Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation 

18. Volunteer Training

In order to avoid confusion during the event, it is wise to put your volunteers through a short training session. Letting each volunteer know what his/her duties for the event are and what to expect during the event will eliminate a lot of problems and frustrations during the event. You can’t just expect that your volunteers will automatically know what is expected of them. Training is the answer. 

19. Welcome Gifts

If you really want to impress your attendees, present them with a little gift (especially the lades) as they enter the event. It’s a small gesture that will produce big results. Here a few ideas:

·         A flower for the ladies

·         A boutonnière for the men

·         A free draw ticket for a special raffle

·         A Canadian Flag pin

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation 

16. Multi-media Presentations

There is a trend today to use multi-media presentations during live auctions. Digital photographs are taken of the auction items prior to the event. These photos are then incorporated into a Power Point presentation. Projecting this presentation onto a large screen allows everyone in the audience to see the auction items as they are presented. This type of presentation can add a new dimension to your auction. Presentations could be developed to highlight other event activities. 

17. Wine Tasting

Offering wine tasting as part of your program can add an elegant touch to the event. Many local or regional wineries are looking for ways to promote their wines. If there is interest, you should contact your choice of winery. They can help you with any legal issues that might arise. You will also have to check with your facility to what their policy is in bringing and serving wine on their premises. It’s a great addition and worth looking into.

(To be continued) 

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation 

14. Sound System

Sound systems are likely the last thing you worry about in planning an event. More events have “crashed and burned” because of poor sound quality. Listen to the existing sound system BEFORE the event. If it is not of the highest quality, rent a replacement system and test it also. The problem may be with the acoustics of the room. If that’s the case, you may have to hire a professional sound expert to help you find a solution. Don’t underestimate the need for quality sound.

15. Signage

Sometimes it’s easier to hand write a sign then to have one professionally made. This would be a big mistake. The quality of your event shows in your “little touches”. Most hand written sign are tacky and should avoided. However, with the advancement of computers and their printers, computer generated signs can be both professional and interesting as long as whoever is making them knows what they are doing!

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation 

12. Master of Ceremonies

Your Master of Ceremonies is the public face of your event. He/she should fully aware of the purpose of your event and what you are trying to accomplish. They should also be intimately knowledgeable of your program and how you want it to flow. The Master of Ceremonies should conduct themselves professionally, be articulate and have a good communications voice. Most sound systems are unforgiving at best and disastrous at worst. Check everything out BEFORE you start! 

13. Auctioneer

It’s nice to have a friend to volunteer to be your auctioneer. You’ll save lots of money… RIGHT! NO!! A poor auctioneer can cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in lost revenue. If there isn’t a professional auctioneer available as a volunteer, hire one. The money you spend will be money well spent. Entertaining auctioneers can be great, but if they more entertainer than auctioneer, you won’t get the most value from your auction items. Great auctioneers can “feel” the crowd… they move them to bid, even the tough crowds. If you are in doubt about the abilities of your chosen auctioneer, get references and contact them to see how pleased they were. It would be even better if you could attend one of the auctioneer’s events and evaluate them in person.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation

10. Pre-Event Promotion

If you plan your event properly and make it exciting, you will have no trouble receiving free publicity. The first is to prepare a NEWS RELEASE. Send the release as outlined and then follow-up by telephone in a few days. Make sure you have all you facts straight and available for any interview and mention your major sponsors when appropriate. The news media love to help promote good events. Invite them to attend your event (with a free ticket). During the event thank them for their support. Before you send out your news release prepare a list of possible recipients. Include any outlet that could promote your event.

