Below are a series of tips to help you organize event night.  In most cases, these tips have nothing to do with the software; they are just common-sense strategies we have collected from our incredibly smart customers over the years.

1.  Collect the numbers you need for emergencies AND BRING THEM WITH YOU TO YOUR EVENT!

Everything at YOUR event will go smoothly, and without a hitch - especially if you plan in advance what you would do if things were to go horribly wrong. (They won’t. But plan for it anyway.)  Here are some suggestions for telephone and account numbers you should have on hand:

• The person who set up the Internet access, who can restart the router in case it crashes. Plus, all of the passwords to get back on the network, keys to the room where the router is, etc.
• The person who set up your merchant and gateway accounts, as well as the account numbers, logins and passwords.
• Our support team!  We’ll send you the direct number for the support tech assigned to your event a few days before it happens.

One more tip - make sure you bring your cellphone charger with you to the event.  Just in case.

2. Set up each volunteer with a unique user account, then have them log in using that account on auction night.  It's not unusual to have questions arise about a specific transaction, sometimes days after your event.  Unraveling the puzzle is often easier if you are able to determine which volunteer handled the transaction and seek any insight they may have to offer. . .

3. Think through certain processes to avoid delay and surprises.

Three weeks before the event, take some time to sit down, think about the flow of guests on event night, and make a few decisions about how you would like that flow to happen.  Build your event-night routine around these decisions.

• How do guests get their paddle numbers? Do you need an extra volunteer to dig through a stack and quickly produce a pre-printed paddle? Where should that person be located?
• If you will be selling any items at check-in, does the guest need a proof of purchase to receive the item they buy? How are these distributed?
• How close to the door is your check in table?  Do you need a "traffic cop" volunteer to circulate among chatting guests to make sure they know there is an available check in station?
• At the end of the night, where do guests go to claim their items and/or gift certificates?   Is it far enough away to avoid a traffic jam at the checkout desk?

4.  Consider using the Advanced Check-in and Self Check-out features to allow your guests the option of checking in online prior to your event and/or checking out on their smartphone.  Even if most of your supporters are "old school", allowing those that appreciate the shortcuts to make use of them will reduce the lines (and stress on your volunteers).    If it seems like a lot of work to set up self check-out for a few  - it really isn't - and imagine how happy it will make your supporters that just need to pay for drinks. raffle tickets and a paddle raise. . .

5. Set up a "Help" station  and have it manned by you or your most competent lieutenant.

You’re undoubtedly planning to set up 3, 4 or more check in stations, which will double as check out stations at the end of the night.  This will help you process your guests quickly and efficiently.  You’ll do better still if you set up an extra station, slightly off to the side, and make that your Troubleshooting Station. Put someone there who is authorized to make decisions about guest payments and returns and disputed bids, and knows the software well.  When a situation arises that your volunteers have not been trained to handle, and which threatens to bog down their line, instruct them to refer them to the Troubleshooting Station.

Your guests will appreciate that fact that the “regular” lines are moving, and you avoid the appearance of everyone huddled around a computer trying to help a high-maintenance guest while the rest of them have to wait. Your volunteers and guests will thank you.

6.  Make sure you have a plan for distributing raffle prizes (and calculating any  "share the pot" prizes).  Double-check each raffle item to ensure there is a prize item set up to "sell" to winner for $0.  If you have a share the pot prize, bookmark the report showing raffle sales (once all sales have been entered!).

7.  Discourage early check-out!  One of the most common (and preventable) causes of delays in the check out process is having your team's efforts disrupted by guests wanting to check out early.   Trying to help someone early by figuring out what they won, then getting it entered so they can check out early will suck critical time away from getting everything else entered in an efficient manner so that all guests can be helped in a timely manner.   Post signs stating "Check Out Will Commence at XX:00" .  If someone insists they must leave, ask if they vaulted a credit card.  If so, assure them it isn't a problem for them to leave, you can email their receipt the next day (or on Monday).  If they did not vault a card, you can quickly do so in the check in screen.  And the beauty of non-profit auctions is that you often know your supporters and where they live, so the risk in letting someone leave without checking out is often negligible.

8. Standardize what to do and say when a credit card fails at check-out.

NOTE: Credit Card processors do not reward persistence in the face of their rejection.

Before the event, you (and our support team) will test your credit card account to make sure it is working. But even if the account is set up correctly and working, you may still see some transactions get declined. Know how to read the message that comes back from the gateway, and decide how to handle the most common situations in advance.

• Look at the failure message (it will be in a red box near the top of the screen). If it says "declined" without any more specific message, it could be many things but most often, the card company is saying that the cardholder is over their limit. (Suggested response: “Hmm. That one didn’t seem to work. Maybe it’s the magnetic stripe. Do you have another card we can try?”)
• If you don’t get a specific message, confirm that the information grabbed by the card-reader matches the name, etc on the card, and try one more time.
• After second failure, confirm that the billing address matches address entered in the system and then manually key in the card and try again.
• If it fails again and they do not offer a second card, say "There are so many reasons why these things don't go through. If you call the number on the back of the card, they can probably give you more specific information than we can."
• If the guest is well known to you and/or your organization, consider resolving the problem in a less public manner by suggesting you/they follow up on Monday. . .

9. Take care of your Volunteers.

On event night, your volunteers at the desk will be working hard, and dealing with a lot of people.  Be nice to them.

• During the event, when your volunteers are entering sales, have another person who "Knows Things" avaiable to handle all inquiries, so that the volunteers who are entering sales can concentrate on their task.
• Make an effort to always have someone available who has authority to make decisions on returns, disputes, lost tickets etc.
• It’s nice to feed your volunteers. Hot food is really nice.  A glass of wine does wonders.
• If you can recruit enough volunteers to do shifts, this allows for breaks - and perhaps a little bidding - by these valued members of your team.
• Extra tip - call us to see if we can play matchmaker with another school or organization in your area who would be willing to swap volunteer squads - your team works their event, and their team works yours.  We do this frequently, and it makes everyone happy.

10. Make sure you have reviewed and addressed any issues notes in the Pre-Event review our support team emailed to each person listed on your site at:  Admin > Site Settings > Customize Your Site > Organization.   Pre-event reviews are done one week prior to your specified event date.

11.  Know where your ICE spreadsheet is located.  

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency .  Lost WiFi.  Lost Electricity.  

Your time is almost always better spent getting things restored than going to paper but switching from one to the other and back is possible if you are prepared.   Of the thousands of events using our software, we can count on one hand the number that have even temporarily resorted to paper.  (However -  losing access to your credit card gateway DOES happen so make sure you have your account info with you at your event so you can reconnect.  See #1 above.  And yes, the fact that we recommend this in 40 different places is indeed significant and intentional. . . )

• Admin > View Reports > Post Auction > Excel Backup gives you a spreadsheet with a Guest list with space to record sales and an Item list with space to record buyer or track inventory.  Both are in a single document that can be used as a spreadsheet or printed.

12. Supplies to have on hand.

• An extra ream of paper for the printers.
• 8.5 x 11 card stock and a Sharpie (for Emergency Bid Paddles)
• Pens and staplers and scissors