Special Olympics
Client Profile
Special Olympics is an international non-profit organisation that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering community understanding and respect worldwide through sports training and athletic competition. Funding comes from a variety or sources including special events, corporate partnerships, government support, and private donors.
The Challenge
In October 2010, The American Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Gala Dinner in support of Special Olympics. The dinner, which aimed to raise funds for a variety of programs, was the first time Special Olympics opted to use silent auction technology. Unfamiliar with bidding technology, Special Olympics staff were unsure if the guests would be receptive to using the devices.
Actions
Special Olympics engaged Congress Rental to provide their 200 guests with the silent auction technology through the use of keypads and smart cards for each guest to track bidding details. As part of their full-service approach, Congress Rental assigned a producer to handle the project from end-to-end.
From the preparation stage, where the silent auction summary screens were prepared, to the loading of lot items and guests list right through to the execution during the gala dinner. To give Special Olympics the assurance that the outcome would be as expected, samples and drafts of the silent auction summary screen and invoices were prepared for review by the committee before being finalized.
Jeremy Ducklin, the Managing Director of Congress Rental, was personally present at the event to lend his expertise, to all aspects of the silent auction. This gave additional confidence to the committee on the quality delivery of the technology.
Results
During the event, the lot items and bids were broadcast on giant screens throughout the ballroom. From the comfort of their dinner table, guests could see how their bids stacked up against the competition. There was great buzz as guests tried to outbid one another for the most sought after items. For example, actress Zhang Ziyi’s Personal Constellation Style Omega Wristwatch with a starting bid of $1,000 went for eight times that!
Special Olympics staff was delighted by the atmosphere created and the funds raised which far exceeded their expectations. They were able to benefit from the use of silent auction technology as the results and invoices were instantly available at the close of the silent auction. There was no need for a last minute rush from the volunteers to manually tabulate the bid sheets and create invoices.
During the event, the lot items and bids were broadcast on giant screens throughout the ballroom. From the comfort of their dinner table, guests could see how their bids stacked up against the competition. There was great buzz as guests tried to outbid one another for the most sought after items. For example, actress Zhang Ziyi’s Personal Constellation Style Omega Wristwatch with a starting bid of $1,000 went for eight times that!
Special Olympics staff was delighted by the atmosphere created and the funds raised which far exceeded their expectations. They were able to benefit from the use of silent auction technology as the results and invoices were instantly available at the close of the silent auction. There was no need for a last minute rush from the volunteers to manually tabulate the bid sheets and create invoices.
We are so pleased with the services provided by Congress Rental that we plan to include this segment in our future fundraisers, not only in Singapore but also around the region. |
Our guests were so enthusiastic that they were at the check-out counter before we were ready! I was glad that the reports and invoices were available so soon after the silent auction was closed. |
