Friday, August 26, 2007 - Difference Between Commercial and Benefit Auctions
Well, this ol’ auctioneer has had a busy week! I had the privilege of speaking to the Cannon Falls Rotary about the auction industry, and I closed by conducting a small auction of items some members had donated. We had FUN! And the club made some money as well.
I also had the honor of serving as the emcee for the 54th Princess Kay of the Milky Way Coronation held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. What a great time! There were 12 very talented young ladies vying for the crown, and congratulations to the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Ann Marie Miron of Hugo, Minnesota!
In my travels, I always make it a point to try and talk to people about benefit auctions. It’s always fun to see what they have to say about previous experiences with benefit auctions. I visited with an individual the other night, who said they hired a professional auctioneer but didn’t have a lot of success with their charity auction. It seems this was the first benefit auction he had ever conducted.
Folks, it takes a special kind of auctioneer to make a benefit auction successful. As I’ve stated before…we consider ourselves as much of an entertainer as auctioneers. There is a big difference between a regular auction, and a benefit auction. For example:
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BENEFIT AND COMMERCIAL AUCTIONS
Benefit Commercial
Items donated consigned
Audience contribution bargain
Bidders Fun Skilled
Atmosphere Generosity Practical
Pace Entertainment Volume
So keep that in mind when you’re lining up your next benefit auction. Up next for me…I had such a great time at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee that I’m definitely going to head back to the Minnesota State Fair in the Twin Cities. Maybe we’ll see you there!
Happy Fundraising!