IML's Silent Auction technology generated huge excitement at the Financial Markets Foundation for Children's (FMFC) gala dinner, helping the charity, which funds research into children's health, raise over $44,500 from 27 silent auction lots.

Paper based auctions previously used by the FMFC lacked fun and excitement, resulting in sluggish bidding. In stark contrast, IML's keypads created feverish competition amongst guests which increased bids, raising 4 times more money than at last year's event.  

Bidding fun

The silent auction kicked-off with an introduction to the lots and guests used IML's Communicator keypads to scroll through a brief description of each item. Guests could then bid instantly on the lots by using the keypad from the comfort of their seats.

Guests quickly got into the spirit of the silent auction, bidding thousands within minutes of it opening!

Keypad screens and large plasma televisions placed around the room continuously updated everyone with the current highest bids, generating competitive bidding amongst guests determined not to be outdone by their peers.

Increased bidding activity added to the fun of the evening and dramatically improved the value of the lots, raising significantly more money for the FMFC.

Towards the end of the evening, the atmosphere was buzzing and competitive bidding had reached fever pitch. As the auction neared its close, tension mounted and an influx of bids poured-in from competitive bidders determined to win their desired lots at the last minute, resulting in even more money being raised for the charity.

Identifying guests

Guests were identified using Smartcards that activated keypads and automatically linked their name to their bids. At the end of the silent auction IML immediately provided the FMFC with a report identifying the winning bidders.  

Event Outcome

Overall, the FMFC's gala dinner raised over $550,000. As well as heightening the guests' enjoyment and creating a competitive bidding environment, the FMFC saw a great return on investment using the IML Silent Auction technology.

Testimonial
"IML's technology created huge excitement at our gala dinner - guests loved bidding with the keypads and they were so easy to use. We raised almost $45,000 from the silent auction alone. That's $32,000 more than last year's paper silent auction!"