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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. 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.

12. 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
9. 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.

10. 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
7. 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.

8. 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
5. 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

6. 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)