Auction Communities Big and Small

No matter what industry you choose to work, it’s nice to feel a sense of camaraderie with your fellow colleagues. It’s even better when you can all come together in one place to hone your skills and share war stories. I was in Dallas recently, where I attended the 66th annual International Auctioneers Conference and Show. There were over 1,000 auctioneers in attendance from all over the world, including South Africa, Ireland and even China.

We enjoyed an opening night welcome party at Eddie Dean’s Ranch featuring nine time Grammy winner Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. The InterContinental Hotel made its home to a very impressive Trade Show featuring over 60 auction related vendors and multiple educational seminars every day. As you can imagine, there were also several auctions. There’s just nothing like an auction when there are so many auctioneers in the same room!

The week was capped off with the International Auctioneer Championship. This year, there were 97 contestants from all over the world. Congratulations to Tammy Tisland of Hines, Minnesota and Peter Gheres of Hiliard, Ohio.

Here’s to networking into the wee hours of the morning. Until next year, my fellow colleagues… get some rest!

I also had the opportunity recently to be a guest instructor at the Nashville Auction School, which is located in Tullahoma, Tennessee. There were 18 eager students representing 3 states for this particular 84 hour course. I must say, they did a great job. On one of their final days in Tullahoma, they actually set up and conducted a live benefit auction. The auction was open to the public and the community really turned out to support the auction. Each student sold 5 items, showcasing their new skills, and all of the proceeds collected that evening benefitted St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. I was the happy bidder and buyer of some farm fresh produce! Aside from the community catfish dinner before the auction, the student auction was the highlight of my visit!