Corporate Silent Auction Ideas
Silent auctions are an alternative to the traditional auction in which the auctioneer yells out the bids as they progress higher and higher. In silent auctions, the auctioneer is typically replaced by a sheet of paper in which bidders write in their respective bids by their names. At a certain time, the bidding concludes and the highest bidder wins the auctioned item. For a corporate silent auction, it is key to come up with innovative ideas and items to generate a good monetary return.
Other People Are Reading
-
Exclusive Dinner
-
To auction off dinner for two, it is important that the restaurant is exclusive and in demand. In major cities, there is nearly always a hot, new restaurant or Michelin-rated mainstay with a reservation list that is months long. Talk to the restaurant personally to explain what you are doing and see if you can get one of their best tables at prime time.
Sports Tickets
-
The key to auctioning off sports tickets is acquiring in-demand tickets for an event or prime seats that would normally be difficult to acquire. Check to see if you can purchase a private sky box for the night at a basketball game. See if there are any tickets available on the 50-yard line for a football game from local ticket agencies. If there is an upcoming boxing or MMA event, ringside seats would be sure to fetch top dollar. Also consider sports memorabilia such as a signed football or boxing gloves.
-
Artwork
-
Many up-and-coming artists would be more than happy to get their art in front of a room full of wealthy executives. Check around at local galleries to see who would be interested and what kind of revenue split they would be open to on the final auction price. You might consider asking a well-known photographer to make a limited edition number of prints of a great photograph and include his signature.
A Weekend Trip
-
When auctioning trips and vacations, you want to make sure they are short and convenient enough to fit into anyone's schedule. Try to find a unique new boutique hotel or a posh timeshare house rental. A weekend getaway to the Bahamas or Mexico might also be popular. Check the major travel magazines to see what is the fashionable new destination or hotel at the moment.
Handmade Items
-
Many corporate executives who have money to spend typically look for items that can't simply be bought with a click of a mouse by anyone. Check out some of the handmade goods on websites like Etsy.com. There is handcrafted furniture, handmade purses unavailable in any store and one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
High-end Items
-
The world has an endless supply of specialty, high-end items that would be sure to go over well at a corporate silent auction. These include bottles of liquor from a micro-distillery, a box of fine cigars, a Channel cell phone, an exclusive Louis Vuitton trunk and many other hard-to-find items. For ideas for luxury goods, check out Luxist.com, a website that profiles the latest high-end products.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit gavel image by Cora Reed from Fotolia.com
