of the cost of eligible expenses plus bonuses, not to exceed $2,500.

o The base award may not exceed $2,300.00.

o A $200 bonus will be awarded to companies who are participants or are in the process of becoming registered participants in the Made in Montana program (www.madeinmontanausa.com).

TO START AN APPLICATION

• Register with the Montana Secretary of State. If your company is not already registered with the Montana Secretary of State, you may need to do so before going any further with the application process. Organizations other than Sole Proprietorships must be registered with the Montana Secretary of State prior to submittal of the Mini-Grant.

• Before you can fill out an application, make sure that you have registered and received a username and password at www.fundingmt.org - click on "Register" in blue in the upper right corner of this page. Then click on "Register Here" link in blue.

• Complete registration page & click "Register" to submit your registration. The Department of Agriculture must approve your registration before WebGrants will email your User ID and password to you. This process may take several business days to receive your login information, so please be patient. Please contact Lindy Davies at 406-444-0511 if you have any questions or problems with registration process.

• After registering, log in with your username and password, click on "Funding Opportunities" and select "AGR Trade Show Assistance Program" from the list. Then click "Start a New Application" near the mid-right of the screen.

• Fill out the General Information form and click "Save" in the upper right corner of the screen and then click on "Go to Application Forms".

• Click on each application form listed in blue, complete, save, review and then click on "Mark as Complete".

• Once all forms have been completed and clicked "Mark as Complete" - review the application in its entirety by clicking on "Application Details". If ready to submit, click "Go to Application Forms" and click "Submit". You will receive an email confirming your application submission. If no email is received, contact program staff at the number above to confirm receipt.

Final Deadline: June 1, 2015 by 2:00pm - submit by May 31st in order to allow time to respond to any technical issues that may arise prior to the deadline.

Additional Items to Note:

Staff Application Review Criteria. Applications will be reviewed by both staff who will provide funding recommendations to the Director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. The general review criteria used by staff to review the project are attached below.

Decision Timeline. Funding decisions should be made in July 2015.

Questions? You may contact Growth Through Agriculture/Trade Show Assistance Program staff at gta@mt.gov or (406) 444-0511 for assistance.