Expressions of Interest: Ideas
Expressions of Interest applications for Vivid Sydney 2025 are now closed.
You can sign up to learn about future Expressions of Interest here.
Vivid Ideas is our opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of what an idea is and can be; the curiosity, learning, discussion, debate and emotions they can inspire. The innovation and change they can set in motion. Just like no idea is too big or small, our Ideas pillar expands beyond traditional debate and conversation formats.
Vivid Ideas we hosts an array of thought-provoking events, experiences and discussions with some of the world’s greatest minds, innovators and creatives. We encourage audiences to discover new ways of thinking, be curious about the ‘next’ and try to challenge their perspectives.
In 2025, we want to platform new and unexpected ways of expressing ideas so our audiences can see, touch and feel, as well as listen to new concepts.
Vivid Ideas invites proposals that respond to the 2025 theme, that consider creative ways of stimulating debate and engage the widest and most diverse communities.
Who are the extraordinary artists, thinkers and innovators who are also pushing creative boundaries? How do we express these ideas in new ways? What ideas can we explore and integrate through our allied programs of Vivid Light, Music and Food?
We encourage you to use the curatorial vision as a springboard - we welcome ideas that take the theme in different and unexpected directions and formats. Feel free to submit ideas that don’t neatly fit the curatorial theme but might create moments of awe, wonder and joy. We are open to exploring all ideas, but most importantly we want to showcase ideas in a new or unexpected ways. Events must be exclusive to Vivid Sydney.
Information session
You can rewatch the recording from our Music, Ideas & Food Expression of Interest Information Session below.
EXPERIENCES AND SPECIAL EVENTS
These events and experiences can take place across the city and provide audiences with the opportunity to engage with ideas in a new way. We encourage applicants to fuse artforms, provide interactive experiences and explore concepts that are hands on, stimulating and unexpected. We welcome proposals that explore ideas that are connected to our Vivid Light, Music and Food program. Priority will be given to those concepts that examine ideas through story, experience and immersion.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
To apply you will need to provide the following:
- Personal information - contact and contracting details
- A brief written description of the event concept, including but not limited to:
- Proposed title of the event and brief description
- Proposed venue and format
- How are you expressing an idea differently – through experience, story, immersion – beyond “talking heads”?
- Proposed talent (preference will be given to events highlighting a diversity of talent)
- Proposed event dates and times
- Proposed ticket prices (preference will be given to those events with competitive pricing)
- What are your Event objectives and outcomes?
- How the event relates to the 2025 Creative Direction. The creative direction can be interpreted in many ways and we encourage applications that unpack the theme in unexpected and surprising ways.
- A detailed budget breakdown, including how any requested investment will assist in further developing program content, quality, and scope
- Information on your audience and marketing reach and how you plan to market your event
- Information on the accessibility and sustainability of your event
- Information on you and your team’s experience in producing and delivering the style of event you are pitching for Vivid Sydney
- The potential for connection and integration with the Vivid Light, Music and Food program
SELECTION CRITERIA
In your EOI please demonstrate how your Vivid Ideas and Special Events event meets the following criteria:
- Creative and artistic merit, including demonstrated innovation in the presentation or communication of ideas, that addresses the 2025 creative direction
- A program / event which enhances or presents a new concept in a unique venue or reimagines an existing space
- Experience in producing and event delivery, including planning, budgeting, staffing and risk management, appropriate to the scale/complexity of the proposed event
- Compliance to EOI requirements including diversity, audience development, access and inclusion and sustainability
Applicants are required to read the following documents prior to applying:
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 responds to the 2025 creative direction. 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 2025:
- 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 23 May to Saturday 14 June 2025. Event must be ready to announce as part of the Vivid Sydney Program Launch in March 2025 (exact date TBC), with event concept, collateral (images and event copy) and speakers confirmed and provided to Vivid Sydney by Monday 6 January 2025. 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 applicant must hold or be willing to take out public liability insurance to the value of $20 million for the duration of their event. Public liability purchased internationally must be 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 experiences, events, screenings, and activations. Events must be related to the creative industries and 2025 creative direction and must be able to take place in Sydney during the festival period - Friday 23 May 2025 to Saturday 14 June 2025.
We are looking for propositions that aim to enlighten, inform, and challenge audiences and that fuse artforms or present interesting ideas in unusual ways. We encourage applicants to propose interactive experiences and to explore concepts that are hands on, stimulating and unexpected. We welcome proposals that explore ideas that are also connected to the Vivid Light, Music and Food program. Priority will be given to those concepts that examine ideas through story, experience and immersion.
Sales / business pitches or strategic marketing events which do not align with the above are not the best fit for Vivid Ideas program.
Only budgets submitted with Vivid Sydney budget template will be accepted in AUD. Please ensure that your costings are accurate.
Applicants should include the following costs in their application:
- Management Fee
- Venue Hire
- Talent Fees
- Materials / Consumables
- Equipment Hire / Technical Production
- Power
- Waste/Cleaning
- Staffing
- Marketing & PR
- Music
- Travel
- Catering
- Insurance
- Any additional costs
Please refer to the Budget Template with the EOI Form.
At the discretion of Vivid Sydney, some events may be awarded investment for their event, or co-developed in partnership with Destination NSW. 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.
Outside of direct investment, we may be able to assist your event with venue procurement or marketing support.
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.
Potential sponsors cannot conflict with Vivid Sydney Sponsors or Commercial Partners. All third-party funding or sponsorship must be approved by Destination NSW prior to engagement noting Destination NSW has Vivid Partners who obtain sponsorship category exclusivity and other rights.
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 in November 2024. We require event concept, collateral (images and event copy) and speakers to be confirmed by Monday 6 January 2025.
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 2025 (date TBC).
If your proposition is an immersive, interactive-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 and Special Events 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 Expression of Interest.
We may be interested in site-specific immersive performance work if it presents a new way of experiencing performance and meets the selection criteria.
Applications will be assessed and shortlisted for inclusion in the Vivid Ideas and Special Events 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.
Please see key dates and timelines here.
For updates and important information on Vivid Sydney we recommend signing up to MyVivid
We recommend monitoring 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.
