Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire

What Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire does

Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire is a French non-profit cultural association (loi 1901) founded in 1983 by then-Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac on an idea from publisher and poet Pierre Seghers, and since 1995 housed in the historic Théâtre Molière in the Passage Molière at 157 rue Saint-Martin, Paris. The institution operates as a dedicated literary venue, hosting more than 350 events annually — including author encounters, readings, literary concerts, performances, and spoken-word events featuring both French and international authors.

Its core product is live literary programming, complemented by Scène numérique, a digital archive offering video recordings and podcasts of past events that extends the venue's reach beyond its 167-seat physical capacity. Supporting infrastructure includes four motorised Panasonic AW-HN130KEJ HD cameras and a dedicated video control room enabling live capture and streaming, with content distributed via YouTube and SoundCloud. Additional offerings include venue rental services (Grande Salle 167 seats, Petite Salle 40 seats), corporate event hosting with optional video capture, cultural mediation programmes (Actions culturelles), and online ticketing via SecuTix.

The business model blends earned income (ticket sales at €2-25, venue rental at €500-3,600 HT per session, optional video services at €750-1,000 HT) with institutional public funding from Ville de Paris, Centre national du livre, Sacem, Sofia, Copie Privée, and private foundations (Fondation Jan Michalski, Pro Helvetia, Fondation Claude Pichois, Fondation Robert Ganzo). The team comprises approximately 18-20 permanent staff plus intermittent workers (totalling ~32), under President Françoise Nyssen and Director Olivier Chaudenson (since 2013). Customer segments are bifurcated between individual literature enthusiasts (primary) and corporate venue renters (secondary), with no single customer concentration.

Name

Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire

Legal name

Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire

Website

https://maisondelapoesieparis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maison de la Poésie is a Paris-based non-profit literary venue hosting 350+ annual readings, encounters, and performances with French and international authors, operating from the historic Théâtre Molière and supported by public funding and ticket sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Performance Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Literary events programming
• Poetry readings venue
• Cultural mediation programs
• Theater venue rental
• Digital literary archive

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from public events including readings, encounters, literary concerts, and performances. Tickets priced 2-25€ with member discounts.
2. Venue Privatization: Corporate event rentals including literary launches, conferences, seminars, product launches, press conferences. Large hall 2500-3600€ HT, small hall 500-700€ HT.
3. Public Funding: Supported by Ville de Paris, Centre national du livre, Sacem, Sofia, Copie Privée, and private foundations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maison de la Poésie is a non-profit literary venue in Paris hosting more than 350 live events per year, including author encounters, readings, literary concerts, performances, and spoken-word events. Beyond ticketed live programming, it operates the Scène numérique digital archive (videos and podcasts of past events), rents its halls (Grande Salle 167 seats, Petite Salle 40 seats) to corporate clients, and runs cultural-mediation (Actions culturelles) educational programs.

Product overview

Maison de la Poésie is a literary venue in Paris offering a unified cultural experience centered on live literary events and digital archives. The core offering comprises live programming (encounters, readings, concerts, performances), a digital archive (Scène numérique with videos and podcasts), venue rental services, cultural mediation programs, and ticketing. The venue hosts over 350 events annually featuring French and international authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scène numérique: Digital stage offering recorded and live-streamed literary events, concerts, and performances with video and podcast formats

Products and services

• Programmation littéraire (Literary Programming) Live public events including author encounters, readings, literary concerts, performances, and spoken-word evenings featuring French and international authors. Targeted at the general public and literature enthusiasts, with 350+ events per year.
• Scène numérique

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ events annually

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: Neighboring major cultural institution in the 4th arrondissement of Paris offering multidisciplinary programming including readings, performances, and exhibitions. Comparable in scale of public cultural footprint and proximity to Maison de la Poésie, though broader in scope.
• Comédie-Française: Historic Parisian theater institution with national subsidization, producing classical and contemporary theatrical works. Overlaps with Maison de la Poésie in publicly-funded literary and dramatic programming for Parisian audiences.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): National institution hosting literary readings, exhibitions, and cultural events in Paris. Comparable public-mission cultural programming, though with much larger scale and a broader archival focus.

Others

• Maison de la Radio (Radio France): Public broadcaster producing literary podcasts, recordings, and live cultural events. Adjacent peer through digital archive of literary content (akin to Scène Numérique) and live event programming.

Regional players

• Shakespeare and Company (Paris): Iconic English-language bookstore in Paris hosting literary events, readings, and author encounters. Comparable audience and literary event programming, though English-language focus and bookstore distribution differentiate it.

Direct peers

• Le Tarmac - Théâtre international francophone: Parisian venue dedicated to francophone and international literary and theatrical programming. Highly comparable in audience (literature enthusiasts, international authors) and event-driven cultural model.
• Théâtre du Châtelet: Major Parisian performance venue hosting a mix of musicals, concerts, and literary/dramatic programming. Comparable to Maison de la Poésie as a centralized Paris venue combining live cultural programming with venue rental for premium events.
• Théâtre de l'Odéon: National theater in Paris presenting contemporary dramatic and literary works, with public funding and a comparable venue-rental and educational programming model. Directly comparable as a Parisian literary/theatrical venue with public funding.
• Théâtre de la Ville: Parisian performance venue known for dance, theater, and literary programming with strong international author/artist programming. Comparable in presenting literary artists and offering ticketed cultural events.
• La Maison des Métallos: Paris-based cultural venue hosting literary events, performances, and community-driven cultural programming. Comparable in scale and programming mix to Maison de la Poésie.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/MaisondelaPoesie
• Facebookfacebook.com/maisondelapoesieparis
• Instagraminstagram.com/maisondelapoesie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-de-la-po%C3%A9sie---sc%C3%A8ne-litt%C3%A9raire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maison de la Poésie - Scène littéraire