| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 02.19.08 11:51 AM |
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Four of L.A.'s Top Auctioneers
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 | Andrea Fiuczynski of Christie's Los Angeles
Photo: Courtesy of Andrea Fiuczynski |
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Choosing an auctioneer? We asked some top event pros for their favorite people to run charity auctions. Here's the list of their favorites—and what the planners we polled had to say about them.
Andrea Fiuczynski
President and principal auctioneer, Christie’s Los Angeles. Lectures at museums and hosts a series of mock auctions for the advisory community and educational institutions. Fluent in German and French. Notable auctions include the Mauerbach Benefit Sale in Vienna and “Playboy at 50: Selections From the Archives.”
Planners say: “Very personable,” “really works the audience,” “she pulls that money out of the crowd if it’s there; she doesn’t give up,” “she matters in L.A.,” “straightforward and quick,” “people in L.A. know and like her.”
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 02.19.08 11:30 AM |
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How to Choose an Auctioneer
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 | Sharon Stone served as auctioneer for Amfar's Cinema Against AIDS fund-raiser in Rome.
Photo: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images |
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As event professionals well know, one of the key aspects of producing a successful live auction occurs months out, as staffers, board members, and friends of the organization secure (read: often beg for) items so unique, so desirable, that attendees (with the added bonus of helping a good cause) will open up their wallets to get them. Let’s say you’ve scored walk-on roles on Grey’s Anatomy and The Office, a private performance by Hannah Montana, and the guitar on which Bruce Springsteen wrote “Born to Run.” Your work is done: This stuff sells itself, right?
Unfortunately, no. On the night of an event, the duty of moving live auction items, ideally for impressive sums, falls to the person taking—and, hopefully, nudging up—the bids. So what makes an effective auctioneer, and how much can your choice affect the success of an auction—and ultimately, the bottom line?
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Auctions, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, Robin Hood Foundation, Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation, N.F.L. Players, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Catalina Island Conservancy |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 07.20.07 9:49 AM |
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Are Silent Auctions Worth the Hassle?
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 | Citing considerable work for a small return, Kara Logan canceled Harlem RBI's silent auction in 2006—and then brought it back this year.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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Talking to Maria-Nelly Johnson, the director of finance and administration for Special Olympics District of Columbia, you can tell she has deep affection for the Night of Trees, the organization’s 22-year-old fund-raising event. You can also tell she kind of hates it.
On the first Friday after Thanksgiving weekend, the nonprofit typically hosts as many as 900 guests, who take in a buffet, an open bar, a band, a live auction, and the big draw: a silent auction of about 200 items—including 15 to 20 predecorated Christmas trees (hence the name). It’s the silent auction that makes Johnson sound tired just talking about the benefit. “It’s extremely demanding, timewise,” she says. “I think we keep doing it because it’s become a tradition.”
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