Auctions!

[vidukonnews]

Auctions!

We're running the VidUKon auction again! The auction has a been a big success for the previous two years, and we're hoping that with the help of some lovely volunteers, it can be again. Thanks to past auctions, we've been able to do things like buy our own projector - freeing us from the unreliable hotel projector - provide more tea and coffee, provide nicer food, provide a USB copy of the library, confirm the hotel for the next two cons rather than just one, and give donations to charity. That's all thanks to you - the people who volunteered to be auctioned, and the people who bid on those auctions!

What does the auction involve? Basically, lovely people volunteer to make a vid for the person who submits the highest bid for that person. That the vid will be about is agreed after the auction, but the people being auctioned usually suggest things they'd like to vid, shows and fandoms they'd be happy to vid for, and so on. Enthusiastic people then bid on the auction, the vids are made, the con gets extra stuff, money goes to charity, and amazing bidders get lovely vids.

You don't need to be an amazing or experienced vidder to volunteer to be auctioned! We've had a range of vidders from the relatively inexperienced to the very well-known and accomplished, and every single person has been bid on multiple times. By volunteering to be auctioned, you help the con out immensely, and you get to make a vid that will delight the person who won your auction, and there's a pretty good chance you'll get extra jelly beans at the con too,if you're attending.

What Do We Want To Do?

There are several things we'd like to do this year, which the auction can help with. We'd like to get our own speakers for the con; as you may have heard, the hotel sound system is... erratic. Whilst there's one person who has fun trying to work out what's causing the high-pitched whine each year, we moved across to using speakers borrowed from one of the ConCom, but we'd like to get the con its own speakers - hopefully with things like longer cables, so that we can give everyone a better audio experience to go with the great vid experience.

We'd also like to be able to provide more tea and coffee again, and nicer food. Last year, we had a quiz with prizes, the prizes being donated privately by one of the ConCom; we'd like to be able to add prizes from the con as a whole, too. One of the con attendees has generously helped out by acting as a kind of con taxi for years, ferrying people around, providing lifts, and going on emergency runs when something catches fire or we find that we're missing something. They've always done that out of pocket each year, but this year we'd really like to try and contribute to their vehicle hire and running around costs. And, last but not least, we'd like to be able to donate more to charity.

Those aren't a hard limit or list of goals, though - if there are other things you think it'd be good for the con to do/have that could be auction stretch goals, please do let us know - both years the auction has run, we've raised more than expected, which is a measure of how lovely all of our bidders (you) are!

What Are The Timelines?

The site is open for people to signup as an auction victim... I mean, volunteer ... right now. It'll be open until the evening of the 22nd (UK time), and then auction bidding will start. Auction vids can be shown at the con (and we love it when they are) but they aren't a guaranteed part of a show - we tend to show them during/after Premieres, but we don't demand that vids be shown. This tends to mean that for those vids that are shown, the deadline for submissions is a bit later than others - particularly if the vid doesn't need to be listed in the conbook or form a part of the Premieres DVD. The aim is for it to be a nice thing for those involved, and being shown at the con is a completely and totally optional thing - so there's no stress if the vid doesn't make it into a show. We want it to be a fun experience for all involved.

So, please, consider signing up to be auctioned off. Think about how happy you'll be making the person who wins your auction, and how much you'll be doing for the con! Plus, remember that we love you for signing up or joining in, and are willing to bribe people with jelly beans.

Signup is through the con website - go to http://www.vidukon.co.uk and log in, and you should see an auction signup option in the panel on the left. If you are signing up, thank you - you're wonderful. Please don't be scared to sign up - some signups have been people who've never been auctioned off before, and hopefully they'll be willing to tell you that it isn't terrifying :)