[Yapc-na-organizers] YAPC Auctions

[Jim Brandt]

Dave Rolsky wrote:

> 
> Of course, you could also do _both_ of these, and/or include a live 
> auction. Personally, I think a live auction is good for a few select 
> items, like "lunch with Larry" and stuff like that. It's possible to whip 
> up a little excitement and get some drunken bidding going. It seems like 
> this could easily be done in 30 minutes or less, by just picking a few 
> unique items (no books, shirts, etc).
> 

This is more or less what has been done for the past few years. The 
organizers put items like books, t-shirts, etc. out with sheets to bid 
on. Then they had a smaller list of items they auctioned live. The 
challenge for the organizers is to find the right balance so the auction 
can be fairly quick (maybe an hour?) and fun.

I have thought an on-line sort of auction would be even better. The 
organizers could post all of the items in the system before the 
conference even starts (and before things get crazy). Starting opening 
day, people bid on-line and all the items are sold off at the auction. 
The bigger or more interesting items could be displayed and even bid on, 
but you let more bidding happen at the auction. That starts the bidding 
higher and moves through each item faster.

Another way to make the auctions more interesting is to ask, "What do 
Perl coders really want?" and try to get those things rather than just 
relying on the default books and t-shirts. This sounds painfully 
obvious, but in my experience the auctions have usually just happened 
without anyone really planning them.


-- 
Jim Brandt
The Perl Foundation
email: cbrandt at perlfoundation.org