Display your silent auction items in the best way possible in order to maximize bidding amounts.
Display Items By Color
When holding a silent auction fundraising event the higher people bid the more revenue you make for your event. One way to ensure you get maximum dollars is the display the items so they sell. This is very similar to how department stores lay out items. Think of when you get off the elevator at a store your eye immediately goes to a display that is well laid out. Here are some ways to display your silent auction items so they stand out.
- Give items a lift with cake stands. One or two cake stands per table gives items like handbags some height. Varying the
height of items on a table breaks them up and makes it more visually appealing. - Use trays to hold items. Put items such as ties on silver serving trays and give them some pizzazz.
- Arrange tables by item type. Make it easy for people to browse by setting tables up by theme. For example all food/entertaining on one table, clothing on another and beauty on another.
- Arrange tables by color. If you have a lot of one particular item, such as handbags, display them on various tables by color.
- Make jewelry pop with department store holders. Talk to your local department stores, or stores/vendors that donated jewelry to your event, and ask to borrow necklace, bracelet and earring displays. These are usually black velvet and make jewelry pop. It also makes necklaces really stand out.
- Mannequins make great clothing displays. If you find yourself with a number of articles of clothing just as with above, see if some of those people who donated could lend you a mannequin or two. They will be thankful their item won’t be folded on a table and the mannequin makes for a great display.
Using Displays for Accessories
Related posts:
Event Decor: Paper Poms and Floral Arrangements for a Silent Auction Fundraiser
Fundraising: Donation Solicitation Letter
Holiday Party Cocktail Ideas
2 comments
pamela iannacio says:
September 3, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC -4)
looking for a new way to display gift certificates at a school auction any ideas used baskets used frames this years theme is all that glitters black silver purple help thank you
Cynthia Greenberg says:
September 6, 2011 at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
Pamela, That’s a great question and comes up often. One idea would be to get used frames in various sizes. Spray paint them all black and then add in silver glitter. Use purple construction paper/scrapbook paper to make matting for the frame or cut it a tad larger than the gift card and place the card on the purple paper to give it depth. Another idea is to add more marketing to the gift card. For example – if you have a spa gift card get a bigger frame and do something similar to a scrapbook page. Include the gift card and maybe one or two images from the spa. For some gift certificates see if you can make them baskets. Sticking with the spa gift card, see if you can get a robe or slipppers donated and a candle. Include in a basket with the gift card and menu of services. Your $50 spa gift card is now a basket valued at $200. Same with restaurant gift cards. Attach the gift card with ribbon to a bottle of wine. The biggest thing with gift cards is to make sure the attendees know what the card is for. If it isn’t a well known place I suggest including images to market it. We recently had a Carson Bag at a silent auction. We included a frame with the gift card and a picture of the bag featured in Vogue so attendees could make the connection. Hope this gives you some ideas! Let me know how it goes!