Have you seen this? Done it?

Occasionally I’ll get a nonprofit client who wants to put the stage in the center of the ballroom with tables on all four sides.

The advantages? It’s an uncommon layout, making your gala look and feel different; it puts more tables close to the stage, thus providing more “front row” sponsor seating; it puts your auctioneer in closer proximity to more tables versus the stage at the narrow end of a long room.

The disadvantage? (And this is a big one!) – Your speakers and your auctioneer will have their backs to 50% of the audience at all times! This can’t be emphasized too much: you are disenfranchising half of your audience the entire program. This can negatively impact both your live auction and your Fund-a-Need paddle raise donations, since your auctioneer must be constantly spinning onstage to catch and acknowledge the bid cards. These extra seconds give time for the patrons to change their minds, hesitate, and put that bid card down.

While it might look intriguing, if you decide to auction in the round, plan ahead to have confident, outgoing bid spotters in all 4 quadrants to help catch those raised paddles and ensure you capture every intended dollar for your org.

Jewelry, like artwork, can be an iffy thing in a live auction. Is it the right color, shape, style, length, size? And can a piece of jewelry stir up as much demand as a luxurious trip or a posh private chef?

In all auctions, we want items where everyone wants to “own it for a moment.” If you want to own it, but so does she, and so does he, but you want it badly, that’s how auction bidding goes up and up and up.

Jewelry typically has fewer bidders fighting over it, and sometimes it can be difficult to know if you’ll even get the opening bid you want. You definitely don’t want a long silence when no one bids.

However, if you’ve got a great piece, it’s likely to do at least as well in the live auction as it would in the silent auction, so make sure you promote it like this poster, with a huge, detailed, clear photo AND the actual piece right next to it with a mirror so folks can see themselves wearing it. They have to envision owning it to bid on it.