Event marketing is not just about filling seats. In the Black Hills and Badlands, the best events do something bigger. They create reasons to travel, reasons to stay an extra night, and reasons to explore more than one community. That is exactly where the Travel South Dakota Tourism Advertising Promotion (TAP) Grant can help. 

The TAP Grant is a funding opportunity from Travel South Dakota that supports marketing and advertising for tourism-related events, with requests ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.  

If you are planning an event that can attract visitors from outside your immediate community, TAP can be a practical way to expand your promotional reach and strengthen the regional impact your event creates.  

 

Who TAP is best for

TAP is often described as an “event grant,” but the members who get the most value treat it as an event marketing accelerator. Consider applying if your event can answer “yes” to a few of these: 

  • Does it have the potential to attract visitors from outside your town or county? 
  • Can you clearly describe who will travel for it and why? 
  • Do you have lodging and partner businesses that benefit when visitors come? 
  • Can you start marketing at least a couple months out so your ads have time to work? 
  • Can you track outcomes, even with simple measures like ticket clicks, lodging referrals, or attendance origin? 

If the answer is yes, TAP is not just funding. It is leverage.  

 

What makes a TAP application competitive 

A strong TAP application does not need buzzwords. It needs evidence of a plan. Think like a traveler, then write like a marketer: 

1. Define the visitor you want 

Are you targeting families, couples, or empty nesters? Are they within drive distance? What would make them choose your event weekend over another trip? 

2. Sell the trip, not just the event 

The biggest missed opportunity we see is marketing that only says “come to the event.” Instead, give visitors a reason to stay:  

  • Friday arrival, Saturday event, Sunday scenic drive 
  • Add a second activity, a meal, or a nearby attraction 
  • Highlight a basecamp town and what is close by 

3. Build a simple marketing mix

TAP supports marketing, so show how you will reach people in the right places:  

  • Awareness to drive-market audiences who would realistically travel 
  • High-intent messaging close to the event date for conversions 
  • Retargeting for anyone who visited your event page but did not buy or book 

4. Show that you can execute and measure 

You do not need sophisticated attribution to be credible. You do need basics:  

  • a clear landing page or ticket page 
  • dates and deadlines for your marketing schedule 
  • a plan to report results and keep documentation 

Travel South Dakota requires that TAP funds be used for marketing the event, and they note that documentation and recordkeeping are part of the program expectations. 

 

How TAP benefits more than just the event organizer 

Even if your business is not the primary event producer, TAP matters because events are demand generators. When event promotion increases visitation, the ripple effect supports:  

  • lodging occupancy and midweek extensions 
  • restaurants, retail, and paid attractions 
  • tours, transportation, and local services 
  • community visibility that builds repeat travel 

This is one of the clearest ways a single, well-promoted weekend can create region-wide economic impact.  

 

Key dates and what to do now 

The 2026 TAP Grant application window is March 2 to March 31, 2026, with a deadline of Tuesday, March 31, 2026. If you want to be ready, do these three things now: 

  1. Write a one-paragraph event description that clearly states who travels for it and why 
  2. Draft a simple marketing plan tied to your event calendar 
  3. Gather your budget, requested grant amount, and any required tax documentation  

 

Resource links 

  • TAP Grant program page, including toolkit and application details here. 
  • TAP Grant application deadline page here. 

 

How BH&B can help

If you are a BH&B member and you are considering applying, we can help you pressure-test the parts that matter most—and connect your TAP marketing plan to BH&B’s visitor-facing tools to help turn awareness into trip planning. We can help you:

  • Identify the most realistic drive markets for your event and the best timing to reach them
  • Frame your promotion as a weekend trip (where to stay, what else to do, “add one more day”), not a single-day activity
  • Plug your campaign into BH&B marketing products, including:
    • BlackHillsBadlands.com event listings, landing pages, and itinerary-style content
    • BH&B digital guides, maps, and trip-planning tools you can link to from ads and emails
    • Visitor-facing visibility opportunities through BH&B channels when available
  • Recommend what to track (landing page traffic, ticket clicks, lodging interest, etc.) so reporting is easier after the event and results are clearer

Contact BH&B at Info@BlackHillsBadlands.com or 605-355-3600 for additional information or marketing insights.