Your merchandise has arrived, banquet day is approaching and you’re hoping to get top dollar for your auctions and raffles. How do you make sure your merchandise will grab the right kind of attention? Here are some tips and tricks to make sure your items look their best on banquet day:
Don’t put everything on the same plane. Try putting a box under a tablecloth to elevate one item above the other (note the vases and jewelry in the photo). This helps bring depth to your display and keeps the eye interested. Notice how we’ve placed only three items on one table. Avoid displaying too many items together. This causes clutter.
Use different textures. Place different furs (note wolf and snowshoe hare hide in the photos) and tablecloths; try using pieces of driftwood; collect colorful leaves or natural rock. Use silk, RMEF bandanas (pictured) or other fabrics.
Go for functional and beautiful. If you need to prop a firearm up, don’t just use an unfinished dowel. Use a spent cartridge casing to prop a trigger guard, or try using an antler to hold a rifle up as we did here.
Borrow things. Do you have clothing to display? Ask a local store to borrow a display mannequin. Clothing on a mannequin looks better than a pile of clothes, or a shirt laid flat on a table. Jewelry? Ask a jewelry store if you can borrow a display aid. Do you have a member who’s an avid shed hunter or trapper? Ask them to lend antlers or tanned furs.
Mirrors and small lights can be your friend. Position mirrors strategically to reflect an RMEF logo, or use a small light to sparkle an especially eye-catching piece of jewelry.
Tap into your talent. Do you have interior or graphic designers, storeowners, artists or carpenters on your committee? Ask them to lend their expertise.
Check a thrift store or a used online products vendor. You might be able to find jewelry display mannequins or other good display items cheap online or second-hand that you can use year after year. Just make sure they are lightly used and not used up.