Now Live: The NOCCA Institute’s 2013 ART & SOUL Silent Auction!

Now Live: The NOCCA Institute’s 2013 ART & SOUL Silent Auction!

We’re happy to announce that the 2013 ART & SOUL silent auction is open for bidding! If you’ve ever used an online auction site like eBay, you’ll feel right at home perusing and placing bids on these vacation packages, paintings, gift certificates, and other great items:

1. Start by visiting the registration page.

2. On the right side of the page, enter your first name, last name, phone number, and email address. We encourage you to register with your mobile phone number, since doing so will allow you to place bids before and during ART & SOUL. You’ll even get text messages when you’re outbid on items! You can preview items online with or without a mobile phone, but in order to place bids before May 19, you’ll need to do so via cell. (Standard messaging and data rates may apply, depending on your cellular plan.)

Cell phone confirmation from AuctionsByCellular3. If you register with your cell phone, you’ll receive a text message from AuctionsByCellular containing brief instructions on how to bid via text. (You’ll see an example of that text message at right.) In a nutshell, all you have to do is reply to that text message with the item number, a blank space, and your bid. For example, if you like item #210 and want to place a bid of $150, you’d text “210 150” to the same number that confirmed your reservation. Note that you don’t need to include the “#” or “$” symbols when bidding.

4. If you have a smartphone like an Android, Blackberry, iPhone, or Windows phone, bidding is even easier. In the text message confirmation you receive from AuctionsByCellular, you’ll see a link to a web address. Click on it, and you’ll be able to view every item that we’ve placed online. (We’re adding more every day!)

5. Once you’re there, click on any item to preview it. If you like what you see, you have two options for bidding:

Individual auction lot, AuctionsByCellular

“Place” allows you to place a bid at a set amount. In the example at right, you’ll see a “Be Nice Or Leave!” painting by Dr. Bob. The “Place” bid field defaults to the next appropriate bid, which in this case is $25, but you can enter any amount that you like.

“Auto” is like the “Max bid” option on eBay. Click “Auto”, then enter your maximum bid, and our auction system will update your bid as competing offers come in, up to your maximum amount. If you really like an item, this is the simplest way to make sure you get it!

6. If you don’t use a cell phone or prefer not to bid that way, that’s fine, too. Though you won’t be able to place bids before May 19, we’ll have plenty of personal shoppers on hand during the ART & SOUL patron party and gala to take bids on your behalf.

And that’s it. The auction will close at 9pm Central Time on Sunday, May 19. Upon closing, cell phone users will receive text messages telling them that they’ve won. They can then walk right to an auction checkout station and pick up their item(s). Folks who don’t use cell phones can speak to any personal shopper or the helpers at checkout to learn what they’ve won.

We’re very excited to offer this new way of enjoying and bidding on our silent auction items, but we know that some of you will have questions. Please feel free to call Richard Read at 504 940 2808 — he’ll be happy to walk you through it.

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: May 19, 2013: The NOCCA Institute & The Lupin Foundation Present The ART & SOUL Gala | The NOCCA Institute

  2. Pingback: May 19, 2013: The NOCCA Institute & The Lupin Foundation Present The ART & SOUL Gala | NOCCA

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