VAN DEN ENDEN’S MAASTRICHT
[BIZ: Maastricht, May 14] He wants to develop a EUR 300m international theatre and conference center in Maastricht. Van den Eden’s real estate company Living City made contact with Maastricht because the plan fitted in with the City’s own philosophy to develop a total package of theatre, casino, restaurants and other amusement. With other parties, including: Holland Casino, the MECC conference center, the housing corporations, Harrah’s (the casino people), the Municipality of Valkenburg and the ‘Theater aan het Vrijthof’ in Maastricht, van den Enden is going to see how the synergy can be used to develop an international theatre and conference center within five years. The first thoughts are to build a 1,600-seat theatre with van den Ende as the principal source of programs for international productions and a smaller 400-seat auditorium with space for the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Holland Casino, hotels, restaurants and ‘night life’ in and around the Bassin city port. The conference center will be on the other side of the River Meuse and will be linked by a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. The project is expected to produce 2,000 new jobs. Harrah’s remains interested in the casino activities. (Source: John Hoofs, Dagblad de Limburger)
Dutch billionaire, Joop van den Enden, whose TV production company, Endemol, launched the reality-show craze with programs like Big Brother, is now turning his attention to Maastricht. He sold Endemol to Spanish telco, Telefónica, in the year 2000 for EUR 5.5bn (at current USD rate of exchange). He then turned back to the theatre in which he had been interested as a child. [Incidentally, as of 14/05/07, John de Mol and former Italian Premier Berlusconi have bought Endemol back from Telefónica for EUR 3.5bn.]
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