District Mayor Vanessa Van Uden told the Wanaka forum it would not be a "talking shop for picking holes".
She hoped people would focus on "big-ticket items" rather than complain about "the small stuff".
She wanted local input that would lead to "more effective outcomes and savings across the board".
"You will be heard, you will be respected and you will make a difference," she said.
The "Shaping Our Future" forum was hosted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, the Wanaka and Queenstown chambers of commerce, Lake Wanaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown.
The Queenstown community puts its economic fortunes under the microscope today, at the Queenstown Events Centre from 4pm to 6pm.
Leaders Steve Henry and Dave Roberts, of Wanaka, said outcomes could relate to all district decision-makers, not just the council.
The process follows similar community workshops held in 2002 to devise a vision for the year 2020. Those documents are now used to guide policies and strategies and the "Shaping Our Futures" exercise should achieve a similar purpose.
Mr Henry said the first meeting would discuss "where are we now?", how to measure economic success and what had caused changes.
A June meeting would consider a report from the first meeting, identify actions and who might carry them out. In August, the community would recommend actions to decision-makers.
A similar process would be used for other topics, including events, health, heritage, culture and arts and food.
