LAYTON — More than 50 Davis County businesses and organizations have reserved exhibitor space at the first Davis Business 2 Business Expo, a tally that both surprises and pleases the event's organizers.

The Davis Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the expo, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.

Event organizers thought months ago that perhaps 40 local businesses would accept the invitation to participate, but they were prepared to proceed with the event with just 30 businesses if necessary.

"We figured we would need to establish the viability of the event the first year and then we could increase participation each successive year," said Jeanie Shehan-Bosen, the chamber's events director. "Instead, we have filled the entire exhibit space and have had to continually redesign the event layout to accommodate dozens of additional businesses that have responded to our invitation."

"We're thrilled with the response from Davis County businesses," said John Pitt, the chamber's president. "We've moved the Davis Chamber and the Channel 17 booths out to the lobby so that we could accommodate more businesses inside the exhibit hall."

With the exhibit space filled almost to capacity, the focus has shifted entirely to drawing attendees from the business community and from the public to see what's inside. In addition to a media campaign, all of the exhibitors are encouraging their customer base to attend. The Davis Chamber is distributing "Reminder Admission Passes" throughout the county, even though the event is free and no tickets are necessary.

In addition to exhibits from 50-plus local businesses, the event features seminars, prize drawings and free samples from local restaurants. More information is available by calling the chamber at 801-593-2200 or visiting davischamberofcommerce.com.