new volunteer flow plane

The foundation arrived today and recommended that we change the flow of our tours of the house.  In their experience (which they have a lot of) once the ribbon is cut, people will just start walking toward the front door and into the house and we won’t be able to redirect them through the side door.  So, please find attached, a new updated floor plan with how the tour will go.  It’s still similar, we are just opening up the other side of the house, and keeping people to the common downstairs areas and the west wing of the house to look at rooms.  It will be harder to control how many people enter the house at one time this way (because the front entry is wider than the side entry), so it is VERY important that you as tour guides keep the people moving in the direction of the flow of the tour on the floor plan.  Please encourage people nicely to continue into the next room, and just keep pushing them along toward the exit! 

Since the crowd will be headed in through the front door, please still report to the  side door – the original tour entrance (east, front) – to be let into the house to take your places.  Please be waiting at that door as soon as you can get to it.  As soon as the ribbon is cut the dignitaries will enter the house and the crowd will follow them, so we will need to get you all into position as quickly as possible!  IF you are already in the house to take your position prior to the ribbon cutting, PLEASE stay away from the windows.  Please DO NOT go to the window to watch the ribbon cutting from inside the house – you will end up photobombing the ribbon cutting photos!  If you are in the house when the ribbon is being cut, please stay to the interiors, away from any windows.