At a recent event for the nonprofit I volunteer with, we were blown away by the overwhelming success of our silent auction, and the great experience it created for our constituents.

Here are a few event tips that worked really well for us.

1. Yes, we accept credit cards. Throughout your event make several announcements that you accept credit cards.  People want to be able to pay via credit card.  In our case, just saying that we accepted credit cards helped drive traffic to the silent auction tables, and we are all convinced that it helped drive up the prices of the items.

2. Yes, we have something for everyone. Make sure you have items that interest everyone in the room.  Our biggest shock was how much the guys enjoyed bidding.  We had lots of spa packages, but the best sellers were camo hunting bags.  Plus, the competition amongst the men drove prices up substantially.  We were sure glad we had those items in the auction.

3. Yes, paying is fun.  When we decided to use the iPad as our payment device, we had no idea that it was going to be the talk of the event.  Our biggest win of the night came from the check-out line. Everyone wanted to pay and sign on the iPad.  It was so popular that we created a raffle on the spot so that everyone could make a donation and sign the iPad.  In addition, when we swiped their card we were able to capture all of their information, and the application emailed them all receipts.  Now that is a win/win experience!

Take-away: At your next silent auction take credits cards, have something for everyone, and most importantly make sure checking out is fun!

To learn more about Mobile Payments check out this great white paper.