Meet the Makers of MAD7 🎪

We go behind the scenes of Symposium, where excitement—and nerves—are building. Plus: news about what else is going on in Copenhagen that week

Lunch for 700 people. Program copy. Flights for speakers. T-shirts for volunteers. Social media posts. Stage design. Wine and beer. Boats and vans. Tents and toilets.

And woodchips. So many woodchips.

There’s a lot that goes into a MAD Symposium. So with MAD7 just three weeks away, we thought we’d check in with the people responsible for making it all happen. Below, members of the MAD team reflect on what they’re most looking forward to (and, occasionally, what’s keeping them up at night). There are other key players as well (including production manager Nikolaj Agervold, comms manager Daisy Zeijlon, superstar culinary coordinator Rebecca Raban—and me, Lisa Abend, overseeing curation) but this should get you started on some of the faces you’ll see beneath the tent on May 25.

Illustrations by Sofie Kampmark

Backbone #1 of Symposium, Roberta normally oversees MAD Academy, but for MAD7, she has been handling all things logistics, from ticketing to coffee machines to making sure the boats run on time. Born in Italy and with a background in hospitality, she joined MAD right after the 2018 Symposium and recalls hearing all the fresh stories about “this crazy magical thing. It sounded like Pinocchio, when he goes into the world with all the gifts and toys.”

As someone who cares equally about getting the details right and taking care of people, she’s since discovered that making that magic happen comes with a fair amount of stress. But it’s worth it, she says, for the chance to give the hospitality community something it needs. “Hospitality in this city has changed in the last seven years, and there’s no longer that center or movement where all the ideas and excitement are kept. I hope that we can create that again, not only for our city, but for everyone.”

Symposium Backbone #2, Laura became Operations Manager of MAD earlier this year after working for several years with VILD MAD. Since then, she’s gracefully tackled the cat-herding work of overseeing all the processes that have gotten MAD7 planned and (fingers crossed!) executed. With three weeks to go, she alternates between anticipation and panic. ”We’ve put so much time and love and effort and detail in that I'm actually getting to a point where I'm super excited to show off the work and be like ‘okay, guys, we made this: enjoy!” she says. “But at the same time, it feels so vulnerable because if the tiniest thing happens—if an oven breaks down for lunch—then that's it, and the fucking lunch we’ve been talking about for 18 months doesn’t meet the vision.” Still she gets most excited when she imagines the morning of May 25. “It’s Day 1, I’m standing in the dining tent, looking at beautifully set tables, people are sitting down, ready to be served,” she says. “And it’s like: we’re off.”

Mikkel-Lau joined MAD six years ago as the founder of VILD MAD and is now program director for the entire organization. He’s also the person overseeing Symposium in its entirety, which means he’s got his hands in everything from curation to clean-up. He still perfectly remembers the enthusiastic welcome he received when he got off the boat at his first MAD. “It was such a little thing, but people were so present.” he recalls. “It blew my mind.”

Recapturing that energy after 7 years is part of the challenge he is skillfully guiding the team through. And when it comes to the audience, what he wants everyone to take away is inspiration. “I really hope they feel like they're getting new perspectives on parts of their work that they don’t usually get a chance to think about,” he says. “That and the social time with all the people who are there. Just the experience of being there–I really hope that that's something that stays with people.”

Since joining the organization in August of 2023, Lesley, from Australia, has freshened up MAD’s visual identity, launched its podcast, and brought a new burst of energy (and followers!) to its social media. Driven by the pleasure of “just making stuff,” she’s been applying that same sparkling creativity to everything from the physical program to the stage design to the merch. “I just want the experience to be really immersive,” she says, “For there to be a red thread that connects everything, and for people to be blown away, to think ‘yes, this what I would expect of MAD after being away for seven years; they've come back stronger than ever.’”

With a background in education, Sebastian joined MAD as a grant writer, and for the first few months, spent his work days quietly plugging away at applications. But in a classic case of being careful of what you wish for, he successfully landed a grant for MAD Camp—a new addition to the Symposium lineup aimed at students from Copenhagen’s Hotel and Restaurant School—and now finds himself wrangling speakers, organizing workshops, and making sure that the day-long event is not only inspiring for a younger generation, but a rocking good time.

All of the MAD Camp talks “are going to be amazing,” he says. “But in terms of what we want to do with the day, which is to showcase the breadth and potential of the craft, there is one in particular that is a beautiful example of how chefs can apply their tenacity and ambition to make real change for people in the world. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Melina moved to Copenhagen from the US and joined MAD just 3 days before MAD5, so she already had two Symposiums under her belt before deciding to bring the event back in 2025. And while she wouldn’t say that her memory of a very young Victor Wågman arguing with a very esteemed Michel Troisgros about whether it was right to serve cow uterus or not played a role in that decision, she still loves the way, she says, “You could see food and culture being created right there.”

