Photo:Axel Månsson A/S
E.A.T. Eating and Tourism
Project purpose
Whether it’s catering for a large event, a quick hotdog before a concert, or a restaurant visit with friends during a cultural festival, food remains one of the central elements of the guest experience when visiting Herning. As a destination, it is our goal to contribute to the realization of national climate targets as well as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
E.A.T. is our first strategic initiative in the effort towards sustainable tourism development and enhancing the dining experiences we offer to our guests.
The team behind E.A.T. is a collaboration between VisitHerning and Bæredygtig Herning, supported by Herning Municipality and the Danish Business Promotion Board.
The project's strategic initiatives
We aim to create high-quality food experiences, offer a wide range of dining options, and place a greater focus on local collaboration. This will be achieved through various initiatives where we develop together, create opportunities for professional dialogue, enhance skill levels, and establish new partnerships across sectors. The initiatives are developed based on the abstraction ladder, where we move from abstract frameworks to concrete actions.
Here you can read more about the project's strategic initiatives:
The E.A.T. alliance
The project has established a local green alliance, where members act as ambassadors who prioritize efforts toward sustainable transition. It is a community where we set shared ambitions and direction for the destination's sustainable transformation of the guest food experience.
E.A.T. – The local food pyramid
The local food pyramid is a joint strategy for the destination, developed by the alliance. The cornerstone of the strategy is collaboration between local businesses, which build relevant competencies to advance their work with the destination’s dining experience. These competencies and partnerships form the foundation for the behavior we aim to demonstrate and, ultimately, the values we want to be known for as a destination.
Photo:VisitHerning
Resultat
Hvad vil vi være kendt for?
Vi skal i fællesskab finde fælles fodslag og afveje om fx værdier som kvalitet og diversitet skal være den røde tråd i vores kommunikation og bæredygtige omstillingsarbejde.
Adfærd
Hvordan vil vi i fællesskab arbejde med bæredygtig omstilling af vores gæsters madoplevelser?
Vi skal være enige om, at når vi siger, vi er ordentlige og ansvarlige i vores arbejde, produkt og service, hvad vil det så sige i praksis for den madoplevelse vores gæster køber?
Kompetencer
Hvilke kompetencer har vi brug for?
Vi skal både udvikle vores forretning og vores medarbejdere. Nye indsatser og ambitioner kræver ny viden. Derfor samarbejder vi om at opnå de rette kompetencer og erhvervsstøttemuligheder. Det gør vi ved at støtte hinanden i netværk, erfagrupper for faggrupper, ledere m.fl., inspirationsfora etc.
Handlinger
Hvem er en del af fællesskabet og med hvilke handlinger?
Vi udvikler vores egne virksomheder, men vi samarbejder også, når det giver mening til gavn for destinationens formåen og brand. Det er opgavens karakter og ambition, der afgør den optimale samarbejdsform og handlinger.
OBS: Listen over aktører kan ændre sig igennem projektets levetid og/eller efter projektafslutning.
The E.A.T. dogmas
Based on the local food pyramid, the alliance has developed four dogmas that represent a shared interpretation and understanding of the values we, as a destination, wish to demonstrate and further develop.
Photo:VisitHerning
Quality: We aim to elevate the quality of our guests' dining experiences through our conscious sourcing of ingredients and collaboration with local producers.
Photo:VisitHerning
Responsibility: We invest in tourism's positive contribution to climate action and achieving Denmark's climate goals – and we support local initiatives that strengthen social sustainability within the service industry.
Photo:VisitHerning
Diversity: We are as diverse as our guests, and we will continue to develop both our own brand and our shared destination brand, ensuring the area becomes known for high-quality, sustainable dining experiences.
Photo:VisitHerning
Integrity: We foster local collaboration around food and tourism, developed in harmony with nature and the environment, while focusing on strengthening the local tourism economy.
Project activities
E.A.T. Index
The E.A.T. Index is a method that concretizes and makes the dogmas measurable. We will use the index as a tool to evaluate the destination's performance on the four dogmas. The tool will also highlight where individual actors excel and identify potential areas for improvement. Finally, the tool can be used to analyze the progress of the project in promoting sustainable tourism development.
E.A.T. Newsletter
We send out a newsletter designed to inspire recipients with sustainable initiatives. Additionally, its purpose is to share knowledge and inform about what others are contributing to the sustainable transition.
E.A.T. Advisory Services
We aim to support the development of individual businesses, regardless of where they currently are on their sustainability journey. With E.A.T. Advisory Services, we help businesses kickstart their work on sustainable initiatives. In collaboration with the Business Council of Herning and Ikast-Brande and an external consultant, we tailor a program based on the specific needs of each business.
E.A.T. Masterclasses
Together with members of the local green alliance, we host E.A.T. Masterclasses, which are developed to address a specific need of an actor. A workshop is held based on this need. An example of this could be adding more green options to the menus in large-scale kitchens.
E.A.T. Supplier Collaboration
Within the project, a working group consisting of restaurants, hotels, local producers, and suppliers has developed a plan to ensure that local dining establishments can serve fresh, local vegetables without the produce traveling extensively. This is farm-to-table at its finest. Restaurants and hotels now have the opportunity – through Gartnerhallen – to order local vegetables with next-day delivery. See the press release below for more information about this supplier collaboration.
Contact
If you have any questions about the E.A.T. project, please contact Project Manager Stine Nybo.
Head of Project Management