Mnema
MNEMA asbl is a Belgian non-profit managing La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² classified heritage cultural venue in Liège. It produces theatre, music, conference, and exhibition programming, rents spaces to external organizers, runs school-based citizenship education programs, and operates a specialized documentation center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLiège, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mnema does
MNEMA asbl is a Belgian non-profit organization (Association Sans But Lucratif) founded on December 10, 2004 at the initiative of Territoires de la Mémoire asbl, responsible for managing La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² heritage cultural venue in the heart of Liège. The underlying building is the former Bains et Thermes de la Sauvenière, designed by architect Georges Dedoyard and inaugurated in 1942, classified as Walloon Heritage on May 4, 2005 and rehabilitated into La Cité Miroir, which opened in January 2014. MNEMA is officially recognized as a 'centre pluridisciplinaire de la transmission de la mémoire' (CPTM) by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles under the Décret relatif à la transmission de la mémoire, granting it an institutional mandate for memory transmission, citizenship education, and intercultural dialogue.
The organization's product surface spans theatre, music, conference, and exhibition programming; venue rental of a 260-seat auditorium, a 400 m² exhibition/reception plateau, and meeting rooms to external programmers and event organizers; pedagogical programs for schools including the 'Aux encres citoyens!' citizenship expression competition launched in 2014; a specialized documentation center and thematic library on citizenship and solidarity; and two permanent exhibitions. Membership tiers ('Citoyens MNEMA' for individuals and 'Amis de MNEMA' for corporate partners) and institutional support from Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Wallonia, Province de Liège, Ville de Liège, and European FEDER funds form the financial backbone.
MNEMA employs approximately 20 staff across nine functional units (Direction, Administration, Reception/Ticketing, Communication, Pedagogical Services, Partnership Development, Stage Management, Technical Services, and Maintenance) under Directrice Axelle van Harten and Directrice adjointe Sophie Liégeois. The organization does not sell a technology product and has no proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; its competitive position rests on a unique heritage venue, regulatory recognition, institutional partnerships, and an embedded stakeholder ecosystem of three co-located asbl organizations and major public-sector and media supporters (RTBF La Première, Le Soir, Sonuma, AWAP).
Mnema firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mnema
- Legal name
- MNEMA asbl
- Website
- https://mnema.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MNEMA asbl is a Belgian non-profit managing La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² classified heritage cultural venue in Liège. It produces theatre, music, conference, and exhibition programming, rents spaces to external organizers, runs school-based citizenship education programs, and operates a specialized documentation center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mnema industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Venue Management and Civic Memory Programming
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cultural Orientation & Community Integration (Local Norms, Services) (EDAAADAD)
Keywords
Where Mnema is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liège
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Mnema business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Space rental and venue hire: MNEMA generates revenue through renting out spaces within La Cité Miroir to external event organizers and programmers. The venue offers various spaces for events, conferences, and cultural activities.
- Cultural programming and ticketing: Revenue from ticket sales for MNEMA's own programming including theatre performances, concerts, conferences, and exhibitions organized under the three axes of citizenship education, memory work, and cultural dialogue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mnema product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MNEMA asbl is the official manager of La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² heritage cultural complex in Liège, Belgium. The organization operates three core programmatic axes — citizenship education (éducation à la citoyenneté), memory work (travail de mémoire), and intercultural dialogue (dialogue des cultures) — through theatrical performances, concerts, conferences, and exhibitions held in its 260-seat auditorium and 400 m² plateau. It rents venue spaces to external programmers, runs pedagogical programs for schools, manages a specialized documentation center on citizenship and solidarity, and organizes the annual 'Aux encres citoyens!' citizenship expression competition for secondary-school students.
Product overview
Mnema asbl operates as a multi-disciplinary center for memory transmission (CPTM) that manages La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² cultural complex in Liège, Belgium. The organization provides venue rental services for events (including a 400 m² exhibition plateau and 260-seat auditorium), organizes its own cultural programming (theater, music, conferences, exhibitions), runs pedagogical projects for schools, and manages a specialized documentation center. The venue also houses two horeca spaces, a thematic library, and hosts external programmers. The portfolio includes La Cité Miroir as the central venue, complemented by cultural programming activities (theater, music, conferences, exhibitions), educational services, and the annual citizenship expression competition 'Aux encres citoyens!'.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- La Cité Miroir (Cultural Venue)
Companies that use Mnema
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mnema technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mnema partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreFédération Wallonie-Bruxelles recognizes MNEMA as a 'centre pluridisciplinaire de la transmission de la mémoire' (CPTM) under the Décret relatif à la transmission de la mémoire. MNEMA-CPTM is mandated to organize scientific activities (conferences, colloquia, publications), cultural events (exhibitions, shows), public encounters, and to establish a centralized database archiving materials from various centers.
