AN innovative expo will make its debut in Dubbo on Monday in preparation for the region's first taste of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
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The inaugural Orana to the Digital Economy Conference and Texpo will kick off at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre.
Organised by Regional Development of Australia (RDA) Orana and sponsored by Dubbo City Council, the event will bring together leading professionals in health, education, agriculture, business and IT to showcase and present the latest trends in the digital marketplace.
RDA Orana chief executive officer Felicity Taylor-Edwards said she expected at least 200 people to attend the two-day event.
"The Texpo will show visitors what high speed broadband can do for the region in the near future," she said.
"There will be live satellite venues to the Back'o'Bourke Outback Centre (Bourke) and the Parklands (Mudgee), which will help us place the regions on a level playing field."
There will be talks by Ann-Marie Furney (Connected Classrooms) and Dr David Lang (University of New England).
Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson said the expo would share ideas on how to be prepared for the NBN roll out.
"It's about looking at the NBN opportunities before it comes to us in three years time," he said.
"The Orana Texpo will keep Dubbo ahead of the curve and help us use technology before it becomes available."
Before he became mayor, Cr Dickerson worked closely with Allan Smith and council's general manager Mark Riley who helped push "very hard" to get the NBN to Dubbo.
"We created a submission and once it was announced we thought we'd find a way to take advantage of the opportunity presented to us and push home the whole concept," Cr Dickerson said.
Dubbo's share of the NBN is expected between 2014 and 2015. The work officially starts next month.