Economic Development in Hannover: How the Acquisition Budget Will Be Realigned in April 2026

The New Funding Guidelines: Less for More

In April 2026, the city of Hannover adopted an updated funding guideline for the acquisition budget, which is financed by the accommodation tax. The focus of funding remains on the acquisition of events of regional and national significance – particularly in the fields of congresses, trade fairs, culture, and tourism. However, the city has decided to reduce the maximum grant per event from 250,000 € to 150,000 €. At the same time, the funding rate has been reduced from up to 80–90% to 30% of the eligible total expenses.

These changes reflect the financial constraints: The budget allocation for the acquisition budget is 250,000 € per year – significantly below the expenditure in 2024 and 2025, which totaled 1,171,149.70 € in grants. The reduction in grant amounts allows for the support of more events, thereby ensuring a more sustainable utilization of the city’s trade fair and congress infrastructure.

Value Creation in Focus: New Criteria for Grant Allocation

A central innovation is the stronger alignment of grants with economic value creation criteria. The evaluation committee now places greater emphasis on events that generate measurable effects in the local economy – particularly through high overnight stays, visitor spending, and collaborations with regional stakeholders such as hotels, restaurants, and urban marketing.

In addition, events with no or only minimal overnight stays will no longer be eligible for funding. The duration of events has been set to a minimum of two days to better engage the local economy. With this, the city aims to position itself as a professional and sustainable trade fair and congress location that reaches beyond regional events.

Expansion of Applicant Base and Digital Requirements

Another crucial step is the expansion of the circle of eligible applicants from German organizations to the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). With this, Hannover aims to become more international and attractive to external event companies.

Applications will henceforth be submitted exclusively digitally via the city’s official grant portal. This is part of a general trend to digitize and increase transparency in administrative processes. The digital application process is ongoing as long as funds are available. It is emphasized, however, that only events planned for the future can be funded; completed or ongoing events are not eligible.

Outlook and Challenges

The reform of the acquisition budget is a central component of Hannover’s economic development policy. With the new provisions, the city aims to both maximize economic impacts and increase the efficiency of fund allocation. At the same time, the challenge remains to attract events that not only have regional relevance but also sustainably strengthen the local economy.

In April 2026, the Committee for Labour Market, Economic and Property Affairs met to discuss the new funding guidelines. The discussions show that the city is ready to respond flexibly to the results of the first procedures and to make further adjustments if necessary.