Materia has been forced to discontinue its efforts to rescue the Materia Inspiration Centre (MIC) in Amsterdam. This permanent exhibition and event space for innovative materials and techniques has become increasingly affected by the economic crisis in the Dutch architecture and construction industry. Materia, the parent company of the Inspiration Centre, conducted intensive discussions various parties to try to manage a restart of the MIC but unfortunately these have been unsuccessful.
Materia director Jeroen van Oostveen states: “We have investigated extensively whether we could continue the Inspiration Centre in a more compact form under the wings of the parent company Materia, but unfortunately this was not feasible. Our customers are faced with ever-shrinking marketing budgets: flexibility and effectiveness are the main trends today. A fixed location such as the Inspiration Centre is therefore more difficult to integrate into the marketing strategy of our partners because the return on investment is not directly measurable. We simply could not manage a restart in the current market conditions.”
For parent company Materia, the closure of the MIC means that there is no fixed location available for events and exhibitions. Materia will not be looking for a new location. For the past 15 years the company has organised travelling exhibitions and events at all sorts of locations – anywhere architects and material producers meet. The events around the world that are being organised by Materia for next year, will compensate a significant proportion of the function that the MIC has held as a fixed event and network location in Amsterdam.
Since early this year, parent company Materia was based in the Inspiration Centre in Amsterdam. Due to the closure of the MIC, we have found office space elsewhere. We will of course continue to bring you news on materials’ innovation and keep you updated on events, so keep in touch through the site, our social media and our exhibitions.