Architecture of Influence: Crafting the Narratives of Iconic Buildings

Every great building tells a story. Most people never learn how to tell it well.

Join award‑winning journalist and Diplomatica Global Media CEO Molly McCluskey for an intimate Embassy Row evening on how to research, shape, and deliver the story of your building—whether it’s an ambassador’s residence, a historic think‑tank house, or a one‑of‑a‑kind luxury home. Drawing on decades of reporting from inside iconic properties around the world, LEED Green Associate expertise, and a career spent crafting narratives about place, power, and design, this workshop shows you how to turn walls, windows, and provenance into a strategic asset.

You'll leave with all the tools needed to create your first written draft or talking points —in the briefing room, at a showing, on a donor tour, or around your own dining table.

This salon is designed for people who live and work at the intersection of place and influence:

• Diplomats and foreign service professionals responsible for residences, missions, and cultural properties
• Luxury real estate agents and brokers selling distinctive, story‑rich homes
• NGO and think‑tank communicators working from historic buildings
• High‑net‑worth homeowners and stewards of architecturally or historically significant properties
• University officials engaged in naming rights and other major gifts
• Developers restoring or renovating historic or luxury properties.

If your building appears in the media, hosts high‑stakes conversations, or needs to stand out in a crowded luxury market, this evening is for you.

Valet parking available at additional cost. Pick-up/drop-off zone for drivers or ride-share. Easily accessible by transit.

Info: Begin the evening with a hosted happy hour in a historic hotel directly on Embassy Row. You’ll be invited to introduce yourself not just by name and title—but by the building you’re working on.

Info: In a tightly-focused two hour workshop, you'll learn:

~ How to uncover the story: where to find credible, high‑yield information about your building's history, design, and people

~ How to choose the angle: what makes your building's narrative distinct and worth telling

~ How to structure the narrative: a simple, repeatable framework that works equally well in an email, a tour briefing, a media backgrounder, or a donor pitch

~ How to write it: the craft of turning research into clean, compelling prose

Info: Included in your workshop admission is one post-workshop review of your draft. This is essentially a micro consulting engagement on your building narrative, included with your ticket. Stuck on a hook? Worried about flow? Not sure about delivery? After the workshop, you'll submit a draft of your building narrative. You'll receive one detailed, line‑by‑line review and edit—focused on:

~ Sharpening your core argument

~ Tightening structure and language

~ Elevating tone and resonance for your specific audience (ambassadors, buyers, donors, media)

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Ven at Embassy Row, Washington, D.C., a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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