Friday I got a good system running with my ladies in the office to prep items for the silent auction items at the Charlotte TOR. I have 1/2 dozen Rubbermaid tubs full of items that we are going to run through the auctions. In the office we are tagging everything with bid sheets and labels. My goal is to have 400-500 items ready by Friday.
The other key point of my silent auctions is the rule that 90% of the items should have a $1 minimum bid. I think that juices the bidding and makes it worth people's time to get up and walk over to take a look at the auction pieces. Sure I'll put a few better items in there but the overwhelming majority will be bargain priced.
We are now up to 31 different table renters coming from 10 states. It's been a little musical chairs with some last minute shuffling but I've made room for everyone that wants a spot. This morning at church I talked with the facility people and confirmed all the small details. Later today I am going to put out the yard signs and banners letting everyone know that the event is taking place. The road the church on gets TONS of traffic so I think that helps with walk in folks.
My wife has reminded me several times this weekend that when it comes to getting ready for the TOR I can only do so much. It's like hosting a party for over a hundred guests where you can really overthink lots of details. Should we have name tags for everyone? What kind of free items can I give the Scouts in uniform? What's the best way to handle being a host AND trying to run my own tables. But we have a support team from the Pack and troop that I will lean on for sure.
