How to manage a loud school auction crowd

Is your school auction crowd obnoxiously loud?

Though any auction crowd has the potential for being deafening, school auctions tend to be louder than nonprofit galas. 

School auctions are filled with parents who have established relationships with others through their child’s sports, classes, and activities.  These parents have many friends and acquaintances to greet.  Add alcohol to the mix, and most guest’s personal volume increases.

Compare this to a nonprofit gala, where the guests are less likely to know as many other attendees. 

Nonprofit gala tables are often sponsored by a company which fills its seats with employees. Although a guest will likely know their fellow co-workers seated with them, they are less likely to know the guests seated across the room.  Even alcohol intake is more regulated.  Most people will think twice about getting hammered in front of their CEO.

This past spring I had a new Catholic school group who prepared me for the worst.  “Our crowd is loud,” the Development Director said, “You won’t be upset if they don’t pay attention to you, will you?”

No, I won’t be upset.  But beyond that, I’ve learned that clients often think their school is the loudest crowd ever.  Instead, what the group perceives to be loud is an average auction volume.

Here’s an example of how this played out at a Catholic school auction near Cincinnati, OH.

When I arrived at the venue, I met the man who would be responsible for managing the sound system.  In past years, he served as the emcee, making announcements about door prizes and assisting the previous auctioneer.

He sized me up with doubt before offering this advice:  “You won’t get them under control. They are good people. But once they get to drinking, they won’t pay attention to you.  They’ll get quiet for Father’s prayer, but we’ve had to carry them out of here before.  They get hammered.”  Then he shared his crowd-quieting strategy:  “I like to draw a door prize first. They’ll get quiet to hear if they won.  That means you’ve got their attention for a few seconds. Say whatever is most important right then.”

“Thanks for the tip,” I said politely.

He continued with another piece of advice: “In past years, we used drinking glasses to get them quiet. We start dinging the glass with a knife over the microphone to get their attention.”

Bless his heart, he went off to find me a glass and a knife.

When I went back to the podium after touring the silent auction, the crowd-quieting weapons were placed next to my bottled water.  They gleamed like Excalibur’s sword, waiting for me to draw them when needed.

I never used Excalibur; the glass remained quiet.  And all ~450 guests settled down when I asked.  

To be sure, guests didn’t sit quietly throughout the entire program, but I didn’t expect them to.  Most importantly, the one time I needed them to get quiet, they did.

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Auction planners:  I love you very much, but know this:

If you believe you’ve got an unruly crowd, the issue is 90% the environment you’ve created — it isn’t your overly rude crowd.

You are responsible for setting up the event to facilitate the fundraising goal.

If you structure an event that doesn’t support raising money, don’t be surprised when you hit a threshold on giving.

With that in mind, let’s review strategies on managing crowd volume.

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Structuring the school auction to control a loud crowd

Tables

• Keep chairs close together. Guests should feel a bit crowded.
• Offering theater seating is an option for cocktail-style events.  Set up rows for the program and remove them afterwards.
• If rounds are used, keep tables a tad too tight.  The tight space makes it harder for servers, but if you’re at wits end on managing your crowd, something has to give.
• At the school auction near Cincinnati, we forced people into a smaller area by telling a little lie and using the physical barrier of an air wall.
  • Traditionally the silent auction was in the first third of a big wedding hall, and table rounds were in the remaining two-thirds of the room.
  • The Development Director told me it was impossible to get some guests to sit down during the program; they would remain standing in the silent auction, talking, drinking, and creating a distraction for guests who did sit down.
  • When it came time to ask guests to sit, we started pulling the air wall to physically barricade the silent auction area from the tabled area.
  • “So sorry,” we told the guests standing in the silent auction area, “We have a new close-out system this year.  During our program, the checkout team will be working in here, organizing the silent auction items for a faster checkout.  We need you to move to the other side.”
  • The bars in the silent auction closed, the bars in the tabled section remained open, and we didn’t re-open the air wall until the program was over.
  • Their long-standing problem was solved.

Stage

• The auctioneer should be as close as possible to the crowd — “in” the crowd if needed. Consider a theater-in-the-round layout, especially for a guest count of 350+.
• Alternatively, put the auctioneer directly in front of the tables.
• There should be no dance floor separating the auctioneer from the crowd, or separating the crowd from each other. Have you ever had to control an energetic youngster from 50′ away? It’s much easier to direct that child when you’re holding his hand.  The same is true of an audience; proximity matters. Focus energy and maintain control by keeping the crowd together and stage close.
  