11. Advertising

It will likely be advisable to spend some money on advertising. The amount and scope of advertising will depend on the type of event and how many attendees you are aiming for. Larger events need greater promotion and advertising. The type of media to use (print, radio, TV, Internet) will depend on your area and demographics. Talk to your local media reps for advice. A good rep will be honest with you and help you map out the best media route for your event. Once you have chosen with outlets you are going use, they will help you with your ad copy, timing and layout (in the case of a print ad). Having a general idea of what you want included will ultimately make for a better ad.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation

8.Cash Donations

Cash donations can be a great boon to your event. They can give you the necessary cash to buy quality prizes, to frame art or to create “little touches”. To help you prospect for cash donation; create areas of need or opportunity that the donors can identify with. Here are some examples to consider:

·         Art prints need to be framed

·         Place mats need to be printed

·         Tickets need to be printed

·         Raffles need to be sponsored

·         Games need to be sponsored

·         Signs need to be created

9. Donated Gifts

Donated gifts are always appreciated, but if they are not of high quality they will detract from the rest of your event. You want your attendees to really value the prizes they win. That being said, it is just as important to thank your donors in as many ways as possible. Here are some ideas:

·         Include there names in the program

·         Mention their names throughout the event, especially when someone wins their donation

·         Send a thank you letter to them after the event and let them know how much money was raised

·         Take an add out in the local newspaper thanking the donors

·         If you are interviewed on radio or TV, mention the name of as many as you can

·         If a donation receipt for tax deductions is available, send it out as soon as it is available

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation 

6.Finance Table

A well organized and staffed finance table will take away the frustration of bid winners trying to pay for the items purchased. Attendees dislike having to stand and wait to pay their money. Organizing the collection of money is an important part of your planning. Make sure you have all the right tools (pens, pencils, calculator, charge card machine, computer, etc.) accumulated before the event starts. It’s best to make a check list prior to the event when there is no confusion and then to check it off at the beginning of the event to make sure you have everything you need.

7. Feature Artist

It’s great to have a featured artist, artisan or donor. They are very important and add a great deal to any event. Don’t make the mistake of not promoting the featured guest to the maximum. Most of the people who become featured guests are asked by many groups to help them out. The fact that the guest has chosen your group to help is an honor and should be treated as such. Not only is it good business to celebrate you guest, it is the right thing to do.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing an Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation

3. Handicapped

If you want to be inclusive of all types of attendees, make sure the facility you choose can accommodate people who have handicaps. If you are not sure what is required, your local municipal office will have all the information needed.

4. Prizes

As mentioned previously, high quality auction and raffle prizes are a must. This point can’t be emphasized too often.

5. General Raffle

It’s the same with the general raffle items. Keep them high quality and bunch low value items together in complimentary sets. The other point with the general raffle is to keep it simple, flowing and short. Nothing will turn attendees off more than a long drawn out general raffle pull.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation

2. Facility

Finding the right facility is difficult even in large population centres. Finding the right facility in smaller population centres is nearly impossible. With this in mind here are a few points to consider.

• Including sufficient space for your raffle tables and display areas for your silent and live auction items, how many people will the facility hold at a sit-down dinner? The seating capacity determines how many tickets you can sell. The optimum number of attendees is between 200 and 300+. Your gross revenues will increase in relationship to the number of quality attendees.
• Is there sufficient lighting in the prize display areas? If not, you will have to make arrangements to supplement the existing lighting. This is very important if you are to maximize the amount of money people will bid on your prizes.
• Are the facilities clean and well organized? If not, you and your committee many have to pitch in to make the facilities acceptable. Nothing turns attendees off more then a dirty disorganized facility.
• How are the food facilities? Does the venue have on-site cooking facilities? Does the venue provide the food? If they don’t, what local caterer is available? All of these are questions that need to be answered before you finalize a contract with the facility.
• Is the facility easy to reach? Is it in an acceptable part of town? People will not attend your event if they are not comfortable with the facility chosen.
• Is there adequate parking available at or around the facility? If not, what alternative options are feasible? This may not seem like a big deal, but people don’t like to walk a long distance, especially if they formally dress or if the weather is inclement.

