We have been looking to secure sponsorship deals and are in the process of getting committed funding from multiple sources. One source of financing we are pursuing is support from the municipal government and local funds in the city of Utrecht, which hosts various organisations to which we will be applying. We will also open channels of communication with local organisations with hopes of securing financing.

Another channel through which we are looking for funding is with universities in the city of Utrecht and the Netherlands. These have sponsored local tournaments and organisations in the past and could benefit from a partnership in promoting their master’s programs to participants. In addition to this, we are in contact with the numerous well-established debate associations in the country and are expecting funding from them as well. Given the relative financial strength of many organisations in the country and our deep connections to these organisations (with most of the org comm being past board members), we expect our cooperation with them to be fruitful.

We are also looking to formalise funding commitments from various companies, potentially offering sponsors multiple types and options for funding that might be attractive to them. We have been using our network of alumni and acquaintances to gain entrance into decent-sized companies and believe this could be a fruitful avenue for funding as well.  

This description of potential funding avenues is not exhaustive, as we are also looking for financing elsewhere, such as through international grants and funds, for which we might be eligible. Our Acquisitions and Partnerships team is focused on exhausting all our networks and forms of financing to help make this bid as successful as possible.  

Our venue would theoretically be able to run on zero sponsorships. Still, our past experiences with previous bids and counseling from the convenor of EUDC 2010 in Rotterdam, make us confident that we can attain sufficient funding to improve the project substantially.