Engaging showgoers with the Aussie red meat industry

Ekka has wrapped for another year. Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) featured three different experiences this year to share the great Australian Red Meat industry story and here are the quick stats:

• A whopping 4,185 people enjoyed the MLA paddock-to-plate virtual reality (VR) experience.
• 97% of those who watched the VR video told us they learned something new.
• The inaugural ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ experience was successfully delivered.
• Around 7,000 people viewed ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ through the seven daily delivered sessions.

Hands-on, up close education

This year, thanks to an Ekka and MLA partnership, a new activation was brought to city goers with the ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ experience.

The experience offered engaging 15-minute sessions with Red Meat Ambassadors Amanda Burchmann and Mia Doering presenting a rotating roster of different breeds to Ekka attendees.

Not only did audiences have the chance to get up close with the bulls, but they also learned about the dedication and care that goes into raising them. This included how farmers look after the environment, the traceability of animals, high Australian industry standards and, of course, the role of red meat in a nutritious and healthy diet.

Leader of the Opposition, The Hon Sussan Ley, visited the ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ experience on the first weekend of the Ekka, engaging with showgoers whilst hearing more about the QLD beef industry.

Red Meat Ambassador Mia Doering shows show-goers how cattle chute operates. 

Virtual reality delivers ‘on-farm’ experience 

The Australian Good Meat’s paddock-to-plate VR experience was enjoyed by an impressive 4,185 attendees. At around seven minutes each video, this means approximately 18 days’ worth of the videos were viewed – that’s a whole lot of learning!

The VR experience didn’t only grab the attention of showgoers but also had a visit from Minister Julie Collins MP, Assistant Minister Anthony Chisholm and Secretary Adam Fennessy PSM of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Interested in checking out what the VR videos are all about? Watch the Australian beef paddock-to-plate story.

A total of 4,185 attendees viewed the VR paddock-to-plate experience. 

The G.O.A.T 

MLA also sponsored Ekka’s G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) competition. The competition is a school-based initiative that encourages Queensland students to create artwork reflecting how goats interact with the environment.

The twenty finalists and their classmates painted their artwork onto a life-sized, fibreglass goat. These were on display throughout the nine-day event.