The Philanthro-Lab hosts conferences, seminars, general assemblies, award ceremonies, cocktails and seated dinners for up to 150 seated or 250 standing guests. The venue occupies the Hôtel de la Bûcherie, at 13-15 rue de la Bûcherie in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, a short walk from Notre-Dame.
Seminars and company events
The venue sells three formats. Plenary events cover conferences, seminars, study presentations, panels, round tables, general assemblies and award ceremonies. Receptions cover cocktails, lunches, gala dinners, long imperial tables and company anniversaries. A third format, scenography, covers exhibitions, showrooms, fashion shows and private evenings.
The main room is the Salle des Colonnes, which seats 150 in theatre style. Two meeting rooms upstairs suit breakout groups, sub-committees and workshops alongside a plenary on the ground floor. Furniture, sound, projection and lighting are built into the offer, and a dedicated team follows the event from the first contact to the day itself. A furniture catalogue is available, and a valet service can be arranged on request.
The building also houses a coworking space, an incubator and an accelerator for philanthropic projects. Revenue from private hire helps fund that mission, a point some organisers use in their own CSR reporting.
Weddings and receptions
The reception format lists weddings and family events alongside corporate dinners. On the ground floor, the Salle des Colonnes, the Salle Colbert and the Rotonde can be booked together. The Salle des Colonnes takes 120 guests at a seated dinner on 12 tables of 10. The roof terrace is offered with any hire of the full ground floor and suits drinks before dinner.
Rooms and capacities
The Salle des Colonnes covers 170 square meters, with a high ceiling and exposed stone columns. Published layouts: theatre 150, cocktail 250, seated dinner 120, cabaret 84 on 12 tables of 7, banquet 102, U-shape 30 and boardroom 30.
The Salle Colbert (40 square meters) has a fireplace and is hired only with the Salle des Colonnes or with the whole ground floor; it works for breaks and informal exchanges. The Rotonde (61 square meters) is used for cocktails and is hired with the two other ground-floor rooms, or alone on some mornings when available.
Upstairs, the Suite Mécénale covers 58 square meters and opens onto the terrace. The terrace covers 66 square meters on two levels on the fourth floor, with a view over Notre-Dame and the rooftops. Two meeting rooms complete the offer: 17 square meters for 8 people on the second floor and 28 square meters for 12 people on the third, with a fixed 65-inch screen and a video kit on request. A media studio is also listed.
Catering
There is no in-house kitchen brigade. The venue works with a list of referenced caterers, and further services can be quoted on request.
History and setting
The Hôtel de la Bûcherie is a listed historic monument whose foundations date back to the 15th century. It was fully rehabilitated in 2021 to house the Philanthro-Lab, described as the first space in France dedicated to the growth of philanthropy. The interiors pair old stonework with contemporary design.
Getting there
The venue stands on a quiet street of the Latin Quarter. RER B and C stop at Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, about four minutes on foot. Metro line 4 stops at Saint-Michel, and line 10 at Maubert-Mutualité or Cluny-La Sorbonne. Lines 1 and 11 at Hôtel de Ville are about eight minutes away. The Lagrange-Maubert car park is 150 meters away, and several Vélib stations are within five minutes.
