How Many Computers at Check-In?

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 16:12:35 GMT

This question comes up a lot. Our best answer is "none," and that's probably not what you expected from an event management software company. We recommend you structure your check-in so that you don't need computers at check-in. The structure will vary somewhat, based on whether or not most guests purchase tickets and make reservations in advance, or if the majority of your guests "walk-in" to the event without advance reservations.

Before that point, some preparation is needed to make your check-in flow more smoothly, and planning for a Solutions Table can really improve guest satisfaction!

Pre-Event

Pre-load your dataset with all likely or potential attendees for whom you have names. Ask your organization for a complete parent/member/invitee list, and import names, addresses & phone numbers into your dataset. (Ideally, this is done when you begin your project, but late is better than never.) Auction! can import lists from Excel, Word tables, comma-separated or tab-delimited files with ease.

Case 1: Advance Reservations/Ticket Purchases

This is our preferred choice. As your guests RSVP, be sure they're added to your project data, Record their ticket purchases and payment, and issue bid numbers in Auction! Print catalog tags for each bidder group (couple or single) and name tags for your guests. Place the catalog tag on the packet for each couple/single bidder, or directly on their catalog.

Print the Bidder Report, including purchases & payments, to list all guests by name and indicate their tickets & payment status. When guests check in, the volunteer can check off their name, and hand them their catalog/welcome packet. (This also serves as a cross-check on attendance. Packets that are not picked up reflect guests who were unable to attend.)

If there is no packet for a guest, do NOT hold up the check-in line! Direct the guest to the Solutions Table to handle the situation. Then you can continue checking in guests.

One other note, reception volunteers should be standing, not sitting when guests are arriving. They will be able to hear guest names and reach for packets more rapidly, and the guest will feel more welcomed--the volunteer can readily shake hands, etc if they desire. If there is a snag, it's easy for the reception volunteer to even walk the guest over to the Solutions Table.

What is a Solutions Table?

In all our discussions with clients about ideas to improve check-in flow, this is one of the most useful concepts we've run across!

Near Guest Reception, but not at the same table, create a Solutions Table staffed by a one or two of your premier volunteers. These volunteers should be key Reservations team members, who are familiar with the RSVP cards sent in, know "who's who" in your organization, and have significant diplomatic skills. The Solutions Table has spare packets or catalogs with available bid numbers, cards for registering walk-in bidders, a cashbox for storing walk-in payments, etc. They know which tables have space and where a walk-in might be placed, and they know the situation on catering--whether there are more London Broil or Chicken & Pasta dinners available for walk-ins.

You might consider providing a chair or two for the guest to be seated while filling out a registration card or writing a check, etc. Some events go so far as to offer the guest a beverage here. The goal is to handle the walk-in, exception case in a way to make the guest feel welcome.

The solutions table volunteer must be able to resolve situations appropriately for the guest who says "but I know I mailed my check two weeks ago," or "I thought the Wilsons purchased my tickets since I'm at their table" when in fact the Wilsons sent a list of different guests to fill their purchased table. The important point is to handle the exceptions that always occur gracefully, to get guests into the event as soon as possible, and keep the regular reception areas flowing smoothly by moving exception cases away the regular reception area.

This volunteer MIGHT want a computer--it depends on their style. They may prefer to search the database for additional information, or they may prefer to work with the reservation cards sent in, bidder reports, etc. In our experience, these volunteers often prefer to work with registration cards and paper reports, and send the results back to the data entry area, but it's your choice. We've seen it work well both ways. This is the only place we recommend you consider a computer at check-in.

If you do use a computer at check-in ...

The best feature for reception is Insert, Quick Names. This screen is designed to enter additional bidders with an absolute minimum amount of data entry, and minimum tabbing between fields. As you enter the first and last name, it searches the existing data for likely matches. When a match occurs, you can choose one of the existing matches, or ignore it and continue. You can add the address and other details later, at your convenience.

Case 2: Guests Walk in to the Event (no pre-purchased tickets)

The pre-event step (above) of importing potential guest names into your project dataset is triply important. The other step, pre-event, is to assign bid numbers to all potential guests. When a guest arrives who's on your list, notify them of their bid number. You can use a broad-tip marker to write the bid number on the back of their catalog, or give them a card with the number; methods vary for these more casual, walk-in events.

