Vivanistas Speak Up: Favorite Auction packages
Lifestyle 1 CommentWe asked Vivanistas to name the favorite Silent Auction items they had seen. What became abundantly clear is the most popular items were ones that couldn’t be purchased. Even more interesting is the simplicity of the packages. Here are ten of our favorite:
- Cooking Class with a well-known chef
- In-home chef for a dinner party
- Eco-trip to the Galapagos sponsored by National Geographic
- Tour of the jail with the sheriff and then a ride in his car
- Free valet parking for your next event (up to a certain number of cars)
- Preferred parking spot at a child’s High School
- Photograph of child in major print advertisement
- Front row seats at NY Fashion Show
- Private winery tour by winemaker with vertical tasting of wines
- Shoe of the Month Club
What about you: what’s your favorite Auction package?
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You have some solid recommendations listed. And to keep your auction progressive, let me suggest one of the 2010 auction trends we’ve identified: farm to table.
Dining experiences have always been a tried and true money maker at charity auctions (and you mention some above), but we’ve seen higher returns from bidders who seek chefs, meals, baskets, and other items that fall into the niche of “locally produced.”
Farm to table is the concept of eating locally grown or raised animals, vegetables, herbs and fruit. Instead of importing food from all over the world – beef from Australia … spinach from Mexico … plums from Chile – the farm to table movement encourages us to leave a smaller “eco footprint” by eating food produced locally, usually within 100 miles. Because the food isn’t shipped over great distances, it doesn’t need to be sprayed with chemicals to protect it in transit. So not only does the food taste better, but it’s better for you.
With just a little bit of research, your auction will be able to tap into new donors this season and offer your supporters an updated twist on the ever-popular dining experience. I encourage you to use the farm to table trend in a way that makes sense for your market and your guests.