Welcome to wine week! Every post this week ties to alcohol. Here's the post explaining it. Last month I headed to Texas to work with the Amarillo Symphony Guild at Vintage Amarillo, the organization's fundraising wine auction which supports symphony programs. And how cool is this -- I made the paper! From our outfits, you can likely gather that it was a 1920's theme. You know why I like working as a wine auctioneer? Wine is one area I have to study in depth, and I love learning. The wine ... Read On >
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This wine auctioneer is drinking moonshine
It's wine week! What is wine week? This week I've devoted every day of my blog to a wine-related post. Or something close. I'm celebrating a birthday soon so it seems proper to have a toast. In honor of the big day, every post this week will discuss something about wine or some other beverage (like moonshine) worthy of being poured into a glass and raised during a toast. This past weekend I sampled moonshine (or sweetshine, as they call it) at Bloomery Plantation in West Virginia. I spend a ... Read On >
Which sells better? Two different descriptions from identical auction packages
An identical item was sold in two different D.C. charity auctions in different years. Of the two item description examples, which do you prefer? (I changed the donor's name.) ================== Don’t Fake It, Make It Private cooking class for 10 at the acclaimed ABC Cooking School You and 9 guests will be guided by your chef instructor in creating a fabulous three-course meal. From 'Classic French Cuisine' to "Sushi' and 'Summertime Smoking and Barbecue,' the reward is yours when you sit ... Read On >
Wine silent auction idea: Sommeliers drive bigger bids
I'll be working a wine auction later this month in Texas and thought I'd share a wine silent auction idea I witnessed at another event. If you've got a lot of wine in your auction, why not have a sommelier onsite to educate guests and "talk up" your packages? At a school auction earlier this year, one entire silent auction section was devoted to wine. Large formats. Hard-to-find wines. Rare vintages. Some were sold as cases or collections; others were sold as single bottles. Though many of ... Read On >
Live auction display ideas for vacations
If you've got a vacation or two that will be sold in your live auction, it helps to geographically show guests where the city / resort / hotel is located. When I'm serving as auctioneer for a group, I create my own "displays" to help market items. I often don't know what the client will be doing for a display, and I want to be sure that during the preview time, I'm able to engage bidders with my own information and materials. For example, here are four images I've used in the last month to ... Read On >