If a guest is not on your preassigned bid number list, the Solutions Table comes to your rescue. Direct the guest to the Solutions Table, where a volunteer can welcome them, have them fill out a registration card, and assign an available bid number. Again, do not impede the main flow of guest reception by handling the exceptions; have a Solutions Table to the side.

At this type of event, depending on the clientele, the Solutions Table may have more staffing than the primary reception area. It depends on the percentage of repeat guests you will have already pre-registered versus surprise walk-ins.

Should we have computers at the Solutions Table? Again, this is a maybe. I have a personal distaste for being seated at a computer and having guests "stand over me." I dislike it even more when guests get "in my face" and it does happen occasionally. (There's a reason why airline desk staff work standing, face to face with the passenger, with a narrow counter between them.)

If all guests are walk-ins, my personal preference is to give each reception clerk a stack of available bid numbers (different for each clerk!), an invitee/bidder report, and registration cards. If an event is comprised entirely walk-ins, completely unknown to your organization, then your entire reception area should really be configured as if it were Solutions Tables. Data entry can be done by volunteers in a quiet back room, and continue during the silent auction. Meantime the guests are welcomed into the event rapidly, to bid and enjoy themselves, and help your organization achieve its goals!

Keeping the Silent Auction Open

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:25:16 GMT

When should I close the silent auction? Should I keep it open during dinner to try to raise more money? What about during the live auction? Good questions. We've spent a lot of time discussing this with clients and auctioneers. Our best advice is:
Close the silent auction before dinner & live auction. You can close it in sections or all at once, but we repeat Close the silent auction before dinner & live auction.

Guests should enjoy themselves.

In our experience, once dinner is served, bidding diminishes to a trickle. A few stalwarts will continue bidding. The rest of your guests will breathe a sigh of relief--"I'm ready to eat!" A small cadre will make half-hearted attempts to return to bidding occasionally, and more than a few will be annoyed that they still need to protect their bids, and can't simply enjoy dinner and the live auction.

It's exciting!

When you count down to closings with all your guests in the silent auction area, it's exciting, and people eagerly bid against each other, raising more money for your cause. When you count down during dinner, perhaps 10-15% of the guests participate, and generally don't need to bid to win. The rest of the guests wonder when the emcee or auctioneer will quit talking on the microphone so they can return to their conversations.

It's friend-raising, not just fundraising.

A fundraising auction is about raising money, AND it's also about building community. Your guests should be enjoying dinner and visiting with each other. They should feel free to enjoy the live auction and the auctioneer's performance--this is part of the evening's entertainment. If they're worried about a silent item they want, or trotting back and forth to check the bid, they're not having as good a time as they might, and they're not bidding in the live auction. Maybe they can't afford to bid in the oral auction, but you can't afford to have them distracting others who might.

Won't we lose revenue?

In our experience, the incremental money raised by keeping the silent auction open during dinner & live auction is insignificant. But don't take our word for it: at your next event, go around and place a "tickmark" on the silent auction bid sheets just after the last bids, as dinner is being made available. When you pick up the bid sheets later, we believe you'll see that most items don't have higher bids. Once most bidders are done, they're done.

We don't have a live auction.

OK, but the real question is "Why not?" All of our clients' and our own experiences shows that a well-run live auction, even with only 12-18 items, plus a pledge/fund-a-need/give from the heart/raise your paddle will raise as much or more as you've already raised in your silent auction. (usually more) If you're going to the trouble of organizing your event, and dinner, and table seating, and a festive theme, you're leaving too much money on the table by skipping a live auction. And yes, you need to hire a professional auctioneer--but that's a topic for another entry.

Data entry is easier.

Ah yes, enlightened self-interest... Even with the fastest keypad entry operators and great software, it still takes a finite amount of time to enter winning bids, perhaps 5-10 seconds apiece. Multiply that times 300 items; 25-50 minutes, or more if there are interruptions, illegible bids, etc. You can reduce the time by networking several computers together, but it still takes some time. Then you want to run reports, check your data entry and print invoices for your guests. When you keep the silent auction open late, you reduce time for data entry. If guests try to leave early, you'll feel rushed, and have lines for checkout.

We've always done it this way...

Yes, you have. We know this is a big change for some organizations. Don't be afraid to change. Focus on making your guest experience marvelous from start to finish. They'll thank you for it, they'll bid more cheerfully, and they'll be back next year!

Gala Auction Tips, Tricks and Musings: Event Flow & Logistics