When it comes to silent auctions, bidding is one of the most exciting aspects of the event. For those planning the event, this is where all of your hard work comes to fruition. We all know how much effort it takes to collect all of those high end items and trip packages. For this reason, pre-bid sheets are essential to help appropriately regulate bidding; they also help raise bids incrementally at the proper percentage. Without pre-bid sheets in place at your event, you risk the chance of confusion and anger amongst your guests.
How does a pre-bid sheet work?
In short, pre-bid sheets keep your event organized. For our nonprofit partners, AmFund provides three-part bid sheets that help with bidding and with the closing out of the silent auction. AmFund can provide you with a bidding chart to show you how to raise bids in increments that maintain a proper increased bid percentage as the bidding gets higher. These sheets will keep a unified bidding procedure in place for all items across the board.
What happens when there is no pre-bid sheet?
Now that we know more about how a pre-bid sheet works, let’s take a look at what happens when you don’t utilize this tool.
Without a pre-bid sheet, most event planners will list specific instructions for each item. For example, the small print may ask bidders to make additional bids in increments of 5, 10 or 20 dollars. Another item may have a different set of bidding instructions. The problem with this set up: people are busy chatting and having a good time as they walk through your silent auction. They will most likely miss the details of your instructions. This is how confusion breaks out.
Your top bidder may not have followed the instructions properly; therefore, you leave other bidders feeling cheated for following the rules.
The importance of a headache-free event
We’ve talked a lot here about pre-bid sheets and their importance. The true value comes with a headache-free event — for both planners and guests. Remember, many of your guests are long-time supporters of your organization who will come out to future events as well. The last thing you want to do is confuse and aggravate them with complicated bidding instructions.
Contact AmFund for more information on pre-bid sheets and to receive a copy of our proven bidding chart.