Lacrosse Battery
Live Auction Ideas: A Potato Cannon Draws Bids at a Benefit Auction
Copyright (c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC
“One of a kind” auction items will always perform well in a fundraiser benefit auction. A potato cannon … made by the school’s beloved maintenance department … in an all-boys Catholic school … is a perfect example.
What is a potato cannon?
True to its name, the cannon is designed to propel a potato hundreds of yards. It is typically constructed of ABS pipe and uses a can of hairspray as the propellant to launch the potato. For obvious reasons, this is an item better suited to boys who live in wide open spaces and not in a city. Damage would no doubt ensue.
(After looking at the cannon, one auction guest – a grown man – told me, “Oh, I could have some fun with this.”)
If you have the means to build a cannon, be sure to market it appropriately. Here’s what this school did to ensure the cannon sold like a rocket.
1. In the two weeks leading up to the auction, the cannon was proudly on display in the maintenance department. Every boy in the school had an opportunity to visit the department at least once to see the cannon. The auction chair confided that many boys visited twice.
Pre-marketing the item builds anticipation for the auction and gives the boys a chance to talk about the cannon at home. Given that the students won’t be attending the auction themselves – and wouldn’t have the money to bid, even if they did attend – the school needed to provide some time for the end-user (the boys) to talk about the item at home and convince the buyers (the parents).
2. The maintenance team named the cannon and painted the name (which I’ve forgotten, but was something like “The Terminator” or “The Eliminator”) on the side of the cannon. That marketing move elevated the cannon’s reputation.
3. Prior to the auction, a “test” was conducted by the maintenance crew to ensure their workmanship was free from flaws. They launched a potato which flew over the gymnasium, beyond the lacrosse field, and into the baseball diamond. That test launch was a clever marketing tactic. It stirred up talk around the school!
4. In the maintenance department and at the auction, the cannon was marketed with a bag of ammunition (i.e. potatoes) and an instruction manual, written in both English and Spanish. The cannon was sold as a complete “batteries included” item.
The cannon drew enormous interest from the crowd during the live auction. The bidding was so spirited, the maintenance department agreed to build a second cannon for the back-up bidder. This allowed the school to earn twice the proceeds.
If your event has an unusual item, consider how you might market it to ensure it gets the attention it deserves.
About the Author
Did you enjoy this article? If so, you’ll love award-winning benefit auctioneer Sherry Truhlar’s bi-monthly e-newsletter. It’s filled with auction ideas and photos for auction committees. Sign-up at Red Apple Auctions and automatically receive her Auction Item Guide ($29 value) as a gift. The Guide lists 100 of the best-selling items in benefit auctions.
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