The Business Expo will be held at the James Theatre on Saturday, March 4 from 1pm until 4pm.

The event is a joint initiative of the Dungog District Chamber of Commerce, Dungog Shire Council and the newly-formed Dungog Regional Tourism Inc.

Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Lewis said the expo was bound to attract tourists as well as benefit locals.

”Entry is free and we’ve got more than a dozen prizes on offer for the public who come along on the day ranging from fully paid night’s accommodation to $100 dinner vouchers to hairdressing and nursery vouchers,” she said.

”Some local residents may think they know all the businesses in Dungog but we have some amazing businesses from around the district coming which people may never have heard of,” she said.

”We’ve got the exhibitors, what we need now is the people to come along and support it.

“As well as the lucky door prizes and give-aways, there’s also free food and refreshments.”

Ms Lewis said the day would be a perfect opportunity for people to learn more about Dungog.

“We’ve got the local growers market in the morning, people can explore the historic main street, our cafes and specialty shops, our museum and the arts society, visit the expo and they can finish the day off with a visit to our very own brewery,” she said.

One of the exhibitors on the day will be Matthew Coxhill with his nature education business called Animal Assembly.

Mr Coxhill said he planned to have plenty of interesting displays with him on the day including stick insects, a digital microscope and a data projector will be projecting scorpions onto the wall.

The expo coincides with Back to Business Week, from February 26 to March 4 which is a new NSW Government initiative to promote and celebrate the success of small and medium sized businesses and the critical role they play.