It’s been a big week of beef! One of the world’s greatest beef cattle events – Beef Australia 2021 – held from May 2 to 8, drew a crowd of more than 100,000 industry experts, leaders, and beef buffs. Politicians and diplomats were among the crowd, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The event, held just once every three years, put Central Queensland’s Rockhampton on the map and was an opportunity for WFI to connect with farmers, agricultural business owners and rural communities.
Since it’s humble beginnings, the event has grown immensely in popularity and size. In fact, Beef Australia said 115,866 people attended the event and its vice-chairman Russell Hughes told ABC News the occasion was a huge success, embraced by a record number of people from beef cattle communities.
“Even the Monday alone, the public holiday we had 31, 540 people – that’s up about 25 per cent on 2018,” Mr Hughes said.
Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams told ABC News that even without international visitors, the event was “world-class”. “It really has put Rockhampton on the radar,” Mayor Williams said. “The networking and the connections that were made over that week with the industry but also the wider industry around Rockhampton and the region really does, need to go to the Beef Australia committee. “They really have delivered something there that was exceptional, and we’ll see the benefits of that going on for many, many years I believe.” From celebrity chef cook-ups to seminars, and property tours to new agricultural technology demonstrations, the week-long festival included an array of activities and talks on all things beef and agribusiness. The event even saw an incredible 11-acre undercover area which housed $30 million worth of beef cattle. WFI was fortunate enough to appear at the expo to offer personalised and efficient insurance options to event goers. Our stalls provided a safe space for attendees to come and chat with our Local Area Managers and staff about WFI’s personalised policies.
Together, we can accomplish more for our customers and members to ensure the growth, sustainability, and profitability of the agriculture industry in Tasmania. WFI have been insuring Australians since 1919. Over this time, we’ve been there for our customers, providing support and assistance when they need it most. And although we’re one of the country’s leading farm, business and strata insurers, we still believe in friendly, personal service – which is exactly what we offered at Beef21. We were pleased to see the positive turnout this festival brought to the community and wider farming industry. And as the good people to know, there's always someone you can call when you're insured with WFI. So, if you’re looking for tailored insurance or would like to find out more about WFI products, you can find your Local Area Manger here, call 1300 934 934, or visit wfi.com.au.