Are you using a professional M.C. for your event?
The Professional M.C. for your event:
You are using a professional Auctioneer but what about the M.C.? Are they of the same caliber?
Sherri and I have spent a lot of time making the case for the professional Auctioneer and Auction team for Gala Events. A trained team will always make your event better and generate more revenue for your organization than a well meaning volunteer. I’ll write more about that in a later post. But have you considered your Master of Ceremonies?
Many organizations use politicians or other local “Celebrities” to host their events. The rationale is they are free and well known. They may even know people in the audience and this is also a plus, so the thinking goes. But have you considered the potential challenges? A professional speaker as your emcee will follow your directions, and respect your time limits. They are also experienced enough to “role with the punches” if something changes at the last minute. I would hope you are using a professional Auctioneer for your event, (if you are not let’s talk) and on many occasions this individual can serve as your M.C. as well. They are experienced in front of crowds, understand the time constraints of an event, and can certainly handle sudden changes in timelines and agendas. After all “The first rule of the Auction business is Adjust!”
Here are three examples of where the use of the “Celebrity” or Volunteer Emcee went awry.
The Politician- Sherri and I were once working on an Auction with a well-known politician. (I will not mention the name). When the time came to begin this important individual was asked to start things off with a 5 minute synopsis and personal endorsement of the cause. We learned that you never give a politician a microphone and a time limit. 25 minutes later we were able to begin. The audience was lost and it took us two items to get them back again. This cost (In our opinion) about $6000 in revenue due to people not paying attention or having left the room.
The Personality- A well known comedic media personality who was Emceeing an Auction recently decided that comedy was vital to the success of the event. They were not serving as the Auctioneer but were doing the “Color” as we refer to it. Describing the item and attempting to make each one sound great before the professional Auctioneer sold it. This individual could not resist long drawn out descriptions filled with comedic inserts and continued to interrupt the Auctioneer with what they thought was helpful banter. The result was nothing short of disastrous. The crowd became confused, did not know who to listen to and as a result stopped paying attention to the Auction. By the time the “Paddles Up” was conducted 30% of the audience had left the room, not being interested in a stand-up comedy routine. This cost the charity at least $15,000 in revenue. Do not misunderstand us, a hearty dose of laughter and fresh perspective will energize and activate your audience but it can be taken too far.
The Well meaning Board member- A well known board member and past president of an Organization was the Emcee for a Black Tie Charity Ball. They were working off of a script and timeline prepared for them that was very detailed. Even though timing had been changed due to some unexpected challenges with weather and catering when the time arrived to begin the event this individual walked to the stage and announced the start of the evening. This started a “domino” effect that started a video, started the serving, and the wine and then the Auction. 40% of the attendees had not arrived. Matters were further complicated when individuals who were not present yet were called up to be recognized. This supporter meant well, but the staff were unable to convince them of the necessity of timing changes and that an extra 45 minute venue charge would have been more than worth it in the long run.
To summarize, you use a professional caterer, wait staff, and entertainer and Auction team. Consider the benefits of the professional emcee or master of ceremonies for your fundraising Auction. Interview and negotiate price on these individuals and check references as you would any other vendor. You can research them at www.nsaspeaker.org.
The payoff is in happy guests who rave about your event all year and can’t wait to return and give you more of what is rightfully yours, their money!
You are using a professional Auctioneer but what about the M.C.? Are they of the same caliber?
Sherri and I have spent a lot of time making the case for the professional Auctioneer and Auction team for Gala Events. A trained team will always make your event better and generate more revenue for your organization than a well meaning volunteer. I’ll write more about that in a later post. But have you considered your Master of Ceremonies?
Many organizations use politicians or other local “Celebrities” to host their events. The rationale is they are free and well known. They may even know people in the audience and this is also a plus, so the thinking goes. But have you considered the potential challenges? A professional speaker as your emcee will follow your directions, and respect your time limits. They are also experienced enough to “role with the punches” if something changes at the last minute. I would hope you are using a professional Auctioneer for your event, (if you are not let’s talk) and on many occasions this individual can serve as your M.C. as well. They are experienced in front of crowds, understand the time constraints of an event, and can certainly handle sudden changes in timelines and agendas. After all “The first rule of the Auction business is Adjust!”
Here are three examples of where the use of the “Celebrity” or Volunteer Emcee went awry.
The Politician- Sherri and I were once working on an Auction with a well-known politician. (I will not mention the name). When the time came to begin this important individual was asked to start things off with a 5 minute synopsis and personal endorsement of the cause. We learned that you never give a politician a microphone and a time limit. 25 minutes later we were able to begin. The audience was lost and it took us two items to get them back again. This cost (In our opinion) about $6000 in revenue due to people not paying attention or having left the room.
The Personality- A well known comedic media personality who was Emceeing an Auction recently decided that comedy was vital to the success of the event. They were not serving as the Auctioneer but were doing the “Color” as we refer to it. Describing the item and attempting to make each one sound great before the professional Auctioneer sold it. This individual could not resist long drawn out descriptions filled with comedic inserts and continued to interrupt the Auctioneer with what they thought was helpful banter. The result was nothing short of disastrous. The crowd became confused, did not know who to listen to and as a result stopped paying attention to the Auction. By the time the “Paddles Up” was conducted 30% of the audience had left the room, not being interested in a stand-up comedy routine. This cost the charity at least $15,000 in revenue. Do not misunderstand us, a hearty dose of laughter and fresh perspective will energize and activate your audience but it can be taken too far.
The Well meaning Board member- A well known board member and past president of an Organization was the Emcee for a Black Tie Charity Ball. They were working off of a script and timeline prepared for them that was very detailed. Even though timing had been changed due to some unexpected challenges with weather and catering when the time arrived to begin the event this individual walked to the stage and announced the start of the evening. This started a “domino” effect that started a video, started the serving, and the wine and then the Auction. 40% of the attendees had not arrived. Matters were further complicated when individuals who were not present yet were called up to be recognized. This supporter meant well, but the staff were unable to convince them of the necessity of timing changes and that an extra 45 minute venue charge would have been more than worth it in the long run.
To summarize, you use a professional caterer, wait staff, and entertainer and Auction team. Consider the benefits of the professional emcee or master of ceremonies for your fundraising Auction. Interview and negotiate price on these individuals and check references as you would any other vendor. You can research them at www.nsaspeaker.org.
The payoff is in happy guests who rave about your event all year and can’t wait to return and give you more of what is rightfully yours, their money!
posted by Auctioneer Mike at 11:00 AM
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