There is no hidden information. All attendees and volunteers know how the auction is run. They know this because the introduction tells everyone exactly how it works, and everyone is on the same page.
- start PyLadies slides
- Welcome everyone
- Introduce ??? to speak about PyLadies
- restart auction slides? turn off?
- Auction Instructions/introduction
- Mock practice auction
- AUCTION!
- Thank-you’s
- Announce preliminary amount raised!
Welcome to the Nth annual PyCon PyLadies Auction! Please bear with me. The auction will start soon. As the event grows, so do my opening remarks and instructions.
Raffle tickets are $1 We change the raffle system this year. You now get a single numbered raffle slip number with a number of tickets on it. If you need to, you can add more tickets to the slip. Do not get a new slip! Winning numbers will be drawn during the auction.
We will call out the numbers and put them up on the screen in lots of 10 as the auction goes on.
You must be here when the number is drawn to pick up your item. Everything must go! The raffle is not for specific Items, when your number is called you can pick any raffle item you want. Multiple people may be selecting items at the same time, so please be respectful.
You can only win the raffle once.
We will continue to sell raffle tickets for the next 15 minutes or so, but please do so quietly. (Nope: we didn't stop even though I did say this.)
I will start describing some of the raffle items we have. (Describe things, and show them off)
At this time I would like to introduce ??? to speak about the PyLadies. ???-
go start the other slide show.
Thank you ???.
Again please bear with me, there is still more to cover. I am going to do things a bit out of order and start with some thank-you’s.
Thank:
- PyLadies
- PSF (call out director and chair)
- PyCon for hosting (and con chair)
- ???Checkout Staff/Accounting???
- ???Auctioneers by name???
- ???Volunteers by name???
- ???Hotel/Space Staff???
- Sponsors (see below)
This auction would not be possible without our sponsors. While there is a $5 cover charge, that barely covers a drink. The room, food, and AV are sponsored this year by ???.
This is unique for a tech conference. For a tech community.
(Custom thank you to sponsors calling out some of the people behind the corporations by name.)
The expo hall is over, but please, if you see attendees with a sponsor or expo ribbon on their badge, please take a moment to stop and thank them.
thank specific staff members w/ roles who went above and beyond here
At this time no more raffle tickets will be sold. *(naw... we kept selling them if people really wanted to buy in late. Noah managed the raffle script to make that work.)
How many are at a PyLadies auction for the first time? Great! Thank you very much for being here tonight! Everyone else, please pay attention as some things have changed. Again.
This evening is about having fun and enjoying ourselves and helping a good cause. We are not interested in causing anyone harm. Please spend responsibly. Only take part if it is within your means to do so. If prices go beyond what you can reasonably afford, please drop out of the bidding. Things are going to move quickly and it is very easy to get wrapped up in the moment. Winning bids ARE final. So please make sure you are not bidding beyond what is reasonable for you. We will be using some high pressure tactics, egging you on to spend more. This helps keep up the energy and the entertainment. However consent is critical in all things. If you ever feel we are overstepping our bounds and putting too much pressure on, let us know. A bare hand up is enough. hand up, palm closed This is not a bid, this is stop. Our job is not to make you feel uncomfortable. We want you to make you laugh, have a good time, enjoy yourselves, and take every spare cent you have, but no more. In whole dollar increments.
For payment we accept credit cards and small children, at $2 a pound. Children at heart will be evaluated at standard accounting depreciation rates. We can not accept cash for winning bids, or dogecoin. Sorry.
This is a Charity auction, so non-raffle winning bids and donations are tax deductible. When you win your bid a helpful runner will go with you and the item over to ??? and ??? and they will take your information and your money. Having your badge will greatly speed this process. With a few exceptions which will be noted at the time, you will take your item with you. It’s now yours. We don’t want it any more.
At the end of the auction, if you have any budget left, and if you are so inclined, we will gladly accept any donations to the PyLadies. However we ask you not to do this during the auction. You can also donate online at any time at pyladies.org
Ok, we are getting there.. only… 8 more pages of notes. (slides?)
If you are going to be bidding, you will need a numbered bidders paddle. What number it is does not matter, it just helps us see you. This is a big room and it is easy to miss people and lose track. Please be kind as we try to do right by you. It’s a bit like where’s waldo from up here, but with a lot more stress and money.
An auctioneer will get an item for auction, read its description card, and runner will take the item around the room to show potential bidders just what they are bidding on. If you want a closer look at an item, you can raise your hand, fingers spread, and call ‘runner’. Please keep your hand up so the runner can find you. Do not raise your paddle! please raise your hand with fingers spread for a runner. This will not be possible for all items, as some are large or very fragile. We will accommodate as best we can.
To be clear:
- This is a bid (hold up paddle)
- This is asking for a runner (holdup other hand fingers spread)
- This is STOP (close fingers on hand and angle down a bit)
Please do not make any bids or hold up your paddles until the auctioneer has opened up the bidding. We would like to give everyone a chance to hear the full description of the item before bidding begins. The auctioneers will give a starting bid price to open the bidding. Hold up your paddle. If there are multiple bids, the auctioneer will raise the bid. You are more than welcome to bid more than the current bid price. In fact it is highly recommended and a great way to scare off other bidders! Doubling the bid works great! When you raise the bid, hold up your paddle, and state the new price in a loud and clear voice. Please take note that others may do so at the same time as you. This will be very confusing for everyone, and we may mis hear you anyway.
As bids go up, there are minimum bid increments. This isn’t the price is right. Bidding $1001 when the person next to you bid $1000 is clever. Don’t be clever. Joke values are funny, and welcome, but hard on the auctioneers.
- Below <$100 the min bid increase is $1
- At >$100 the min bid increase is $5
- At >$1000 the min bid increase is $25
- At >$10K the min bid increase is, who cares!!!
When there are no more increases, the auctioneer will call the standard 3 times.
- Going once
- Going twice
- Going three times….
- Sold!
Yes, that is technically 3, Python is a 0 indexed language.
After you win your bid, the value will be written on the back of the item card. You go with the runner, preferably the one with your item, to pick up the card and then go over to ??? and ??? and pay for your item. You take it with you. It’s yours now! We don’t want it. We have a packing table with materials to help protect your item, but supplies are limited.
Again, mistakes will happen, we will do our best to fix them in realtime. Pushing to master on a Saturday night is fine...
That was quite a bit of information to process, so as is tradition, we will do a mock auction so everyone can see how it works. Of course we use mock. It’s a great package! This is not going to be a real auction! we will not be taking any money for this.
It’s just a bit of role play, but please treat this like a real auction. We want to give a good example of what it is going to be like and it gives us a chance to get some kinks worked out.
If you have taken part in a pyladies auction before, please to not take part in the mock auction. I would like new attendees to take part. If you don’t plan on bidding tonight, thats fine!, now is a fun safe time to take part if you like.
Auction off stickers or something similar. Give the stickers to the winner. Have a special item held out that is hidden to give to someone who took part who deserves it along with stickers as well. That could be the winner, or someone else. For example in 2019 a girl who was desperately trying to win, but the winning bidder would not take the hint to let her win. So the stickers went to him, and the girl got stickers and a custom PyLadies tote bag (one of only 3 in existence.)