In this episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with Simon Irwin, CEO of Beef Australia, for a fascinating conversation about running the Southern Hemisphere's premier agricultural event.

Simon shares his remarkable journey from stock agent trainee through 30 years with News Corp managing regional publications across Australia, to becoming CEO of an event that attracts 120,000 people from 34 countries and delivers $110 million economic impact to Central Queensland.

They discuss the Beef 1988 bicentennial origins, the critical three-year interval that keeps content fresh, why Beef Australia measures economic impact but not business done (changing for Beef 2027), the human X-factor in an AI world, and why reading both The Guardian and News Corp keeps algorithms from pigeonholing perspectives.

So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for an inside look at what it takes to run Australia's most significant beef industry gathering.

Key topics covered:

1. How Simon's diverse career path—from stock agent to News Corp executive—prepared him for leading Beef Australia
2. Why the three-year event interval is critical to Beef Australia's ongoing success and relevance
3. The evolution from grassroots committee to professional corporate governance structure
4. How Beef Australia has achieved national and international reach with representation from 34 countries
5. The accommodation challenge limiting international growth and creative solutions being explored
6. Why Beef Australia positions itself "of the industry, not in the industry"
7. The economic impact of $110 million to Central Queensland and why measuring business done matters for 2027
8. The importance of preserving institutional knowledge by maintaining core staff between events
9. How hard lessons learned (like the portable toilet disaster!) improve future event delivery
10. Why managing pressure requires perspective and understanding what truly matters
11. The human X-factor in an AI-dominated world, the ethics of AI development and concerns about stolen intellectual property in machine learning
12. How reading across the political spectrum prevents algorithmic echo chambers and maintains balance
13. The power of listening twice as much as you talk to understand diverse businesses and perspectives
14. What's changing for Beef 2027: new tech precinct, nose-to-tail focus, and making meat the hero
15. Why Angus as both a breed and a brand has been "really spectacular" in Simon's view
16. The results of 30 years of work in breed plan, MSA, and industry standards on beef pricing and quality

Pull quotes:

"Beef 88 was so successful they did it again in '91, then '94, and it's just kept going…if something's on every year, you tend to say 'I went last year, I can't be bothered going this year.' The pace of change in technology and markets means there's always something to go back for."

"We had 120,000 people through the gates [at Beef 2024] from 34 countries, 7,000 tickets go to international addresses…We measure the economic impact in a formal economic impact study: it delivered $110 million into Central Queensland, and another $70 million into the broader Queensland economy.”

"Your competitors for jobs used to be people beside you at graduation. Now they're around the globe, and more importantly, your competitors may well not exist in human form. AI is not only an increasing competitor, its skills get exponentially better every month. You have to bring the human part of you to work."

"I read Courier Mail, Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian, Country Life. If you only get stuck in one bubble, your Facebook algorithm just serves more of the same…If you're gonna read the right, you've gotta read the left. Known bias is fine, it's ones who pretend not to be biased who there are ethical questions over."

"There are two breeds of cattle in Australia you can order in a restaurant: Angus and Wagyu. The job Angus has done creating it not just as a breed but as a brand has been really spectacular."

Relevant links mentioned in the episode:

1. Beef Australia: https://beefaustralia.com.au/
2. Beef 2027: 2nd - 8th May 2027, Rockhampton, Queensland
3. Agribition (Canadian Beef): https://agribition.com/

Contact details:

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/

+Follow Angus Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X + LinkedIn +

+Follow Angus Youth Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X +

CREDITS:

Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.au

Producer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.au

Audio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au