Event planners of all specialties are always looking for new services to bring to their clients. The problem is, services that are truly unique—and not just a retread of more traditional offerings, don’t appear with regular frequency. Thankfully, now there is a new technology—a mobile technology-based auction service— that is quickly gaining traction with event professionals across the country. Consider this statistic; 82% of Americans never leave home without their mobile phone. Now, think of that phone as a powerful auction tool—that’s making a lot of noise at silent auction events.
     Qtego Auction Technology, based in Indianapolis, Indiana has developed a patented new process that allows auction participants to place bids instantly—using their mobile phones from anywhere. Event planners not only get an auction solution that simplifies setup and management, but they can offer their clients the freedom of choosing venues with no size or distance restrictions when it comes to bidding—and with an unlimited number of participants bidding from anywhere—even places like the golf course.
     Brad Benge, co-founder and partner at Qtego says their technology is opening new doors for event professionals. “Gone are the days where event planners were uncertain about a client’s return for their investment. Our mobile auction technology means planners can provide clients easy registration with no bottlenecks, bidding information in real-time, more bidder activity since it’s easy for participants to bid from anywhere during the event, and quantifiable guest info they’ve never had before.”  
     Most importantly, event professionals are confidently advertising to their clients an improved bottom line—maximizing the revenue their clients can raise at the event, along with valuable information on each bidder in segmented databases that clients are using for continued communication with their event participants.
Qtego Auction Technology Makes It Easy For Guests To Participate
     Guests register for the auction by simply calling toll-free or sending a text and following simple prompts, thus eliminating the hassle of lines and time loss that planners often face. Participants can then bid instantly by texting the item number and bid amount or calling toll-free—literally from anywhere. The bidders also receive instant updates directly to their phone showing accepted bids, when they have been outbid—and if they have won.
     Qtego’s auction system has had a direct impact on the guest experience. “I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun bidding on anything.” said Chris Harrington,  who bid and played golf at a recent charity event. “I got updates and I was able to out-bid other players literally while I was playing golf. A cool idea actually…they had it set up where we used our phones on the course and we didn’t have to come back in and check an item bid sheet. It made the whole experience easier—and I’m sure I made the charity more money with all the bidding I did!”
A New Business Tool Advantage For Event Planners
     Planners are now promoting or adding cost-effective auctions to their service menu with greater frequency, given Qtego’s ability to make auction setup simple for them and auction event management seamless for their clients. The technology allows event planners the ability to setup auctions, load item inventories, set minimum pricing and more, remotely—from their office or anywhere, using Qtego’s simple dashboard interface. 
     Planners are also able to provide their clients with real-time reports during the auction event. Bid updates per item with dollar amounts, bidder identification, auction time remaining, winning bid results—easy closeout and billing and more are at their fingertips with monitor displays set up by Qtego’s system.
     Is Qtego Auction Technology truly a revolutionary new service that cuts through the clutter of products out there in the market today? Brad Benge thinks so. “We wouldn’t have made the service available if it wasn’t proven to be an easy-to-use and cost-effective solution for planners and their clients. The fact that the technology is new and never seen before just makes it more exciting for us to offer.” Benge added, “The bottom line is that we’re seeing planners offer more sponsor opportunities…and ultimately, raise more money for their clients and their causes than they have in the past…and that makes the technology a win-win for everyone.”
 

To find out more about Qtego Auction Technology and receive a demonstration, you can send an email to; golfevent@qtego.com call; 1-877-QTEGO94 (1-877-783-4694), and visit; www.qtego.com