Business awards are off, but ‘bigger and better next year’

The annual Narrabri Chamber of Commerce business awards have been cancelled for this year due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus, but will be back ‘bigger and better than ever in 2021.’

Chamber president Russell Stewart said the decision to cancel the event was taken out of the Chamber’s jurisdiction given the regulations on public gatherings.

“We have waited until now to finally make the decision.

“This was to have been our 15th annual event,” he said.

“But the awards will be staged in 2021, bigger and better than ever’.

“The business awards are the premier event on the Narrabri business community calendar, but we had no option but to suspend them.

The decision to cancel had to be made, even though the September 5 date for the awards was months off, Mr Stewart said.

“We have to be planning now, booking the venue and guest speakers, organising nominations, sponsorship and judging and all the other details.”

The annual Narrabri business awards is the biggest event of its kind in the region.

And NSW deputy premier John Barilaro, who has attended as an official guest four times, last year applauded the awards night as ‘the best he has attended.’

The business awards presentation dinner is a gala event which attracts 350, and as many as 400 people on one occasion.

Official guest speakers have ranged from local business and corporate leaders to prominent politicians.

“It is an opportunity for businesses to get together with fellow business people and their staffs and the wider community,” said Mr Stewart.

“Although we have had to cancel the awards this year we are confident that 2021 will see it return even bigger and better.

“The business awards is also one of The Crossing Theatre’s biggest revenue earners,” he added.

“The staging of the annual event, averaged at $35,000 each year, and nowadays closer to $50,000, brings the total spend to about half a million dollars to date.”