The first meetings
The foundations of Madmødet were laid from 2017-2019, when Business Region MidtVest was the operator of Central Denmark Region's Engagefood, the western initiative in the food sector.
Engagefood's western initiative was a "Development Platform for Central and West Jutland Food", which consisted of a number of partner organisations, knowledge institutions and companies working together on the development of the food area. The partners in the development platform worked from a vision of Central and Western Jutland being recognised as Denmark's leading larder and food production area.
Through networking and close collaboration across the platform, companies and municipal borders, and based on the local strengths and the local characteristics of tastes, processes and resources, products, marketing channels, research projects and events were developed, which created development in the food area in Central and Western Jutland.
The development platform gave birth to the idea of a Madmøde, which would gather once a year, and celebrate and create extraordinary awareness of all the fantastic food that we have in Central and Western Jutland. The work started with a large Central and West Jutland Welcome Reception at the Democracy Festival of Denmark on Bornholm in the sunshine onboard Folkeskibet on 15 June 2017. The next year we organised a food dialogue at the Democracy Festival of Denmark to get input from foodies and food nerds from all over Denmark on how we could start a movement and mobilisation in Central and West Jutland based on a meeting that would not be a festival in one place, but a series of meetings across the whole of Central and West Jutland.
In order to get everyone from the fisherman, the farmer, the food processor to the restaurateur involved in Madmødet, Business Region MidtVest brought together a number of central and western Jutland food producers under a common banner at the Nordic region's largest food event, Food Festival, for the first time in 2018. This created visibility and dialogue between Central and West Jutland's food producers, those who prepare the food and those who eat the food, which all parties experienced as a great success.
In 2021, Business Region MidtVest launched the first and largest joint celebration of Central and West Jutland's great food in its own area. Madmødet 2021 took place from 27 to 30 May. Madmødet 2021 2021 took place throughout Central and Western Jutland with farmers, fishermen, in the towns, in cultural institutions, in nature and other special places. Over 80 events took place in just three days.
The success of Madmødet in 2022 was largely due to the many companies, organisations and citizens who offered delicious products, exciting talks, cool concepts and great events. Madmødet 2022 was the hard one for us, but we can now look back on a highly successful Madmødet 2022, which saw the number of participating companies increase from 100 to 125 local food companies. The number of events also increased from 80 to 125. Furthermore, we extended the number of days, so the Madmødet 2022 was from 16 to 22 May 2022.
Madmødet is on the right track, and on this basis, the board of Business Region MidtVest decided that in 2023 we will have even more focus on local produce and gastronomy - not least to reinforce the branding effect of Madmødet. We are already developing and organising new initiatives and events for Madmødet 2023. You can look forward to an exciting programme at Nørre Vosborg with political debates, the involvement of even more food companies, an expanded Madmødet's Menu concept, more communal eating, future presentations and an exclusive Madcamino.
We look forward to meeting over food in 2023!