Modernism Week officials have announced that attendance at the annual event, which took place in the Palm Springs area of Southern California from February 15 – 25, 2018, was estimated at 126,000 attendees, an increase of 30% over 2017. Attendees participated in more than 350 events throughout the festival. Celebrating midcentury modern design, architecture, art, and culture in Palm Springs, the 11-day festival generated an estimated $47.25 million in revenue for area hotels, shops, restaurants, and other local businesses from Palm Springs to Indian Wells and beyond. In addition, CAMP, Modernism Week’s ‘Community and Meeting Place’ and headquarters for tours and events, saw more than 32,500 visitors throughout the festival, also a 30% increase from the year before.
“Modernism Week continues to offer our attendees opportunities to learn about midcentury modern design, architecture and culture and about Palm Springs and other desert communities,” said William Kopelk, Modernism Week Board Chairman. “Our expanded range of programing continues to emphasize preservation and education and also offer fun and unique experiences through tours, parties and other activities. We couldn’t do this without the support of our primary sponsors, including Ferguson Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Gallery, Corian Design, DXV, and Thermador. The support of these sponsors as well as the City of Palm Springs, our Civic Presenting Sponsor, makes this event one in which attendees plan to return to each year. 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.”
For the first time this year, Modernism Week attendees came from all fifty states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, with California accounting for the majority of attendees (84.37%). Modernism Week attendees came from 384 of 482 cities in California, or 80% of all Californian cities. Locally, the Coachella Valley represented 33% of tickets sold in California. In addition to many California visitors, the event was popular with attendees from the Pacific Northwest, Chicago, and New York. Attendees came from all across the globe with nineteen countries represented including Canada, Australia, Germany, England, France and many more locations.
The festival continued to garner significant international and national media attention. International coverage included articles in the British publications Daily Telegraph, Conde Nast Traveler UK, London Evening Standard, World Architecture News, Yahoo UK, and Metro.co.uk<http://metro.co.uk/>. Australian publications covering the event included Sydney Morning Herald, Canberra Times, nine.com.au <http://nine.com.au/>, and Australian Gourmet Traveler. Other significant international publications included Vanity Fair Italia Online (Italy), Casa Vogue (Spain), New Zealand Herald Online (New Zealand), Wallpaper and Dezeen Online (International), as well as articles in publications from Norway, Finland, Russia, China, Thailand, Canada, France and Germany.
National coverage included The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Sunset Magazine, Vogue, Dwell Magazine, Smithsonian, CNN Online, Chicago Tribune, Curbed LA, Design Milk, Atomic Ranch, San Francisco Chronicle, Architectural Digest Online, NBC Los Angeles, AFAR Magazine, Orange County Register, Robb Report, San Diego Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Seattle Press Intelligencer, Locale, Traditional Home, California Home & Design, and Interiors Magazine.
The popular Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale also saw increased numbers. More than 12,500 participants attended the popular sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center, up 25% from the previous year. This figure does not include the additional 1,400 guests who attended the show’s preview party on Friday, February 16. 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 2018 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 record-breaking number of significant exhibitors reported increased sales and their enthusiasm for the increased traffic was amazing. The new Modern Design Expo added an additional 40 exhibitors and attendees enjoyed browsing the modern decorative solutions that these exhibitors offered.”
Modernism Week celebrates and fosters appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields, by encouraging education, preservation and sustainable modern living as represented in Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley. Highlighting this dedication to education, this year more than 85 lectures and films spotlighting famed architects, landscape designers, historians, design experts and authors were presented to attendees, including a special series of talks this year on the Legendary Women of Design. Additional Modernism Week educational programs this year included the world premiere of two films, and a new Architecture Art and Design Film Series, created by the American Documentary Film Festival.
Modernism Week’s central headquarters, CAMP (‘Community and Meeting Place’) was staged in a dynamic tented structure located in the space that will soon become the Downtown Palm Springs Park. Ferguson, Modernism Week’s exclusive Kitchen, Bath and Lighting sponsor, presented entertaining culinary demonstrations by Top Chef and restaurateur Brooke Williamson, and many local chefs from popular Coachella Valley restaurants, in their state-of-the-art kitchen and featured Thermador appliances alongside new products from DXV. The expansive CAMP space also featured a café and bar by Cheeky’s-to-go, a merchandise area managed by Destination PSP, and a large theater that featured more than 40 stimulating programs, panels and demonstrations. This included a series of three panels organized by Atomic Ranch magazine and several Learning Lab seminars, targeted to architectural and design professionals, and sponsored by Corian Design. It was also the hub for the daily Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours and was the departure location for test rides of Alfa Romeo vehicles, one of the event’s premier sponsors.
“This year attendees returned daily to CAMP which was free and open to the public to attend talks and cooking demonstrations, depart on tours, shop, and dine. The comments we received during the event reinforced that CAMP continues to be an important part of Modernism Week’s success,” said Chris Mobley, CEO of Modernism Week. “We are grateful to the City of Palm Springs and Grit Development for providing Modernism Week with the incredible downtown location for CAMP. In addition, the Aluminaire Foundation installed a full-scale representation of the 1931 Aluminaire house, sited on the portion of new Downtown City Park where it will be reassembled in 2020.”
Modernism Week once again offered attendees the opportunity to participate in home tours, parties, and architectural excursions in Palm Springs and outside of the immediate area including Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Indian Wells.
Later this year, Modernism Week will offer its annual Fall Preview from October 18-21, 2018(tickets on sale August 1 at 12 p.m. PST) and will stage the 2019 Modernism Week event from February 14-24, 2019 (tickets on sale November 1 at 12 p.m. PST). For more information about future Modernism Week events, visit modernismweek.com<http://modernismweek.com/> and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
