One of my clients in the Adirondacks booked a new venue at the base of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. The complex was built for the 1980 Olympic Games and now serves as a training complex for Nordic ski and freestyle aerial jumping. It wasn't enough to have this impressive facility serve as a backdrop. The Executive Director of the foundation took the extra step of having Olympic-hopefuls demonstrate their talent for the benefit of the gala attendees. During the silent ... Read On >
entertainment
Find Your Name Boards: Recognizing guests at large events (trade show, association and conference auctions)
Traveling fills my imagination with new ideas. I'm still writing about stuff I saw after last month's journey west. Before flying home after the fundraiser, I saw that the 2016 Honolulu Marathon -- the 4th largest marathon in the United States -- had a free trade show. The Hawaii Convention Center was just a short jaunt from my hotel, so I visited. Recall that I already wrote about how this trade show used a Graffiti Wall, which is an idea I've already seen used at a Florida benefit ... Read On >
No budget? This silent auction activity is free and interactive
One of my last auctions of 2016 was in Honolulu, HI. The fundraiser coincided with two large public events -- the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and the Honolulu Marathon, which is the 4th largest marathon in the United States. The marathon was scheduled to be run the day after I left, but a free trade show was taking place at the Hawaii Convention Center down the street from my hotel. I put on my sneakers and drove over there. (lol) One of the displays at the trade ... Read On >
An ice-cold venue and Olympic entertainment was a fitting tribute to an honoree
I had a memorable auction last week in upstate New York. I want to tell you about it and share a couple of observations. But first, let me share a story from my early days in USA's capital. Nearly 15 years ago my parents were visiting me in Washington, D.C. In preparation of their visit, I'd purchased tickets for us to watch a performance at the Kennedy Center. Just a week before they arrived, I also won a prize from a radio station. It included tickets to an afternoon performance at a ... Read On >
Silent Auction Idea for Entertainment: Frames for self-portraiture
Last Saturday I worked for a school that used “Gotham City” as its theme. I saw this idea and immediately thought of all the ways it could be used in other silent auctions. One of the least expensive ways to add entertainment to your silent auction area is to incorporate photography. Photo-related entertainment concepts might include ideas such as ... Flip books The Boothomatic (I received a promotion last week on a new type of booth designed specifically for “Selfies.” The entire ... Read On >