What Musée des Confluences does

Musée des Confluences is a public science and anthropology museum in Lyon, France, that opened in 2014 at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers in a purpose-built landmark designed by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelb(l)au. It is governed as an établissement public de coopération culturelle under Métropole de Lyon, holds the official Musée de France label from the Ministry of Culture, and operates a 3,000+ m² permanent exhibition trail across four thematic sections — Origines, Espèces, Sociétés, and Éternités — plus the Galerie Émile Guimet for Asian art. The collections encompass 2.5 million cataloged objects and are supported by a research and conservation facility, the Centre Louis-Lortet, which accommodates over 400 students and scientists annually. The institution targets a heterogeneous audience including schools (cycle 1 through lycée via formal partnership with the French Education Nationale), families with young children, visitors with disabilities, tourists, corporate clients, healthcare/social-field populations, and academic researchers, with adapted programming — including Acceo sign-language and speech-transcription services — for each segment.

The core product is the permanent exhibition trail, which is complemented by a recurring calendar of temporary exhibitions (e.g., 'Zombis, aux origines', October 2025 to August 2026; 'Au Mali, quand les animaux dansent', April 2026 to February 2027; 'Corée du Nord par Stéphan Gladieu', June 2026 to January 2028) and a layered service portfolio spanning family workshops (Le Nuage des petits, ages 2-6), school mediation, corporate events and venue privatization, research access, publications and editions, and an annual membership pass. Distribution runs through owned channels — the billetterie.museedesconfluences.fr online ticketing platform, on-site box office, portail.museedesconfluences.fr online collections portal — and external channels including CSE (Comité Social et Économique) and tourism reseller networks offering 15-30% volume discounts, plus direct enterprise sales for corporate partnerships with named sponsors such as bioMérieux, Banque Populaire Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, CNR, and In Extenso.

Revenue comes from individual and group ticket sales (€12 full, €7 reduced), annual pass subscriptions, corporate events and venue privatizations, on-site retail and restaurants, publications, and group/volume sales, supplemented by public subsidy under the Métropole de Lyon governance framework. Attendance was 699,387 visitors in 2025 and 708,965 in 2024, with the institution pursuing certification expansion under the Tourisme & Handicap label and executing ongoing strategic partnerships, including the Hospices Civils de Lyon 'Pass Colibri' (April 2024) and the MUDEC Milan cultural cooperation agreement (February 2026).

Name

Musée des Confluences

Legal name

Musée des Confluences

Website

https://museedesconfluences.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Musée des Confluences is a public science and anthropology museum in Lyon, France, operating under the Métropole de Lyon, that presents permanent and temporary exhibitions across a 2.5-million-object collection to schools, families, tourists, researchers, and corporate and healthcare partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), History Museums (THAJADAB), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Science museum exhibits
• Cultural heritage collections
• Educational museum programs
• Anthropology museum exhibitions
• Corporate event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees with full price at 12 euros and reduced price at 7 euros. Provides primary revenue from individual and group visitors.
2. Annual Pass Subscriptions: Unlimited access for one year with additional benefits including invitations to exhibition inaugurations and exclusive encounters with museum professionals.
3. Corporate Events and Privatizations: Professional events, corporate partnerships, cultural sponsorship, and venue privatization services for businesses.
4. Retail and Food Services: Museum boutique and restaurant facilities on site.
5. Publications and Editions: Publishing program including the Guide du visiteur, collection catalogs, and specialized books like 'La Baleine et le Berger' by Olivier Truc.
6. Group Sales and Volume Tickets: Bulk ticket sales to CSE, tourism professionals, and associations with volume-based discounts ranging from 15% to 30%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Musée des Confluences operates a science and anthropology museum in Lyon, France, presenting a permanent exhibition trail of over 3,000 m² covering origins, species, societies, and eternities themes, complemented by rotating temporary exhibitions. The museum sells admission tickets, annual passes, educational programs, corporate event privatizations, and research access at the Centre Louis-Lortet conservation facility. It also operates an online collections portal, a museum boutique and restaurant, and a publishing program of catalogs and visitor guides.

Product overview

The Musée des Confluences operates as a science and anthropology museum offering a diverse portfolio of products and services centered around its permanent and temporary exhibitions. The core offering consists of the permanent exhibition trail (Parcours Permanent) spanning over 3,000 square meters across four thematic sections—Origines, Espèces, Sociétés, and Éternités—complemented by rotating temporary exhibitions featuring photography and cultural artifacts. The museum provides extensive educational programming through school activities, outreach programs (Éducation Populaire), and specialized workshops like Chrono'lab and Le Nuage des petits for families. Additional services include professional event privatization, the Centre Louis-Lortet research facility, online collections access, cultural programming (spectacles, conferences, nocturnes), annual membership passes, and comprehensive accessibility services. The institution also maintains a digital presence through online ticketing, an online collections portal, and pedagogical resources shared via Padlet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Galerie Émile Guimet: A gallery within the museum's permanent collection featuring Asian art and artifacts from the Émile Guimet collection.
• Centre Louis-Lortet