All of these points must be considered and answered to your satisfaction. If they can’t be answered satisfactorily, you might consider facilities in neighboring areas. If this is not possible and you still want to proceed with your event, consider all of the challenges and correct them as best as you can.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Three)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Plan Implementation

1. Event Tickets

It is important to finalize your basic event information as soon as possible. You will need this information for your tickets. Information such as what, where, when need to be included on your ticket.  The other item that needs to be included is a ticket number. This should be on the ticket so that you can control the number of tickets sold verse the number not sold. You will need this for your final reconciliation. You can also use the ticket numbers as a control for your silent and live auctions. As long as you have the ticket holders name, you can use the number as a control rather. This is a much easier method than having the winner write out his/her name during the auction.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Two - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Planning

9. Great Food

They say that “the way to a man’s (woman’s) heart is through her/his stomach”. This is very true for holding a fundraising event. Make sure that the food being served is of top quality, is interesting and that there is plenty of it. If you are unsure of the quality, try to get a taste test and/or talk to others who have used the facility and get their opinion about the food and the service.

10. Complimentary Wine

While you don’t want drunks attending your event, people who have been “loosened” up a little with wine, make for a much more relaxed group. Relaxed people, enjoying themselves, are likely to spend more on the prizes being offered. Offering a reasonable amount of complimentary wine on each table can add to the enjoyment and success of your event. An additional benefit is that attendees feel that they getting value for their ticket price.

11. Parking

To add to the grandeur of the event, consider either valet parking or a shuttle service. These would be especially helpful if there was a large parking lot with space far away from the entrance or if the weather was inclement. Liability considerations may make these services unadvisable. If you do consider these, contact your insurance broker for advice.

(Part Three of this series, "Developing an Auction Dinner" will talk about Event Plan Implementation.)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Two - Continued)

I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Planning

7. Quality Prizes

When you are developing your event’s budget, make sure you include money for the purchase of quality prizes. The amount you need depends on how many people attend you event and how many donated prizes you can collect. A word of caution… be selective on the types of prizes you accept. This may sound like poor advice, but inappropriate prizes lower the quality of your good prizes. People WILL judge your event by the type of prizes you offer.

8. Main Prize

As mentioned above, quality prizes are needed to hold a successful event. The main prize should be a “SHOW STOPPER”. It something you can advertise and promote. A great major prize will help your ticket sellers sell tickets. It will give them something to talk about. It will give your event that extra “oomph” that people will talk about. It will become the “WOW” factor that creates a desire for people to attend your event.

(To be continued) 

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Two - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Planning

5. Timing

If you want to kill a great event, make it too long. Too many potentially great events becoming an agonizing failure because they went too long and attendees became bored and restless. When this happens people tend to talk and drink too much, talk over the Master of Ceremony and not pay attention or worse, they just leave the events before it ends. All of this behavior results in people spending less money.

6. Event Insurance

If your group does not have overall insurance that covers events, you should definitely contact your local insurance broker to discuss coverage. Most facilities will not let you hold an event on their premises if you don’t have liability insurance.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Two - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Planning

3. Plan of Action

The most important stage in event planning is the creation of a comprehensive realistic Plan of Action and Budget. These two processes give you the foundation for holding a successful event. The more effort you put into these, the easier the event become to organize and the less chance of unforeseen problems. Include a Critical Path Chart with the Plan of Action. This will help keep the committee on target in completing the tasks set out in the action plan.

4. Event Program

The event program highlights all the hard efforts the committee put into organizing the event. Creating a well organized quality program not only let everyone know about the event’s activities, but shows them what a great event it is that they are attending. As discussed previously, it’s the “small touches” that help people have a great time and want to come back for more.

(To be Continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part Two)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Planning

1. Meeting Agenda

The aim in managing a committee meeting should be to accomplish the most amount of work in to minimum amount of time. Nothing turns committee members off more than a poorly run meeting that accomplishes little and seems to last forever. The key to running successful meetings is to have an organized agenda and then to follow it Side talk on non-agenda items will kill the meeting. The other component of a successful meeting is to have complete and accurate minutes taken during the meetings. These should then be sent out to all members as soon as possible after the meeting.