- Wallonia (Région wallonne)majorWallonia provides institutional support for MNEMA's cultural and memory transmission activities at La Cité Miroir.
- Province de LiègemajorProvince of Liège provides institutional support for the cultural project at La Cité Miroir.
- Ville de LiègemajorCity of Liège provides institutional support and is a key stakeholder in the La Cité Miroir project.
- Territoires de la Mémoire asblcoreTerritoires de la Mémoire initiated the creation of MNEMA on December 10, 2004. They are also co-located in La Cité Miroir as one of the three asbl organizations housed in the building.
- Centre d'Action Laïque de LiègecoreLe Centre d'Action Laïque de Liège is one of the three asbl organizations housed in La Cité Miroir, sharing the heritage building with MNEMA and Territoires de la Mémoire.
- RTBF (La Première)minorRTBF La Première provides media support and visibility for MNEMA's cultural activities and events.
- Le SoirminorLe Soir provides media coverage and visibility support for MNEMA's programs and events.
- SonumaminorSonuma provides media/archive support contributing to the visibility of MNEMA's cultural heritage activities.
- AWAP (Agence wallonne du Patrimoine)majorThe Walloon Heritage Agency (AWAP) oversees heritage aspects of the classified Bains et Thermes building, contributing to preservation and restoration efforts.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mnema competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles (Paris): Paris-based institution promoting Wallonia-Brussels cultural identity through exhibitions, performances, and debates. Comparable mission of cultural diplomacy and civic memory work, though operating in a different geography.
Broad incumbents
- BOZAR (Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels): Belgium's flagship federally-subsidized multidisciplinary arts center. Comparable as a multi-venue cultural operator combining exhibitions, performance, conferences, and heritage architecture, though at materially larger scale.
- Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège: Major cultural institution in Liège with a larger production slate but overlapping public-subsidy funding model and performance-venue operator role similar to MNEMA's.
Direct peers
- Théâtre de Liège: Liège's principal subsidized theater producing and hosting performances. Comparable to MNEMA's 260-seat auditorium programming in scale, public funding profile, and regional audience.
- Flagey: Brussels-based cultural venue housed in a heritage building, offering concerts, cinema, and conferences. Comparable to MNEMA in its mix of programmed events, venue rental, and heritage-art-deco asset base.
- Centre d'Action Laïque de Liège: The third co-located asbl at La Cité Miroir, focused on secular civic engagement and pluralism — directly aligned with MNEMA's citizenship and intercultural dialogue programming and sharing the same venue infrastructure.
- Les Halles de Schaerbeek: Brussels cultural venue with a similar mission-driven profile combining performances, exhibitions, and community programming. Comparable in its reliance on public subsidies and audience-development focus.
- Territoires de la Mémoire asbl: Founding organization of MNEMA and co-located asbl at La Cité Miroir. It pursues adjacent memory-work, citizenship, and history-education missions, making it the closest functional peer to MNEMA's programming.
- Musée de la Vie Wallonne: Liège-based heritage museum dedicated to Walloon regional history and memory. Closest geographic and thematic peer to MNEMA's memory-transmission mandate and CPTM-aligned programming.
- La Vénerie (Centre culturel de Watermael-Boitsfort): Brussels cultural center with a comparable mix of theater, exhibitions, and educational programming targeted at general audiences, sharing MNEMA's asbl-style governance and public funding model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mnema social profiles
Digital presenceMnema financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mnema leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Mnema funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mnema M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mnema
What does Mnema do?
MNEMA asbl is the official manager of La Cité Miroir, a 13,000 m² heritage cultural complex in Liège, Belgium. The organization operates three core programmatic axes — citizenship education (éducation à la citoyenneté), memory work (travail de mémoire), and intercultural dialogue (dialogue des cultures) — through theatrical performances, concerts, conferences, and exhibitions held in its 260-seat auditorium and 400 m² plateau. It rents venue spaces to external programmers, runs pedagogical programs for schools, manages a specialized documentation center on citizenship and solidarity, and organizes the annual 'Aux encres citoyens!' citizenship expression competition for secondary-school students.
Is Mnema a public or private company?
Mnema is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mnema founded?
Mnema was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mnema based?
Mnema is headquartered in Liège, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Mnema make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Space rental and venue hire is the primary driver. The others are cultural programming and ticketing.
Who are Mnema's main competitors?
Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles (Paris) is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are BOZAR (Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels) and Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. Direct peers are Théâtre de Liège, Flagey, Centre d'Action Laïque de Liège, Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Territoires de la Mémoire asbl, Musée de la Vie Wallonne and La Vénerie (Centre culturel de Watermael-Boitsfort).
Does Mnema have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mnema.
What industry is Mnema in?
Mnema's product category is Cultural Venue Management and Civic Memory Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAADAD, Cultural Orientation & Community Integration (Local Norms, Services). Its NAICS code is 712110 and its SIC code is 8200.