Products and services

• Parcours Permanent (Permanent Exhibition Trail) The museum's permanent exhibition trail spanning over 3,000 square meters, presenting the grand narrative of humanity through four distinct exhibitions: Origines, Espèces, Sociétés, and Éternités, plus the Galerie Émile Guimet, accessible to individual and group visitors.
• Expositions Temporaires (Temporary Exhibitions) Rotating temporary exhibitions featuring photography, cultural artifacts, and themed collections that complement the permanent displays, available to individual and group visitors.
• Pass Annuel (Annual Membership) Annual membership pass offering unlimited museum access for one year, including invitations to exhibition openings, special encounters with museum professionals, and partner discounts.
• Événements Professionnels et Privatisations (Corporate Events) Corporate event hosting services including private viewings, professional seminars, team-building activities, and cultural partnerships, sold to enterprise clients via dedicated relationship managers.
• Activités Éducatives (Educational Programs for Schools) Educational programs designed in partnership with the French Education Nationale, offering guided tours, workshops, and specific projects for students from cycle 1 through lycée, sold to schools and teacher groups.
• Centre Louis-Lortet (Research and Conservation Center) Research and conservation center housing the museum's reserves with international-standard preventive conservation facilities, including quarantine rooms, four consultation rooms, and a casting workshop, providing services to over 400 students and scientists annually.
• Collections en Ligne (Online Collections Portal) Online portal providing access to the museum's digitized collections, research resources, archives, and documentation for public users and researchers.
• Éducation Populaire (Community Outreach Programs) Outreach programs for popular education structures offering mediation activities both at the museum and off-site within the Métropole de Lyon, adapted for all ages and sold to community organizations.
• Accessibility Services for Visitors with Disabilities Adapted activities for visitors with visual, motor, mental, psychiatric, cognitive, and hearing impairments, including Acceo sign language and speech transcription services, tactile experiences, and dedicated programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 699,387 visitors in 2025; 708,965 visitors in 2024

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MUDEC (Museo delle Culture - Milan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Collaboration agreement signed between Musée des Confluences and MUDEC in Milan for cultural cooperation and potential joint initiatives between the two cultural institutions.
• Hospices Civils de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Three-year partnership formalizing collaboration between the museum and Lyon's public hospital system. Includes creation of the 'Pass Colibri' providing free museum access for babies from birth to age 3 and their families, and 'Cabanes à Histoires' storytelling installations in hospitals.
• bioMérieuxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner with documented engagement including installation of an allosaurus skeleton in bioMérieux facilities, demonstrating commitment to cultural outreach.
• Banque Populaire Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional banking partner supporting museum activities.
• CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner from the energy sector based in the Lyon region.
• In ExtensominorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional services firm as corporate partner.
• SNCF Gares & ConnexionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to display four museum paintings in Lyon Part-Dieu train station as part of the 'Un jour Une oeuvre' program bringing art to daily commuter spaces.
• AcceocoreTechnology or IntegrationAccessibility technology partner providing real-time speech transcription (TIP), French Sign Language (LSF) video interpretation, and LPC (Completed Spoken Language) services for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors via telephone and reservation systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Musée de l'Homme: Paris-based anthropology and natural history museum inside the Palais de Chaillot. Strongly comparable for science/anthropology exhibition mix, French public-institution governance, and educational programming.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris): France's premier natural history institution with comparable permanent exhibitions on origins, species, and societies, plus comparable research centers and educational programming for schools.
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: France's flagship science museum offering interactive, family-oriented science programming. Highly comparable on the science-education angle, French public-institution governance, and accessibility mandate.
• MUDEC (Museo delle Culture): Milan's museum of cultures combining anthropology, world cultures, and temporary exhibitions in a landmark architectural site. Direct comparable given the formal 2025 collaboration agreement and shared cross-cultural programming mandate.
• Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac: Paris museum dedicated to non-European cultures and anthropology with comparable thematic overlap (societies, cultural artifacts). Shares French public-institution model and similar accessibility/education missions.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Museum: One of the world's largest science and technology museums, comparable in scientific subject matter, permanent exhibition scale, and research/conservation mission, though operating in Germany.
• Natural History Museum (London): World-leading natural history museum with comparable permanent exhibitions on origins, species, and societies, plus research infrastructure. Larger in scale but directly comparable in subject-matter focus and education outreach.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Massive natural history and anthropology museum with comparable permanent exhibitions on origins, species, and human societies. Comparable research/conservation infrastructure and educational programming scale.
• Musée d'Orsay: Major French national museum with comparable attendance scale, public-institution status, and tourism positioning in France, though focused on fine arts rather than science/anthropology.

Regional players

• Louvre-Lens: Decentralized French national museum in northern France offering cultural programming with strong accessibility focus. Comparable in French public-institution model and engagement with non-Parisian regional audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIcbAOr6uT9cewyySUCwm3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/museedesconfluences
• Xx.com/Festival_mdc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mus-e-des-confluences

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Musée des Confluences