What Is The Modern Architecture + Design Society?
In July 2016, Modern Home Tours LLC became the Modern Architecture + Design Society (MA+DS) – a new multi-media entity that not only expands our home tour offerings but brings us closer to fulfilling our core mission: to create a vibrant, global community of modern architecture and design enthusiasts. Our aim is to provide multiple platforms that inspire engagement with the people, places, and things that define the “modern” movement. Our Modern Home Tour series remains the cornerstone of our operation with annual events in cities across the USA (and Canada!).
What does it mean to participate in the MA+DS Home Tour? What do I get out of it?
As a participant in one of our MA+DS Home Tours, your home is the star of the show. If you’re an architect, this is an opportunity to show off your work to design enthusiasts, colleagues, and prospective homeowners. If you’re a homeowner, this is a chance to show off your home and its features to an audience of modern design lovers. Plus, you’ll help your architect garner some much-deserved local spotlight for the day. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a portion of ticket sales from the tour will go to a local nonprofit or to our new scholarship fund for budding architects, designers and other home-industry related fields.
As a participant, what do I have to do to prepare for the tour?
There is a small checklist of items that need to be gathered or prepared in advance of the tour:
- CLEANING:Please give the home a basic clean-up. Remove clutter and give a nice surface wipe-down and cleaning with a good vacuuming. The home is a work of art being featured in our gallery of homes, and we ask that participants and owners make it shine!
- STAFF THE HOME: One of the few responsibilities we place on participants is to make sure the inside of the home is properly staffed with an appropriate number of bodies. We ask that the tour be an all-hands-on-deck participation event for architects, designers, builders and owners. We will provide door staff and cannot promise more than that; with early notice, we can try to arrange for an extra volunteer inside.
- SMALL TABLE AND CHAIR:Participants must provide a small table (a tray table or card table work perfectly) and a chair for the ticketing staff who will be stationed at the entrance of the home. These items are quite essential to a smooth-running station on the tour, as we would rather not have staff placing supplies on the ground. As we are traveling to our events and in town for just the day, it is not possible for us to provide a table/chair. If one is not readily available, a cheap table (usually around $40) can be purchased at any local store and used this year and in future tours.
- PROMOTIONS and MARKETING:In addition to marketing efforts on our end and traditional press coverage, we rely heavily on our participants to help get the word out about the tour! It is required that all participants reach out to their database of contacts, via email or social media channels, to promote the event. We will provide a unique coupon code that your contacts can redeem for discounted advance ticket prices.
- FACT SHEET:It is highly recommended that all participating architects, builders, designers, and realtors, create a one-page fact sheet on the home to be made available on the day of the tour. Please use this as an opportunity to tell every visitor the interesting details about the house. Include basic facts, such as the year the property was built, the square footage, number of rooms, building materials used, green certifications, etc., but also be sure to include a personal touch and divulge the details of inspiration for the design of the home, or perhaps a unique story about the job/experience! This is the visitors’ takeaway from the home – it’s your chance to impress them on paper and send them home with a visual business card!
- SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:If there are any special instructions for the home that we need to know about, we must be notified far in advance. Specifically, let us know about areas of the home that may need to be closed off, special parking instructions for the neighborhood, unique instructions that visitors may need to know to locate the property easily. It is imperative that we know about these things well in advance so that there are no surprises on the day of the tour.
Are FOR SALE homes allowed?
In short, YES. Many other tours do not allow homes that are on the market to participate in their tours, but we do in very small numbers. However, there are a few rules and stipulations that come with the acceptance of a for sale home to one of our tours:
- There is a $500 participation fee applied to all homes currently on the market (or planned to be within 6 months of the Modern Home Tour). This fee must be paid immediately after acceptance and is non-refundable.
- The home must be fully completed and staged.
- The home must be a truly fantastic example of modern architecture.
- The participant must agree to keep the home on the tour even if an offer comes in or the home becomes ‘in contract’ prior to the tour. The onlyexception: if the home is sold, sale completed, and the new owners have occupied the home, and do not wish to participate in the tour.
- Finally, most importantly, our event must remain an architecture and design tour, and not an open house event. We do not allow banners, balloons or other large signage that promotes a real estate event over our architecture tour.
How will the tour be promoted?
We utilize several avenues of promotion for our tours, almost all are organic and grassroots. First and foremost, we go for traditional, editorial coverage in the local papers. We also try to partner with a local magazine, and we reach out to TV, radio, blogs, event/calendar sites, news sites, community papers, and anyone else with a means to spread our message… But we also rely on our participants (owners, architects, non-profits) to spread the message. We ask participants to help us by posting on Facebook and tweeting the event to everyone they know! To help, we give all participants a unique coupon code to promote. In addition, we will provide you with a marketing plan and outline about one month out from the event.
How many people do you expect to attend?
Our tours draw a crowd of (usually) 400-600 people. There are several factors that determine the final number of attendees, including quality and quantity of homes, promotional effort, and even the weather.
Who Attends the Modern Home Tour?
According to a recent survey, over 2/3rds of our visitors said they go on the Modern Home Tour specifically “…to get ideas or find resources for their own homes or builds.” And for almost one in five visitors (19%), the tour is an in-person search to find a professional with whom to work. That means that the Modern Home Tour is the perfect opportunity for you to engage architecture and design enthusiasts as well as potential customers in the very spaces that best reflect your expertise.
What about the safety of my home and possessions?
Letting people you don’t know inside your home (or your client’s home) is an understandable concern for any homeowner. We can offer you the peace of mind that if anything happens to your home, whether it’s damage or theft, we have you covered. We are a fully insured tour company, and we will make the insurance certificate available prior to the tour upon request. It’s an umbrella policy, meaning that since you’re participating in the Modern Home Tour under our normal course of business, you’re covered under our policy.
What about foot traffic?
Protecting your floors and keeping your homes clean is a must for us. All visitors are instructed to remove their shoes before entering the properties. If there are visitors that wish to keep their shoes on (or have difficulty removing them with ease), we will have protective shoe covers (booties) supplied at each home.
Does a representative or myself need to be at the home all day? (Architects, designers, realtors)
YES. This is one of the few MUSTs for the tour. For participating architects, designers and realtors, we STRONGLY encourage that you be in the home, along with one or two representatives from your firm, during the tour at all times. The tour-goers will have a much better experience getting to talk to the people that helped bring the home to life; active participation from those well versed in the home’s history, inspiration, and design is essential to the overall success of the tour.
As a homeowner, can I be home during the tour or do I have to leave?
As a homeowner, we strongly encourage you to be there during the tour. It’s your house on the tour, so we want you to be there to show it off and brag about your incredible dwelling. You’re also more than welcome to go on the tour yourself. It’s entirely up to you.
Can my pet be around during the tour?
We love pets and have several. However, pets and home tours sometimes don’t mix. Cats can get out and dogs often become overcome with anxiety. We ask that you find accommodations for any pets that you have in your household the day of the tour.
What about food/refreshments for tourgoers?
The short answer to this is that food is not required or necessary, but it is definitely and absolutely welcomed. We do not require you to make refreshments available, but if you do, we promise it will get eaten and be greatly appreciated by our tourgoers.
How do I get my complimentary tickets?
We will provide instructions on how to redeem tickets in the weeks prior to the tour.