Seating

• Do teachers attend your event for free? If non-paying guests attend your event, assign them to the back corner tables where their disruptions will cause the fewest issues.
• One of my recent auctions had a two-story venue.  Teachers were seated on the 2nd floor – clever idea.
• Here’s a prickly truth:  At the majority of my auctions where drunks get out of hand and create noticeable distractions, it has been the teachers (attending for free) who are causing the loudest disruptions.  This begs the question: Are you running a fundraiser or a teacher appreciation party?  Maybe your school’s largest fundraiser isn’t the best place to simultaneously hold a teacher party.
• Are you running a reception-style event? Auctions can work in that environment for smaller groups only.  When you have 250+ people wandering around a large room with no reason or a place to sit, you’re inviting problems.

Ticket pricing

• A higher ticket price generally means a quieter crowd.  No free tickets.

Auctioneer

• Some auctioneers have it; others don’t. It’s called charisma and it has nothing to do if one is female or male. A charismatic auctioneer can keep a crowd engaged (assuming you’ve done all this other stuff right).
• If something isn’t working, you may need to hire a better auctioneer.

Sound system

• There is no getting around having a quality sound system designed for an auction environment.  Yes, this will cost you money.  Find a sponsor to underwrite it if the budget doesn’t allow for it.
• More than anything else, sound quality matters.   A charismatic auctioneer doesn’t help your auction if he can’t be understood.
• If people can’t hear clearly, they won’t bid and will talk louder.  It becomes a vicious cycle.
• In general, DJ audio systems are meant to project music, not the human voice.  An audio company that understands auctions will ensure everyone can hear with clarity and distinction, regardless of where they sit in the room.
• Some audio companies will ask you to test the sound system before guests arrive.  That’s not your job; it’s theirs.  How the system sounds before guests arrive is completely different than after they arrive.
• An audio company should have a team member onsite, all night, to monitor speakers and adjust volume as needed.
• Overhead speakers in a hotel ceiling WILL NOT BE ADEQUATE for most auctions.  Tattoo that sentence on your arm.
• Sound systems in tents can be tricky as the sound dissipates into the air.  Tattoo that sentence on your other arm.

Bars

• I’m not a fan of open bars during the program.  Serving drinks or putting bottles of wine on the tables for self-service is preferred.
• If you must keep the bar open, realize the bar area becomes it’s own party area, as guests stand there and talk.  So if you must have the bars open, make sure those bars are in the same room as the auction but not easily visible.  You want guests to be positioned to watch the auctioneer.
• One of my Catholic school client’s will pass drinks out during the live auction. The bar closes, but volunteer Dads walk around with platters of beer, wine and water to give to guests, who are seated in the bleachers during the live auction.

Stick to the timeline

• Work with your auctioneer to create a realistic timeline.  Then follow it.
• I’m not a fan of long speeches, long introductions, and lots of people on the podium. Personally, I’d rather most Catholic school auctions offer FEWER activities during the program.  Work with your auctioneer to figure out what’s reasonable for you.

Podium leadership / Leadership from the stage

• Every speaker on your stage needs to introduce the next speaker.  There needs to be FLOW.
• There is a lot more that needs to be described about this topic, so let’s get into it.

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Here’s the full explanation of podium leadership / leadership from the stage

The rest of this post addresses what I mean by “podium leadership.” Consider printing this blog post and taking it with you to your next auction.

A typical program for many Catholic school auctions with a seated dinner goes something like this:

1. 1. Guests find a table / seat
   2. Father prays. The crowd quiets down for this.
   3. A member of the school leadership (e.g. a principal, PTO President, Board chair) welcomes all and thanks sponsors, etc.
   4. Auction Chairpersons welcome and thank the committee
   5. Auctioneer begins selling live auction items

Let me share more detailed talking points of how podium leadership should work, using the flow just described.

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Father leads prayer, then introduces the School Leadership speaker.

• Guests generally get quiet for a prayer. After the prayer, Father should wrap up his portion with an introduction, like this:
• “Given that Joe & Mary Watson have graduated 5 children from our school, most people here know them.  Joe is currently serving as Board President.  Join me in welcoming him — Board President Joe Watson.”
• Father leads the crowd in clapping as Joe moves on stage.
• Joe should be ready to ascend to the stage immediately.  He should not still be seated at his table.
• Notice how there is no opportunity for “dead time.”
• TIP: Put a chair next to the stage for speakers (like Joe) to use until they are called to the stage.

A member of the school leadership (Joe Watson, Board President) speaks. 

