Ninety-odd people came to "Surfing the Change: Building Vibrant Local Businesses for Region" at the Quality Hotel Powerhouse. The session was oversubscribed - and organisers were delighted with the turn-out.

"The room could have been filled twice over," Cr Diane Gray, chair of council's Business Advisor Committee said, said.

"This is so encouraging when we've had a disconnect with our business and community and council... I think we do far more from an event like this than what the Business Advisory Committee can do. It's not owned by council; this event is owned by people, by the businesses, and facilitated by council."

British businessman Ian Mason, a founder and driver of Virgin StartUp, Sir Richard Branson's not-for-profit company for entrepreneurs, was the guest speaker, while management consultant David Wright facilitated the session.

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Council, CEO Susan Law said, wanted to hear directly from businesses - especially the small to middle-size ones that employ 60 per cent of the region's workers - what they needed to thrive, and what could be improved.

Participants identified a culture of competitiveness between businesses, rather than of collaboration.

"Nobody really knows what everybody else is up to, from what I understand, and from what people have said," Mr Mason said.

Attendees also identified issues related to council, how it operates, and the culture of council in relation to business. "These are issues for me and the councillor body to deal with," Ms Law said.

Council will develop an action plan, based on businesses' views and opinions, within a month, to examine what needs to be done, and what they can prioritise.

"It's tremendous that there was so much enthusiasm and willingness on the part of business to contribute their time and thoughts, and wanting to move forward," Ms Law said.

The solution may be an information hub to grow the economy: a network whereby businesses, community, and council could work together, Ms Law said, with council taking the leadership and the facilitation of working with businesses.

It would be, Mr Mason said, a central place to go to if bringing a new business into the area, or for growing businesses to collaborate with people who might help them.

One model may be Manchester's Business Growth Hub, which, Mr Mason said, transformed a once-fragmented community, with a dysfunctional council, into the fastest-growing city in the UK.

"We cannot create such a hub if we don't work together," Cr Gray said.

She wanted Armidale to be more inclusive, with a can-do, how-can-we-help attitude, and to move away from a divisive, polarising culture that pits business against business, and community against council.

The morning was, Cr Gray thought, the start of something exciting that can take the region to a new level. In five years' time, she expected Armidale to have a healthy bank-balance to support the community and its businesses - with, she hopes, 3000 more residents.

Mayor Simon Murray and Susan Law's "progressive, innovative" leadership, Cr Gray said, was moving the town forward. She pointed to the Armidale Regional Airport Business Park; council becoming financially viable faster than expected; and its handling of the water crisis. "The potential's huge," she said.

Mr Mason agreed that the symposium felt like the beginning of something. "I've seen it in Doncaster in the UK; I've seen it in Manchester; I've seen it in London."

London may be a big global city, but it was a terrible place to start a small business even 15 years ago, he said. There was no community, so no collaboration; traditional businesses and the new economy, London the financial capital and the ability to put money into smaller businesses were disconnected; and local government organisations didn't work well together. Once that changed, everything else started to flow.

Mr Mason has been in Australia since September. Compared to other Australian towns he's seen, Armidale has an established set of businesses, with a lot of heritage.

"That gives you something to build on," he said. "Perhaps more needs to be done to bring in the newer businesses."

UNE's SMART Region Incubator, for instance, has several interesting agtech startups.

"It's a question of how you pick up the good things that are happening like that; use the experience from the people who have been doing it for years; and put the two together for everybody's benefit," Mr Mason said.

Cr Gray would like to see similar business symposia held in Guyra, or regionally.

"Guyra has a far greater potential for growth and prosperity than Armidale city," she said. Its resilient businesspeople had developed a niche farming culture and foodie business, and the town has the landscape and weather for significant glasshouse horticulture.

Council, Cr Gray said, must support Guyra businesses, and promote and encourage growth. That would attract people to move there. Increasing the town's population would, in turn, benefit the economy.

More symposia, she hopes, will be held soon. "When you see and hear about the next one," she urged businesses, "get in quick, and make sure you're in the room!"

Young entrepreneurs can also apply for the UNE SMART Region Incubator's Emerge Mentoring Program, led by Mr Mason. Applications close August 16. More details at http://smartri.com.au/emerge/.