Charity dinners, awards nights and galas
Silent Auction Event Teams
A silent auction runs alongside a dinner or an awards ceremony. The lots are displayed in the room, guests bid on paper or on a tablet through the evening, and the total raised depends on how many guests actually look at the lots and place a bid. Staff on the floor are what make that happen.
We supply event teams for silent auctions at charity dinners, awards nights, balls and corporate hospitality across the UK: lot display staff, bid collectors, arrival desk staff and, for the bigger rooms, event managers.
Bookings are for the evening, usually from the drinks reception through to the close of bidding. Give us the venue, date and hours and say how many people the floor needs.
Itemised, usually within hours. Rates, hours and on-costs for the night, with nothing added later.
Allocated when you agree the quote, backed by support right through the night.
Our operations team selects them on skills, experience and location to suit a black-tie room.
Your briefing form is written up for the team: the cause, the lots, the bidding mechanic and the running order.
Right to work and ID verified before deployment. Employer and Public Liability insurance on every event. DBS on request.
PAYE, tax, NI and HR are run by our own staff, not passed to you.
More notice helps, but a late booking for an evening can still be covered.
Bespoke and charged separately, agreed before the night is confirmed.
The team are fantastic, so much so can we book the same team again please! They raised a record amount for charity as well.
Verified client review
Staff we supply
People For The Lots And The Tables
A silent auction only works if guests leave their seats, look at the lots and bid before the deadline. Five roles get them there.
Lot Display Team
Display staff stand with the lots, explain what each one is and how the bidding works, and keep the display looking as good at midnight as it did at seven.
- Talking guests through signed memorabilia, experiences and prizes
- Explaining the reserve, the increments and the closing time
- Keeping bid sheets, tablets and the display in order
Suits: charity dinners, sports club fundraisers, awards ceremonies
Table Bid Collectors
Bid collectors take the auction to the tables, so guests who never get up still see the lots and place a bid between courses.
- Carrying lot cards or tablets from table to table
- Taking bids and pledges on the organiser’s system
- Reminding the room as the close of bidding approaches
Suits: large ballrooms, seated dinners of 300 or more, gala balls
Arrival Desk Staff
Desk staff register guests as they arrive, hand out bidder numbers and programmes, and direct people to the lots before they sit down.
- Checking guests in against the list
- Issuing bidder numbers, paddles or tablet logins
- Pointing guests to the auction display during the reception
Suits: awards nights, corporate hospitality, membership dinners
Sponsor Reception Team
Sponsor reception staff look after a backer’s presence at the drinks reception, ideal when a brand has donated a lot or is funding the night.
- Looking after a sponsor’s display or product during the reception
- Talking to guests about the sponsor and the donated lot
- Giving out sponsor gifts as guests leave
Suits: drinks brands, watch and jewellery sponsors, travel companies, car dealers
Floor Managers
Floor managers run the auction team on the night, working to the organiser’s running order and keeping bidding moving up to the close.
- Coordinating display staff and collectors across the room
- Liaising with the organiser, the venue and the auctioneer
- Being the one person you call all evening
Larger events
Awards Nights And Big Ballrooms
An awards dinner for several hundred guests needs a team working the whole room at once, from the registration desk through the reception and across every table during dinner. An event manager runs the logistics, directs the team and stays in touch with the organiser and venue throughout.
When the auction is part of a company’s own awards night or client evening, the rest of the front of house team sits on our corporate event staff page, and the two book together.
Our 40 UK hubs supply every room, whatever the city.
Where we work
Events We Have Staffed
Each evening is staffed from the closest hub.
Auction nights on our books include:
Hotel ballrooms, stadium suites and event venues are all covered. One booking can include the registration desk, the reception and the auction floor.
Get a quote
Share The Venue And The Night
Send the venue, date, hours and floor headcount. An itemised price is normally in your inbox within hours, so the team can be confirmed before the seating plan closes.
