Ngara Dorries Day
In October 2025, Birrabine Miigay proudly delivered Ngara Dorries Day, a networking expo celebrating First Nations creativity, culture, and connection across the Shoalhaven. Supported by local Aboriginal-owned businesses such as Gadhungal Marring, Ripe Mentoring, and Wojamin Creative, alongside community including Bollarang House, South Coast Arts, We Breathe - GPH, JBMM, SCWDVCAS, Headspace, and Oracle Support, this inaugural event created a culturally safe space for connection and celebration.
The day featured local artists and cultural contributors, Elders, students from Vincentia High School, and a moving tribute by Ray Timbey honouring his late pop, Uncle Laddie, a respected Elder and artist. Book readings, workshops by Warrick Keen and Noah’s Aboriginal Playgroup, and live performances by Dhaawarri Dancers, Dreanna, Riley Ingram, Liam Maihi, and Mudjingaal Yangamba enriched the program.
Held in recognition of Indigenous Business Month, Aboriginal Languages Week, and NSW Small Business Month, Ngara Dorries Day celebrated the strength, talent, and innovation of Aboriginal communities in the Shoalhaven.
WEXPO
The Western Sydney Expo (WEXPO) brought together organisations from a range of different industry sectors such as government, education and training, banking and finance, media and production, consultancy, business networks and more.
In addition to the opportunity to network and connect, attendees were able listen to expert panels and speakers who addressed a range of topics relevant to today’s business community such as artificial intelligence (AI), business growth and performance strategies, trademarking, and social and digital marketing.
Information Session: Portable Long Service Leave for Community Services
The Western Sydney Community Forum and the NSW Long Service Corporation came together during NSW Small Business Month to recognise the critical role community service organisations play in our communities and to support them in understanding the newly launched Portable Long Service Leave Scheme for Community.
The session provided attendees with practical insights into how legislative changes will affect their operations, compliance, and workforce planning. Additionally, representatives from the NSW Small Business Commission, Accounting for Good, NSW Long Service Corporation and NSW Industrial Relations took part in a panel discussion to answer any questions attendees had about the scheme and impacts for their business.
Greenhouse Huskisson’s Small Business seminar series
Greenhouse Huskisson hosted a four-part Small Business Seminar Series for NSW Small Business Month. The series consisted of interactive and educational sessions for local businesses in the Jervis Bay and Basin area. During the sessions, attendees heard from local experts on tax and cashflow, marketing, PR and cyber security. The sessions not only equipped attendees with actionable strategies to apply to their small businesses but also provided them with the opportunity to connect with other business owners.
Work smart, win big: AI hacks to boost sales and free up your day
The City of Canada Bay hosted a session to help local small businesses demystify AI. The session featured brand and partnership expert Therese Tarlinton who guided attendees through how to work smarter and not harder when it comes to AI. The session catered to small businesses from all industries providing them with AI tools to assist them in their business - from creating social media posts to automating customer follow-ups.
The session also provided an opportunity for attendees to network with other small businesses. Several local chambers were present at the event, along with the Mayor and state government representatives from the NSW Small Business Commission and Service NSW Business Bureau.
Visual merchandising workshop for business: Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council hosted a session on visual merchandising featuring the Pop Creative Collective. The Pop Creative Collective guided participants through local and global examples of best-practice retail design and visual merchandising. Throughout the session, they were generous with their insights, focusing on practical, cost-effective improvements tailored to business owners’ priorities.
Participants left with a deeper understanding of brand identity, shopfront presentation, window displays and in-store merchandising techniques, along with a step-by-step guide summarising the key concepts discussed. The session equipped business owners with practical ways to help create a more engaging shopping experience and contribute to the vibrant local business environment.
LIVMEDIA’s Shop Local Campaign in the Upper Hunter Region
LIVMEDIA helped to support their local small business community during NSW Small Business Month by profiling a small business online each day of October 2025. The shareable content LIVMEDIA created enabled the small businesses to leverage the posts themselves and resulted in high levels of engagement. The posts attracted many heartwarming comments from the community and over 55,000 impressions on Instagram alone. A local radio station also got involved, interviewing some of the small businesses LIVMEDIA featured. The campaign encouraged the community to shop small, support local and to get to know the individuals and families behind the small businesses. LIVMEDIA found the campaign created a real sense of community and unity during a challenging time in the region.