Palm Beach North Sports - December 2021

D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | P A L M B E A C H N O R T H SPORTS 11 COMMUNITY CORNER I am often asked when meeting with a client, “What can we do to make this the best auction possible?” My answer is always to make it fun and memorable. As a Live Auctioneer, my job is to raise the most amount of money possible, but doing that means having the right tools. The success of your auction will ultimately come down to the items. The more unique items are those that will draw attention from a majority of the room, even if it is just the curiosity of who is bidding and how high the bidding is going. The ability to sell multiples of one item can quickly enhance the fundraising efforts as well. Talk to your Auctioneer about what they have seen that sells well. One client I have worked with has a great thought process when it comes to what is auctioned off: “Be creative. Find out what the audience wants and go after it.” The Live Auction and Call to Heart is the big fundraising part of the event and the more the audience is engaged and enjoying it, the better chance you have to raise big dollars. Audiences not only love to see dollars flowing throughout the room, but they also like to feel they are a part of it. Sometimes, the unexpected can make for a great part of the event. I once auctioned off a shopping spree with a celebrity (who was in the audience) that quickly turned into a table of 10 ladies who all wanted to get in on the action. The celebrity was so gracious and said, “We’ll make it work for everyone”. The amount of money and generosity turned a very good item into a great experience for everyone in the room. Another unexpected donation happened when a high-end donor pulled us aside and said she was going to donate $250,000 but didn’t want the organization's President to know about it. Before we started the Call to Heart, we positioned someone near the donor and alerted the photographer to be ready. When she made her announcement, the President had a genuine look of shock on her face and I observed her say “who just made that donation?” The crowd erupted and it made for a great finish to the event. Moments like this are what make an auction memorable and successful. Each organization knows its audience and the history of its event, and prepping your Auctioneer is the next step to having a successful auction. Provide them with a road map to all of your big donors in the room and be thorough in what they should expect and what to look for. This is where it’s important for the Auctioneer to read the room and understand the audience and the organization. The last thing you want is to feel like money was left on the table. As one client said to me, “We’ll tee it up for you. You just have to hit it straight.” Event Season is an exciting time in South Florida and the time of year that organizations can interact and celebrate with their donors. My goal is to create a fun environment and get more out of the audience than what was expected. Having everyone on the same page is the recipe for success for the evening. As they say, “Teamwork makes the Dream Work." MY LIFE AS AN AUCTIONEER Submitted by Jay Zeager