2. Event Planning

When preparing the plans for your event, consider all aspects that you want to include and see how they all fit together. Your main object at this point is to make sure all pieces of the event fit together smoothly without gaps. The success of your event will be greatly determined by how smoothly it runs.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

18. Payment

Make paying for prizes and raffle ticket as simple as possible. Today in our “cashless society”, charge and debit cards rule. To be successful, your event must arrange for charge and debit card facilities. You should be able to do this through you local bank or through a friendly merchant. Not having this facility will severely limit your events ability to raise money.

19. Job Descriptions

When running an event, it is important for everyone involved (committee members and event volunteers) to know what is expected of them. A simple written job description will give all your workers the direction they need to make the event both successful and well run.

(Part Two of this series, "Developing an Auction Dinner" will talk about Event Planning.)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

17. Silent Auction and Bid Sheets

We have mentioned silent auction bid sheets previously. Now we want to address the sheets specifically. To hold a successful silent auction, you must prepare acceptable, user-friendly bid sheets. The key is to make your instructions clear and concise, plus they should indicate what the minimum bid is and what the incremental bids must be. Here are a few more thoughts about bid sheets and you silent auction. The bid sheet could include the actual value of the item being sold. This can be good and bad. Good, because it gives the bidder an idea of the value he/she is bidding on. Bad, because it could limit the bidders from going over the value of the item. Putting the value on the bid sheet is strictly a judgment call by your committee. Bid sheets should not be pulled all at once. They should be pulled (secretly) by one person and he/she should be the only one to determine which sheets are to be pulled and when. If volunteers are bidding and know the pulling sequence, then attendees may become upset and not bid on any of your auction items (silent and live). Finally, whoever is pulling the sheets should develop a system to determine which items are being actively bid on and which have stalled. The items that have stalled should be pulled first, with one exception. The first item pulled should be a real bargain. This will cause the bidders to keep on top of the items they are bidding which, in turn, should increase the amounts bid. It is important for the Master of Ceremonies to keep up the bidding interest in the silent auction items.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

19. Event Materials

Developing and producing event materials is an important part of controlling your event. These items include: event tickets, raffle tickets, posters, sponsorship letters, auction receipts, silent auction bid sheets, etc. Try to think of all your needs and then develop the materials needed.

20. Event Equipment

You need to make a list of all the extra equipment you will need to hold your event. Some of it you may already have, but others you may have to rent or purchase. If you are going to hold your event repeatedly, you may want to purchase some of the items rather than rent. Here is a partial list to help you start.

·         Easels for framed art

·         Raffle buckets

·         Signage

·         Pens, pencils & paper

·         Adding machine

·         Computer

·         Printer

·         Charge card machines

·         Calculator

·         Balloons

·         Site and table decorations

·         Name tags

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

17. Raffles

Event raffles are great for raising money from attendees who either can’t or won’t bid for auction items. They allow attendees to participate in the event without committing large amounts of money. It is very important, however, that the prizes awarded are of high quality and good dollar value. Additionally, they must be interesting and easy to play. Again, they should be in keeping with the theme of your event. Here are some “rules” to consider.

·         If you are having a general raffle, do not have too many prizes. If you have a lot of prizes available, it is better to combine some into larger more valuable sets. Remember, you want your attendees to go home thinking that they received great value for attending.

·         When selling tickets, make sure you have some way of identifying those attendees who have already purchased tickets. They are there for fun, not to be hounded to buy tickets

·         Have enough ticket sellers on the floor. You need to get as many attendees buying ticket as possible.

·         Have some raffles have limited tickets available and make a big deal when they are all sold.

See what other “rules” you can think of that will benefit your event.

