Organisers of a novel celebration of Dubbo businesses and their response to the unprecedented challenges of 2020 are counting down to what's expected to be a sell-out event on Friday night.
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Almost 170 tickets have been snapped up for the Salute to Dubbo Business Cocktail Event, where 26 finalists will be in the running for honours.
In May COVID-19 forced the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce to cancel its annual Rhino Awards, scheduled for later in the year.
But in August the chamber announced it would host the Salute to Dubbo Business, a scaled-back event that would recognise resilience in the face of first lingering drought conditions and then the global pandemic.
Applause will sound at Taronga Western Plains Zoo's Waterhole Cafe on Friday night as the winners of five categories are revealed.
On Monday chamber president Matt Wright said only a couple of single seats remained and they were likely to be filled.
- READ MORE: In the running: chamber reveals finalists
The chamber has worked hard in conjunction with the venue to stage the function.
"We're all super excited and I guess we're probably a little anxious and a bit nervous, it's the first event of this size and magnitude I suppose that the city's been able to host, really, since COVID, certainly the back half of this year," Mr Wright said.
"...But this space allows us to have a good number of people in a semi-outdoor type arena and the zoo's been fantastic to work with to help us coordinate, without a doubt."
The Salute to Dubbo Business had created "a buzz" from the start, with about 4000 votes cast in the first day, Mr Wright said.
"...I think the public were keen to get behind something and we're really happy they chose this event to support," he said.
The business leader said the chamber was pleased about the award for the business that "met the challenges of 2020 with diversification and innovation".
"We're excited to be able to share the stories of some of those businesses, and we're also really excited about the creativity that had to come into play in 2020 for a lot of businesses," Mr Wright said.
The chamber president also anticipated flow-on effects for the economy.
"I think there will be some businesses that will benefit out of that especially your beauty type businesses and your hairdressers and your fashion retailers," Mr Wright said.
"It's a cocktail-style of dress, so I know there's a few people who have gone out there and they're frocking up for the evening, so we're excited to see some of that money will hopefully be spent throughout local businesses in the lead-up to Friday night too."
He thanked Regional Australia Bank for partnering with the chamber.
"It's been again, a challenging year for them as well, and they're normally proud sponsors of the [Dubbo] Show and a number of other events throughout the year, and although this is much more of a low-key event than what they're normally involved in with the Rhinos, it's great that they're willing to partner with chamber and value the importance of these types of awards to recognise business excellence in the city," Mr Wright said.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
