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You are here: Home / Decor / VIDEO: 1930s club sets backdrop for the benefit auction theme
May 12

VIDEO: 1930s club sets backdrop for the benefit auction theme

Sherry Truhlar 2 Comments

Maryland Benefit Auctioneer Sherry Truhlar Red Apple Auctions

My team and I got wore vintage-inspired ensembles.

When I started working with this group in 2010, the organization was moving away from a sit-down dinner.

Goodbye traditional gala. Hello something new.

The “something new” has changed at each event. For instance, each venue is different. Quality entertainment is hired (I’m part of this).  Unique staging and props are used. The event is well-run, from registration to flow to checkout.

Generally speaking, this is what I’d call a high production value event. It’s classy. There is an emphasis on ensuring elements are done well. 

(That’s not to say you can’t have a nice event with home-grown entertainment. Every shindig is unique. I’ve got many ideas on my blog for homemade, yet cool, auction elements.)

To be clear, this isn’t high production like you might imagine the Academy Awards to be. Budgets do come into play. And it’s not high production like some of the more tony events I’ve worked both in D.C. and elsewhere. But for a smaller-sized event whose organizers wanted to shake things up, this is what I’d say is high production. It’s designed to have a “wow” effect.

As this is not a sit-down affair, a good portion of people stand throughout the night. Though there are usually areas one might find to rest, only sponsors have assigned seating.

Though the event has been high caliber every year, I was particularly impressed at how the group brought to life this 1930’s club. It really felt like I was walking into something from a decade gone by. Though the benefit auction theme was not specifically 1930, the date tied into a significant time in the nonprofit’s history. It worked.

Take a look at these two videos and tell me what you think.

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This first clip was taken before guests arrived. I wanted to show you some of the classy elements brought in that recreated the club feeling, yet still managed to focus guests on the two stages.

=======================

This video will give you a sense of what a guest might experience, walking into the event. I didn’t shoot everything that happened that night (hey, I’m working!), but I took about a few clips and strung this together for you. The first band is Carte Blanche. The second is Dandy Wellington and his Band. Both were AWESOME! (As were the dancers, and you’ll see a bit of them, too.)

 

Post-event, here’s what my client had to say …

Cindy_Merz_and_Rea_Hacker__150We have utilized Sherry and her excellent team at Red Apple Auctions for three fundraisers and continue to be impressed! Sherry is professional, well spoken, entertaining, and she gets the job done. Showcase 2014 was our most successful fundraiser yet – raising $400,000!

Sherry’s work doesn’t begin when she steps up to the microphone; it begins months in advance with guidance on auction items, how best to market to our group, consignment items if needed, how to sell strange or high-value items, recommendations for vendors and so much more.

After three events, we are also benefitting from the consistency of having the same auctioneer. Sherry understands the unique format of the event and she knows our donors – what they’ll buy, how much they will spend and even how to get their attention. All of this, and more, she puts to good use.

We also appreciate Sherry’s team members who help to sell raffle tickets, solicit donors to our bid-box and assist in the live auction as spotters. They are professional, efficient, and always look fabulous dressed in the theme of our event!

Another advantage of Sherry’s years of experience is her ability to analyze results after the auction; providing guidance that will help lead us into our next fundraising event.

Red Apple consistently exceeds our expectations. We wouldn’t consider using another auctioneer and look forward to working with Sherry many more times.

Cindy Merz & Rea Hacker
Suburban Hospital Foundation

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Copyright © 2014 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved

About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and educator, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

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Comments

  1. Becky says

    May 13, 2014 at 11:04 PM

    wish I could have seen how you were able to get the attention of the audience and how the auction worked. How did you conduct the auction? How long was it? How many items?

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      May 14, 2014 at 7:47 AM

      Becky, the auction had 10 items and took — between that and a Fund a Need — about 40 or 45 minutes. As far as getting their attention, it wasn’t hard. I was in the middle of the room, so everyone could see me. I’d turn to address everyone when describing items, and then turn to accept the bids as people raised their bid number. In that respect, it was a standard auction. Unlike other spaces, I did not get off the stage here. It was a bit tricky to do so, and as I was ‘in the round,’ it wasn’t necessary for that space. I have clips of myself working many auctions (though not that one), if you’ve never seen how an auction works. YouTube is another place to watch how auctions are conducted.

      Reply

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What auction planners say

Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

Krystal Fenwick

Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

Diane Albano, Director of Development
St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)

Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator
St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)

Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement
The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)

I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)

If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member

The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee

We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events
The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)

2012 Oakcrest Anne and CarolinaSherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year!… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiIHNyYz0iaHR0cDovL3JlZGFwcGxlLmV2c3VpdGUuY29tL3BsYXllci9NakF4TWkxSGRXVnpkSE10UW5Wc2JHbHpMVXRMTFdGdVpDMU5hV05vWVdWc0xVcHZjMlZ3YUM1dGNEUT0vP2NvbnRhaW5lcj1ldnAtV0JBVTkwTlVBUyI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+PGRpdiBpZD0iZXZwLVdCQVU5ME5VQVMiIGRhdGEtcm9sZT0iZXZwLXZpZGVvIiBkYXRhLWV2cC1pZD0iTWpBeE1pMUhkV1Z6ZEhNdFFuVnNiR2x6TFV0TExXRnVaQzFOYVdOb1lXVnNMVXB2YzJWd2FDNXRjRFE9Ij48L2Rpdj4= They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

Staci Meruvia 150 ptYou have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, …… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” 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 The following… Read The Rest “Geri”

Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiIHNyYz0iaHR0cDovL3JlZGFwcGxlLmV2c3VpdGUuY29tL3BsYXllci9SM1ZsYzNRdE1qQXhNUzFPU0ZOUVEwRXRTWEpsYm1VdWJYQTBMVEU9Lz9jb250YWluZXI9ZXZwLTVHMlVHQlFGN1YiPjwvc2NyaXB0PjxkaXYgaWQ9ImV2cC01RzJVR0JRRjdWIiBkYXRhLXJvbGU9ImV2cC12aWRlbyIgZGF0YS1ldnAtaWQ9IlIzVmxjM1F0TWpBeE1TMU9TRk5RUTBFdFNYSmxibVV1YlhBMExURT0iPjwvZGl2Pg== “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal… Read The Rest “Irene”

Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering.   Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

Cynthia Steele Vance_150X180As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business.… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

Cynthia Steele Vance
Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)

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