18. Offsite Bidding

Sometimes people would like to attend your event but cannot because of personal reasons or prior commitments. It might be to your advantage to put an offsite bidding strategy in place for your live auction, especially if you have really unique and expensive items to auction off. It is not appropriate or workable for most events, but if it can be done, it might add dollars and excitement to the event.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

15. Financial Controls

Strong financial controls must be in place during the event. If they are not, confusion can break out and all the hard work will mean nothing because your attendees will be upset and your volunteers will be frazzled. Develop the controls in advance, you will be glad you do.

16. Games

Event games can be a lot of fun and if run properly, very exciting. However, if they are NOT run properly, they can become a distraction and take away from the other fundraising aspects of your event. Additionally, the games must conform to the theme of your event. There are many types of games out there. Some can be purchased or rented; other can be made up by your committee with little or no cost. Here’s a short list of ideas to start your creative juices flowing: darts, roulette, card games, crown & anchor wheel, balloon toss, etc.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

13. Entertainment

Having entertainment at an auction dinner is always a question mark. While you may want to create a special atmosphere with music, you don’t want to take away from raffle ticket sales or interactive games. Make sure, if you do decide on having entertainment, that it has a specific purpose and is timed and located not to interfere with your fundraising efforts.

14. Celebrities

Creating a “draw” for you event could be very helpful both in promoting the event and increasing ticket sales. Inviting a celebrity is one way of accomplishing this. The committee should talk over the idea and go ahead with it if desired and possible.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

11. Flow

It is important to consider the “flow” when developing the event’s agenda. Having a smooth flowing, well planned event will insure that attendees enjoy the event, spend their money and come back for more. This stage should be discussed thoroughly and a detailed “event map” should prepared. The “map” should take the event from start to finish and it should be referred to regularly throughout the planning process.

12. Awards/Rewards

Honoring your volunteers and sponsors is smart business. These people who volunteer are the backbone of your event. Their hard work deserves to be recognized. The chair should create special recognition awards for each member of the committee. The committee should create a special thank you for the chair. Hard work needs to be recognized for people to return to help in future events. Likewise, individual and corporations who contribute substantially to your event should be recognized. A reward system should be put into place at the beginning of the event and potential sponsors should be made aware of what rewards are available. Different levels can be put in place depending on the amount donated.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

9. Ticket Sales

Preparing, printing and distributing your event tickets early is imperative. This is the key to having a great turn out to your event. The more people who attend makes for a better the event… more fun, more excitement, greater revenues. Additionally, the tickets must be numbered so that you can maintain tight financial control of the event. This will be discussed in greater detail later

10. Quality Control

The key to holding a successful event is planning and control.  Leave nothing to chance. This means considering all aspects (finance, agenda meals, activities, décor, etc) of the event and then preparing a detailed check list. This will allow the committee to maintain control of the event throughout the entire process. Maintaining tight control will translate into a quality event.

(To be continued)

Developing An Auction Dinner (Part One - Continued)

 I have had the privilege of attending and working with thousands of auction dinners throughout North America for over 20 years. Some had several thousand attendees, while others only had fifty or so. The articles that follow are meant to give an overview of how successful auction dinners are conceived, planned and managed.

For anyone who wants a complete "Developing An Auction Dinner" package, complete with working manuals, workbooks, sample forms and PowerPoint presentations, visit my Festival and Event Planning website.

Event Development

7. Ambiance

When decorating your facility create an ambiance conducive to the type of event you are holding.  If it is a formal type of event, lower the lights (except at the live auction), have a live musician playing in the background or greet your guests in formal attire. If it’s a theme event, create an ambiance that enhances the theme. You want everyone who attends to become an intricate part of the whole event. When considering your décor, make a list of all the elements that could add ambiance to the event. 

8. Atmosphere

When developing your event, put yourself in the shoes of your attendees. As you walk into the room, how do you feel? Are you excited and ready to be part of the adventure, or are you bored before you even start? Think about how you would want to be entertained, what kind of prizes you would like to win, what food you would like to eat. Remember, you are not just creating an event, you are creating an experience!

(To be Continued)