modernismweekps

Modernism Week Attendance Soars Past 77,000

11-day festival generates estimated $28.6 million in revenue for Coachella Valley economy

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modernismweekps

More than 77,000 people attended the 2016 Modernism Week, or an increase of more than 30 percent over the 2015 total attendance, according to event officials.

Highlighting midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in Palm Springs, the 11-day festival generated an estimated $28.6 million in revenue for area hotels, shops, restaurants, and other local businesses from Palm Springs to Indian Wells and beyond, according to event officials.

More than $1 million of the proceeds generated by ticket sales from this year’s event went directly back to community neighborhoods and partner organizations, a new record for Modernism Week. This was an estimated 15 percent increase over the amount generated for these organizations last year. In addition, CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, saw more than 25,000 visitors, almost doubling last year’s CAMP attendance.

“We are elated by the increasing interest in Modernism Week and the positive effect that our festival has on Palm Springs, our neighborhoods, and the entire valley,” said J. Chris Mobley, Modernism Week Board Chairman. “The worldwide publicity that the event generates continues to help brand the entire Coachella Valley as a Mecca for Modernism and architecture, which has a year-round influence on the valley’s tourism and international stature.”

photo by jim powers

Trips last month included one to the 1959 Albert Frey-designed North Shore Beach & Yacht Club at the Salton Sea.

The celebration continued to garner an unprecedented amount of media attention with more than 2 billion impressions worldwide. In addition to coverage in national media such as Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter, Elle Décor, Delta’s Inflight Magazine and Atomic Ranch, Modernism Week received international attention from the UK’s Telegraph and Guardian and other publications in Canada, Europe, and Brazil.

The popular Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale also saw increased numbers. Nearly 8,500 participants attended the popular sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center. More than 1,400 attended the show’s opening night on Febr 12, and attendees were eager to view and purchase furniture, decorative and fine arts representing all design movements of the 20th century from more than 85 premier national and international dealers.

“The 2016 Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale was by far the most well-attended of the Palm Springs shows in our company’s history,” said Rosemary Krieger, president of Dolphin Promotions. “Our vendors reported increased sales and their enthusiasm for the increased traffic was amazing.”

Modernism Week celebrates and fosters appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields. This year more than 30 lectures and films spotlighting famed architects, landscape designers, historians, design experts and authors were presented to attendees, generously supported by Herman Miller Collection. Additional Modernism Week educational programs included a film premier on Desert Modernist William Cody, panels on architectural preservation, and the always-popular Lost, Saved, and Endangered presentation.

One of the most significant offerings this year was the greatly enhanced CAMP headquarters, which served as an information hub and program destination for Modernism Week attendees. Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ was housed in the 1958 J.W. Robinson’s building, a Class I Historic, architecturally significant midcentury modern building, located in Downtown Palm Springs.

It offered a central location for attendees to meet, shop, dine, learn, and relax between tours and parties, and featured stimulating programs and opportunities to meet authors, designers, and other industry luminaries. Among the many offerings at CAMP, Ferguson, Modernism Week’s exclusive Kitchen, Bath & Lighting sponsor, hosted daily culinary demonstrations by Bosch, and ‘Design Insights,’ a series of design-related panel discussions.

“By offering free exhibitions, shopping, refreshments, an information kiosk and an area for stimulating lectures, we were able to better serve our attendees. The comments we received during the event reinforced that this was a critical part of our success this year.” said Mobley.

This year Modernism Week greatly expanded its slate of events geographically by offering exciting tours and activities throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond to meet the increased demand for programming. Excursions to Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indian Wells were supplemented by day trips outside of the Coachella Valley, including one to the 1959 Albert Frey-designed North Shore Beach & Yacht Club at the Salton Sea, a private docent-led tour though the historic home and studio of master modernist woodworker Sam Maloof in Alta Loma, and an evening event at the Museum of Pinball in Banning including unlimited play on more than 800 vintage pinball machines.

Later this year, Modernism Week will offer its annual Fall Preview, Oct. 21-23, and will stage the 2017 Modernism Week event from Feb. 16-26.

Visit www.modernismweek.com for more information about future Modernism Week events.