Lyric Opera Raises More with iBid™

Feb. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- The Guild Board of Directors of the Lyric Opera of Chicago celebrated its 27th Fantasy of the Opera at the Civic Opera House on Saturday.  Despite the recent blizzard, over 550 guests attended the event, and $484,000 was raised, benefitting the Lyric Opera.  

Early in the evening, an array of elegant tastings prepared by some of Chicago’s top chefs enticed the crowd of 550 ticket-holders for the festive fundraiser. Restaurant stations could be found throughout the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer and American Airlines Mezzanine. Guests enjoyed a “Royale Unmasked” cocktail (blackberry cassis and Champagne) and other refreshments while they placed silent-auction bids in the Nancy W. Knowles Lobby, or purchased raffle tickets. For the first time this year, guests were able to bid electronically, via Events.org’s iBid, using their personal communication devices or ones provided for the evening.  iBid assisted in increasing the auction’s income by over 20% this year.

The Guild Board chose to host an online auction prior to the event, opening bidding to the public.  The silent auction included tickets to the Lyric’s Opening Night Gala, a private tour of the Adler Planetarium, and dinner for four at Tru.  The online auction closed at 9pm the evening before the event and reopened for the gala on Saturday.  Events.org’s technology streamlined the auction process.

A Co-Chair of the Silent Auction said, “Contracting Events.org was the most effortless way for the Lyric's Guild Board to increase their income from their annual silent auction.  I look forward to working with the wonderful staff at Events.org on other volunteer boards I serve upon.”

With iBid™, guests have the option to participate in the auction using their personal Smart-Phones, iBid™ handhelds, iPads, and touch-screen bidding kiosks. By eliminating paper bid sheets, guests are immediately involved in the auction and are also able to track favorite items, place maximum bid amounts, receive outbid notifications, and search for items, categories, and keywords. iBid benefits both the bidder and the organization:  The bidder has an easy and convenient way to bid in real-time wherever they are whenever they want throughout the evening; The organization is able to take advantage of the new affordable technology which ultimately leads to higher charitable proceeds.

iBid™ is the brainchild of Chicago based software company Events.org. Founded in 2002 by a philanthropic foundation, Events.org is a premier software management and consulting company providing on-demand software and services to charities, schools, universities, and business foundations across the nation. The iBid is the result of a series of technology innovations provided by Events.org.  Events.org offers Online Registration, Event Management, Online Donations, Online Auctions, Auction Management, Donor Management, and Membership Management Solutions.  

For more information, please contact events.org 847-513-6460 or visit www.events.org.