Are in-person galas coming back? If so, are they coming back in the same way, or has everything really changed for good?

There’s a lot of discussion among the auctioneers who are members of our private Facebook page for professional fundraisers. Just as you are probably doing within your nonprofit, we’re talking A LOT about 2022, what events will look like, and if hybrid is here to stay or will be deemed too costly or time-consuming for the payoffs.

We think virtual events ARE here to stay even if maintaining viewership over time will likely get harder. However, over and over again these past 18 months we’ve seen virtual events across the country raise as much (or even more) than the previous in-person galas they replaced. Whether or not that continues to be true remains to be seen, of course, but the thought is intriguing.

What does that mean for the future of in-person events? As auctioneers, we know there will always be a place for a talented stage personality engaging the crowd to give more. But we think we’ll be auctioning fewer items, seeing shorter programs overall, seeing fewer printed catalogs, and seeing more time for socializing.

In the next couple of months I’ll be doing some webinars and how to create more prepared attendees who are eagerly anticipating your auction.

Watch this space or follow my LinkedIn for updates.