Natlab in Eindhoven, which faced significant financial losses less than a year ago, is now back on track, thanks to a revitalized hospitality sector. Interim director Jan van der Putten played a key role in this recovery by reinvigorating the venue’s catering services and overhauling the program. “We want to make the most of the building,” he explains.
The Eindhoven city council had initially feared the worst—after the Music Building’s struggles, Natlab was another potential cultural setback for the municipality. However, just under a year after receiving an additional 400,000 euros in subsidies to stay afloat, the cultural institution is no longer in the red. Van der Putten is pleased with this turnaround.
“We’ve made several important changes. First, we addressed the internal organization—there were too many people working in isolation. Now, everyone understands each other’s roles. We’ve also introduced new initiatives, like a new international film festival in collaboration with Playgrounds. We’ve revived our outdoor film screenings and updated our branding. On top of that, we’ve given the catering business a fresh boost,” says Van der Putten.
Building up
The director emphasizes that the revival of the hospitality sector has been crucial for Natlab’s financial recovery. “The catering has always been a lifeline for Natlab, but it had completely stalled. It was only open during events, and sometimes not even then. Plus, you couldn’t even grab a sandwich at lunchtime,” Van der Putten explains.
To address this, he took action. “You have to rebuild it step by step. So, we began by opening the café half an hour before the events. Then, we set regular opening hours again. Now, we’ve reached a point where we have chefs back in the kitchen.”
With the revitalization of both the hospitality service and the refreshed programming, more people are returning to Natlab. “In the second half of 2024, we saw a 15% increase in film attendance, and our outdoor screenings drew 6,000 visitors.”
Special Building
To further boost these numbers, Van der Putten plans to make better use of the iconic building. “We’re going to operate the left wing of the building. Baltan Laboratories and Broet will be based there, alongside Rebel Film and D2D Media. This will create a true makerspace for film artists. It’s a unique combination to have a film house like this, which you don’t see anywhere else in the Netherlands,” says Van der Putten.
‘In doing so, we want to open up the building once a year. This is where the Netherlands’ first television studio is located and also where Queen Wilhelmina made the first radio connection with Indonesia via shortwave. It is a very special place. By opening it up once a year, people also know better how to find their way here.’
Deepening
And with that, there is a foundation for other activities to unfold. ‘If you look at the cultural environment in Eindhoven, we can distinguish ourselves by offering depth. Lectures accompanying films and in-depth programmes.’
“There is talk in the municipality about the need for a debate centre. We could well meet that too, it’s right up our street. That is why we are also shaping city talks in cooperation with Studio040 and Muziekgebouw. But more is also possible on the cultural front. We have the only nice flat theatre floor. In Pand-P you do have that but it’s much smaller scale. We can work with that in programming.’
New director
For Van der Putten, it is a good time to appoint a permanent director for the cultural institution. Talks on this are already underway. 1 May Natlab expects to welcome the new director, who that will be is expected to become clear in the coming weeks.
Preferably it will be someone who knows his way around Eindhoven well,’ Van der Putten said. ‘It is important that the new director can establish and maintain links with other cultural institutions and has a good feel for what is needed in the city. That we will find the right person for that, of that I am convinced.’
Basement
The Natlab’s basement has been under water for a long time. The situation has improved now, according to Van der Putten, but a more solid renovation seems to be needed to repair all the damage. That will come to the credit of Eindhoven municipality, which owns the property. When a plan for this will be made and how much money it will cost is not yet known.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven news: Chaitali Sengupta.
