Prepare a concise brief for each lot.
Include the title, verified inclusions, guest count, date restrictions, minimum bid, and redemption process. Highlight what makes the experience distinctive without hiding important limitations. Give your auctioneer time to become familiar with the package and ask questions before the event.
Include current item photographs or clearly labeled destination imagery in the auctioneer’s presentation.
Agree the limits of the offer.
Confirm whether a package can be sold more than once, whether dates can change, and which claims can be made about access or exclusivity. Do not assume a historical experience is available again with identical terms.
Share OFG’s final package information with your auctioneer and give both teams time to resolve questions. Hiring or supplying an auctioneer is a separate matter from providing auction items.
Make the sales handoff visible.
Assign someone to capture the bidder identifier, lot, and winning amount. Explain how that record reaches checkout and who handles any correction. Coordinate the order of lots with the wider run of show.
- Agree the opening and minimum bid instructions.
- Confirm who can approve an on-stage change.
- Rehearse the transition between lots and mission moments.
- Keep the final terms available to the checkout team.
Build a one-page brief for each live lot.
Use a consistent structure so the auctioneer can find facts quickly. Keep the complete package conditions available as supporting material.
| Brief section | Contents |
|---|---|
| Lot identity | Lot number, approved title, and the correct image or slide. |
| The appeal | A concise explanation of why this audience may value it, without unsupported exclusivity claims. |
| The purchase | People included, location, dates or booking process, and the main inclusions. |
| The conditions | Material exclusions, restrictions, additional costs, and redemption deadlines. |
| Sale authority | Approved minimum, sale count, any explicit repeat-sale permission, and the decision contact. |
| After the bid | Who records the winner and amount, who collects payment, and how fulfillment starts. |
Leave room for performance without leaving gaps in the offer.
An experienced auctioneer can bring pace and personality to a lot, but should not have to invent the facts. Give them a clear distinction between the story they can tell and the conditions they must preserve. Resolve questions before rehearsal, especially for travel, special access, and experiences associated with a named person.
A brief that says “VIP weekend” is incomplete. The auctioneer needs to know which event, how many people, what admission or hospitality is included, and whether travel or accommodation is part of the package. The more precisely the offer is defined, the more confidently it can be introduced.
Agree the calls that require permission.
Write down the limits before the auctioneer is in front of an enthusiastic room.
- Who may authorize a change to the opening amount or other financial terms?
- Can a package be sold more than once, and how many sales are permitted?
- Does a second sale use the same terms and price arrangement?
- Can an experience be extended, transferred, or altered, and who confirms that?
- What should the auctioneer do if a condition cannot be answered immediately?
Rehearse the moment of sale.
Have the auctioneer identify a mock winning bidder while the person recording sales captures the lot number and amount. Check that the checkout team receives the same information. Repeat with an approved second sale so the team understands that there are two buyers and two fulfillment obligations.
Then practice a correction. If a bidder number is unclear or the recorder misses an amount, who asks for clarification and how is the official record corrected? A simple process protects the winner experience and prevents uncertainty from following the sale into checkout.
Put the live auction in the wider program.
Review the sequence with the event host, production team, and development lead. Protect the time needed for each lot and coordinate with speeches, meal service, entertainment, and any direct appeal. A strong package cannot compensate for a program that gives guests no clear opportunity to participate.
Bring your questions. We’ll start there.
Tell us what you have in place, what you are still deciding, and where your team needs support.
Discuss your live auction