By AIDAN KNIGHT

THE Latrobe Business Festival has set out to bridge the gap between urban and regional businesses, with fresh perspectives on what the region has to offer and how to achieve it.

The event, which ran from September 3, culminated Thursday, September 18 at Gippsland Performing Arts Centre.

One of the events that took place over these three weeks was the C3 City Country Connect masterclass. Brought to the festival by The View From Here, a Traralgon-based branding and communication consultancy, the event aimed to break down the barriers between metro and rural zoned businesses and their interactions with each other, providing networking opportunities and potential collaboration platforms.

“It’s about encouraging deeper connection along the M1,” The View From Here director, John Calabro said.

“Something I’ve been doing the past nine years is getting myself involved in business groups in Melbourne. And I find that there are different groups for different flavours. So, depending on what you’re after as a business owner, there’s always something there for you, if you’re willing to put your neck out and sort of go introduce yourself.”

Mr Calabro has made many careers out of his ability to network, facilitate, and conduct business, as the cofounder of the Gippslandia publication, The Borough department store Korrumburra, and also founder of the Made In Gippsland group.

The event featured an impressive line-up of speakers, including Emma from Emma and Thomas Juices, a nationally recognised food and drink producer, and Chris Anstee, a successful recruitment business owner originally from Morwell.

This second iteration of the event attracted more than 80 business leaders from around Victoria, reflecting growing interest in regional business collaboration.

Speakers like Greg Harding from the Business Owners Alliance and Peter Angelica from SEMA (South East Melbourne Alliance) provided valuable perspectives on manufacturing, networking, and business growth strategies.

The masterclass went beyond traditional networking, offering deep-dive sessions on topics ranging from mergers and acquisitions to mental health support for businesses. Pheba Daniels from Olivia’s Place, for instance, shared insights into supporting family businesses and creating resilient community networks, from a non-profit point of view, polarising to many of the business representatives in the room on the day.

The event underscored the Latrobe Valley’s potential as a hub of innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurial spirit. By bringing together urban and regional businesses, the C3 City Country Connect masterclass demonstrated that geographical boundaries need not limit business opportunities.

“For the city folk, it’s about trading skyscrapers for country air for the day – reboot your mindset and make real, meaningful connections with Gippsland’s key business players,” Mr Calabro said of the visiting metro component of the session.

While it may seem silly to sell networking as a concept to a room full of corporate networking, it remained the topic of the day for many of the speakers.

Mr Harding put it best, stating “If you’re doing it alone you’re doing it the hard way,” referencing businesses owners high probability of keeping ideas to themselves.

Steve Palmer, director of The IQ Club, an industry leaders’ networking organisation, carried that same message when speaking on the vast differences between networking online and face-to-face.

“Timidity hides behind the veil of technology. If you have the courage to step out in front of it, then there’s so much more opportunity for you,” he said.

The importance Latrobe City holds specifically in the conversation of metro-regional businesses handshakes is not to be understated, with much of the outer city industrial areas such as Dandenong becoming too congested in recent years for further expansions closer to the city. Latrobe City presents itself as not only a host, but a hub for this potential growth.

As the Latrobe Business Festival continues to grow, events like this promise to play a crucial role in showcasing the region’s business ecosystem, fostering connections, and driving economic development.

The Latrobe Business Festival is becoming a fixture on the business calendar, reinforcing that Gippsland is positioning itself as not just a participant but a leader in regional–urban collaboration.