Going into MAD7 she’s been gratified to see the team work so closely together, and to hear how excited the Copenhagen community is about the event. She herself is most excited that “so many of the speakers are going to challenge people’s notion of time.” And she believes those conversations are going to have an impact. “The hope,” she says, “is to rekindle people's sense of possibility and help drive their commitment to a better future.”

An architecture student at the Royal Danish Academy, Bushra joined MAD last August, and since then has been responsible for much of the captivating content you see on our social media. A Symposium newbie, she’s not quite sure what to expect, but as someone who is “familiar-ish” with the food world, she imagines she’s going to be a little star struck. The part of the job that has been most challenging for her—“MAD has a lot of spinning plates in the air”—also turns out to be the part that she most enjoys. And she can’t wait to see what she keeps hearing described as “Easter eggs.” “Those parts that aren’t academic or even talks,” she explains. “The MAD magic.”

Driven by her belief that “we need everyone at the table to make our food systems healthy, fair, and delicious,” Erica joined MAD last year. Based in New York, her fundraising activities have been pushed into overdrive with Symposium, and she’s excited about having the chance, she says, to channel the immense power and creativity of people working in hospitality to make a real difference.” But even more than the speakers–”whose talks will be inspiring, exciting, challenging, and thought-provoking” —what she is looking forward to most are the communal meals. “It will be amazing to have 700 people from all over the world connecting with one another over food that has been so thoughtfully prepared by our guest chefs.”

As the whiz who keeps MAD’s accounts in order and our vendors paid, Richard spends his days deep in the numbers–and there are a lot more of those as Symposium nears. Having never been to a Symposium, he’s not quite sure what to expect, but from his desk in the center of the MAD office, he can feel the tension and excitement rising around him. As a former Californian, he’s most anticipating “seeing some people from the Bay Area that I’ve always considered legendary.” But he’s also looking forward to “just being outside with a bunch of smart, motivated, driven, focused people.”

With seven years experience in the world of festival and event project management, Cecilie is overseeing production for MAD Camp, and assisting our Production Manager, Nikolaj Agervold, with the main Symposium. “There’s definitely more precision and detain the world of food and kitchens than I'm used to working with,” she says with a laugh. But she appreciates all “the great ideas flying around,” and has loved getting to be a part of MAD Camp from the ground floor. “It’s inspiring to get to do a project from scratch,” she says. “I can’t wait to wave goodbye to the students at the end of that Friday and know that we’ve done it.”

One memory stands out from MAD 5 for Caroline, who was working then as head of production. Mikkeller had created a beer just for Symposium, but no one there had had time to label them. “So we had to do it ourselves,” Caroline recalls. “The night before, ten of us from the team were sitting around, sticking labels on bottles. And then Chris Ying and David Chang came into the tent, and joined us, fixing labels and drinking beer.”

For MAD7, Caroline is again on production, focusing this time on donor events. As someone who normally works in the more hierarchical worlds of tv and film, she welcomes the chance to return to food, and it makes sense that the part of Symposium she is most looking forward to has to do with its preparation. “I really want to see that display of craft,” she says.

A Brit who comes to MAD via a long career in hospitality in both the UK and Copenhagen, Kerry has, he says, been stalking MAD from a distance for a very long time. He finally joined the team this spring, and is now overseeing both special events and volunteers for Symposium. “I want this to be an unforgettable experience for them,” he says of the volunteers. “So that they come away from it thinking ‘I'm so glad that I was part of that,’ and shouting about what MAD does.”

And as the person in charge of making sure the afterparty is unforgettable, the moment he’s most looking forward to is the one that comes after that. “The thing that I keep picturing is the first time we as a team can sit together, whether it's on the ground, or on some hay bales, and have that first beer,” he says. “Where we all cheers together and look each other in the eyes and cry a bit and think, ‘Wow, we did it.’”

WHAT ELSE IS ON THE AGENDA

MAD Days: MAD7 shares the Copenhagen love

The city will be abuzz, and to make sure there’s never a dull moment outside of Symposium, we’ve curated a list of exciting events focused on incredible food and drink, all hosted by our wonderful Copenhagen community. To find out what’s on and book your tickets, head to https://madfeed.co

MAD Camp: A Symposium for culinary students

On May 23, we’re launching MAD Camp: a one-day festival for Danish culinary students, held alongside MAD 7.

Since 2011, the MAD Symposium has brought together the sharpest minds in food to push for change. MAD Camp continues that mission — spotlighting how hospitality can lead on today’s biggest challenges, from climate to leadership. MAD 7’s theme is Build to Last. That future depends on the next generation. MAD Camp is a space for future industry leaders to imagine boldly — beyond the classroom, into the world they’re helping to shape.

MAD Camp is produced in collaboration with the Hotel and Restaurant School and with support from the Tietgen Foundation and the Tuborg Foundation.