• Joe DOES NOT conclude by saying “bid high” and walking off stage. Instead, he says his remarks and concludes by leading the crowd in applause as he invites the next speaker to the stage.
• “This is the 15th auction Mary and I have attended.  We love this event, and we love supporting the school.  I encourage you to bid against us! If you didn’t already know, all funds from this event will go towards our reading programs serving PK through 12th grade.  I want to thank sponsors X, Y, and Z who have already stepped up to help improve these programs through their sponsorships.  <clap>  Each year we have some caring volunteers step forward to lead this fundraiser. This year, Ned and Nellie Jones were co-chairs.  They have two children attending our school, and the Board has a dinner gift card to present to them as a way of saying, “Thank you for planning this event.”  Join me in welcoming Ned and Nellie Jones to the stage.”
• The crowd is led in clapping (a la “welcoming”) the co-chairs to the stage.
• Notice how there is no opportunity for “dead time.”
• Tip:  Be classy. Give a small gift to the Auction Chairs.  Show the crowd you appreciate your volunteers.

The Auction Chairs (Ned and Nellie Jones) speak.

• They might ask their committee to stand.  They might say why they love the school.  They might tell a personal story.
• Earlier this year, one Auction Chair in Milwaukee gave a touching personal story about a conversation she had with her young son as they drove home from his Catholic school.  As they passed the public school, he told his Mom, “I feel sorry for those kids.” “Why is that,” she asked, surprised.  “Because they don’t get to sing about God in school,” he said.  It was a simple way to connect the crowd to their Catholic faith and it explained why she and her husband chose to pay tuition to send their children to Catholic school.
• The Auction Chairs should introduce the Auctioneer.
• Tip:  If you think there might be a backlash to the auctioneer (for instance, if you have always used a beloved parent as the auctioneer, and this year you hired an “outsider”), ask the Auction Chair to acknowledge the past and new auctioneer.  Case in point, in Cincinnati I was called over to speak with a guest who asked me, “I was just told you flew in from Washington, D.C.  You mean they couldn’t find an auctioneer in our area to work this event?”  These comments don’t bother me as I’m comfortable bullshitting (in a professional way) with guests, but some auctioneers might be at a disadvantage without a proper set-up.  In my case, the gentlemen turned out to be my second highest bidder.  But some groups might want to mitigate problems by addressing this upfront.
• For instance, “Mike has volunteered as our auctioneer for 5 years, but his twins are now teenagers.  We know what it’s like to have two teenagers living at home, so we decided to be kind to him and let him drink during the gala this year.  With that, please welcome our new auctioneer, _______.”
• You know your crowd best.

The Auctioneer begins, using whatever tricks he’s developed to manage the crowd.

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Do you see how that flows?  It feels cohesive and professional.  That’s podium leadership.

In contrast, I often witness disjointedness at school auctions.

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Below is an example of bad podium leadership. 

(This is what I often observe at school auctions.)

• Father walks off stage without seguing to the next speaker.
• Or even worse, Father concludes with  “Have fun! Bid high!” which is a verbal cue for guests to resume talking.
• The next speaker tries to quiet the crowd, perhaps using a water glass and a knife.  Then — God as my witness — he says the SAME THING when he concludes his remarks.  The audience once again begins talking.
• The Auction Co-Chairs ascend the stage and try to quiet the crowd to make their remarks.  “I just need your attention for 2 minutes,” they plead.  NOT TRUE!  We need the crowd’s attention for 40 minutes, which is the length of the program.  Don’t tease guests with a 2 minute request.
• In short order, the audience becomes annoyed.  They’ve been quieted multiple times and the auction hasn’t even begun.  You are treating them like children, and damn you, they PAID to attend this fundraiser and THEY AREN’T HAVING FUN.

If you spend a couple of minutes during your silent auction to coordinate your speakers talking points, much of this awkwardness is eliminated. 

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Here’s what you should tell Father:

“Father, we need you to lead the crowd in applause as you segue to Joe.  And Joe, we need you to lead the crowd in applause as we segue to Ned and Nelly.”

Educate each speaker in how they can provide podium leadership by seguing to the next speaker by leading the audience in applause.

If you fail to provide podium leadership for your event, guests will assume it’s a free for all.

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No leadership = auction anarchy.

Auction anarchy = unruly auction crowd.

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All these strategies will help to mitigate a disruptive loud crowd.

Does it silence the audience?  Heavens no.  But you’ve got to use multiple strategies to reign them in and help you maintain control.

Try these tips out at your next event.