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Concert night auction setup
A concert hall has a lobby, an interval and a silence rule. Plan for all three.
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Most guidance about running an auction at an event assumes a gym or a banquet room with tables, milling and background noise. A concert is not that. People are seated and quiet for long stretches, the lobby is busy for three short windows, and announcements compete with a programme.
The three windows
- Before the doors — the longest browsing window and the one most programs waste. Open the lobby early and staff it
- The interval — short, crowded, and where most in-person bidding happens. Have more helpers than you think you need
- After the final piece — people leave quickly. If you are closing bidding here, announce it from the stage before the last piece, not after
Lobby setup
- Display sheets with a large QR code per item and "Scan to bid" above it
- Physical items on tables where the lobby allows; services and experiences as sheets
- One volunteer whose entire job is helping people bid on their phone
- A single screen or poster showing the goal and progress
- Nothing that requires people to queue — a queue in a concert interval is a lost sale
Printable sheets are generated from the items you have already entered: bid sheets and templates and display sheets and catalogs.
Open bidding online a week before
A concert audience includes people who came to hear one student and will leave promptly, and it excludes the relatives who could not travel. Opening online a week ahead lets both groups take part, and items reaching the lobby with bids already on them give an in-person browser something to react to.
See hybrid auctions.
Announcements, sparingly
Two from the stage: one at the top, one before the last piece if you are closing that night. Keep both short, name one specific item rather than describing the auction, and give the link or QR position in the lobby. A concert audience will tolerate a fundraising appeal; they will not tolerate three.
Do not interrupt the students
Worth saying to your committee explicitly. The concert is the students' night and the programme is the director's. The auction fits around both, or it fits somewhere else. A director who feels the fundraiser encroached on the performance will be harder to work with next season, and the director's cooperation is the source of your best items.
What to auction: item ideas that actually sell. Checkout after the event: silent auction checkout.
More guides for Band Boosters
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Working backwards from the deposit date Item ideas that actually sell
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The asset only a music program has
Frequently asked questions
When do people bid at a concert night auction?
In three short windows: before the doors, during the interval, and briefly after the final piece. Before the doors is the longest and the one most programs waste — open the lobby early and staff it.
Should bidding close at the concert?
It can, but announce it from the stage before the last piece rather than after. A concert audience leaves quickly once the music ends.
How many announcements should we make?
Two from the stage at most: one at the top and one before the last piece. Keep both short and name a specific item rather than describing the auction.
What do we need in the lobby?
Display sheets with large QR codes, physical items on tables where space allows, one volunteer dedicated to helping people bid on their phone, and a visible goal display. Avoid anything that creates a queue during a short interval.
Ready to start your auction?
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Free for up to 20 items · Unlimited bidders · No credit card required