—A true story about a ringmaster and the team of acrobats who helped him bring his grand circus visions to life.
The Backstory
One thing that you should know about me (Tony) is that I have always had an affinity for events. Not only do I love to attend events, but I love to plan them as well. Whether it is throwing a surprise birthday party, organizing a neighborhood party, or putting on a large charity event, I would like to think that my event planning skills are something I have crafted over the last decade plus. All of that event planning experience crescendoed into the biggest and most successful event I have put on to date: the 2024 St. Ann’s Auction.
I have run the St. Ann’s Auction multiple times in the past, and we have enjoyed success during those years. I have played every role, from chair the committee, auctioneer, emcee, bartend, cater (yes, I even catered it one year), and everything in between. I have been called in at the last minute to jump in and do what I can to create a successful event, but from the beginning, this year felt different. I was able to assemble my “Dream Team” committee and beginning in October of 2023, we were off to the races.
Setting the Stage
The first step to planning any event is coming up with the theme. We had a short list, but one kept sticking in my mind: Under the Big Top. Our committee kept thinking of all the fun things we could do with a circus theme, so we decided to run with it. The next thing we had to figure out was a raffle that could accompany the auction. In the past, we have done cash giveaways and golf carts, and this year we wanted to make a statement with a big ticket item that we could not only sell a bunch of tickets for but use as a marketing and promotional tool that could travel around and be on display during the months leading up to our event. This is where our Storm Cloud connection came into play. After a conversation with Storm client Mid America RV, we started crunching the numbers (and crossing our fingers) and we decided to go for it and make a brand new RV our grand raffle prize.
Once we had the details figured out, it was time to start designing the assets.
Calling in the Acrobats
It’s at this point in this blog that I have to start singing the praises of Storm. Once I had agreed to run the auction this year, I knew that I would need some help to make it the best it could be. I put together a proposal for Storm Cloud owners, Dustin and Candace, and sent it to them for review. I would be asking Storm to make a substantial in-kind donation of services to make this happen, and without blinking an eye, they were on board to help out. I truly couldn’t have done any of this without the help of Dustin, Candace, Jessi, and Shane. Everything I asked of them, they knocked out of the park. I say it all the time, but I am truly grateful for the amazing Storm team!
With our theme decided and our team on board, it was time to hand our vision off to Jessi, Storm Cloud's Creative Director. The only direction that we gave her was “think circus, but vintage and classy” and she went to work developing the images, colors, and style that would set the tone for the entire event.
Flying Through Hoops
The first step to bringing Tony’s Big Top vision to life was to create the design elements that would extend to all print and digital pieces for the event, from flyers and letters to posters, signage, social media, and the website. With the nature of this event and Tony’s target audience in mind, we wanted these pieces to be classy and fun (but not childish) and not overly detailed or distracting from the important information they would carry. We also gave consideration to the variety of pieces that these design elements would need to support, which led us to compile several smaller design elements that we could mix and match to fit the size and space available for each print and digital piece that Tony needed while also adding a bit of visual diversity.
We started by designing the main flyer event.
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This flyer would truly be the centerpiece of the auction, and it would set the tone for the standard of event we would be putting on. Almost immediately, the compliments would start rolling in from everyone who saw the flyer. It was exactly what we had in mind. And just like that, we were off and running.
The second step was to ensure consistency across the board, in every print and digital piece that saw the spotlight. This not only meant designing every single piece, including the website built by Storm Designer and Developer, Shane, using those originally compiled elements, colors, and fonts, but also providing Tony with the individual design elements and the backgrounds so that he could create his own matching social posts, table cards, bid cards and more, thus adding to the perceived value and recognizability of the event.
Show Time
The buzz leading up to this year's auction was on a whole other level compared to previous years. We had sold thousands of dollars of raffle tickets through the website, pre-registrations were at an all-time high, and sponsorships had tripled from the year before. Everything was set for the big night.
Our big night went off without a hitch, with the exception of a few small tech gremlins. One of the highlights of the night was a video that was played just before the live auction. Storm Owner and Videographer, Dustin edited together a video that featured b-roll videos, interviews, and images that captured the true essence of what St. Ann’s means to its members. Another highlight of the evening was when we auctioned a photo display of St. Ann’s Church that featured images captured by Storm Creative Director, Jessi.
The auction went on to be a record-setting night. We were able to raise more than $95,000 (a new record), and it was truly a night to remember.
Throughout the night I had countless people come up to me and comment on how wonderful everything looked. Our vision and Storm Cloud’s delivery of it, which started with a flyer, was apparent everywhere you looked. Signage, check-in sheets, table cards, the evening’s slideshow, everything had the Storm touch on it, and you could truly see the Storm difference.
I will forever be grateful for the work that the entire Storm team did throughout the entire auction process. I truly believe that without their help, not only would the auction looked differently, it would not have been as successful. The 2024 St. Ann’s Auction is a testament to collaboration, consistency, and determination.
The Dream Works
Whether you’re using invitations, brochures, flyers, business cards, banners, booth backdrops, graphic videos, or something else, professionally designed visuals can add a significant amount of perceived value to your event, product, or business. High-quality marketing materials speak to your potential customers (or in Tony’s case, potential donors), and say that you care about putting your best foot forward. Marketing materials may be the first, second, and third point of contact with a potential customer so the importance of that first, second, and third impression being one of quality and consistency is imperative.
At Storm, our team has years of experience helping businesses figure out what to say and how to say it. With multiple multi-talented designers AND strategists, we can combine our knowledge and ideas and push each other to make better designs that achieve better marketing results. Plus, we’re crazily creative and pretty fun to be around, too! If you’re looking for some marketing acrobats, advertising tight-rope walkers, or someone who can help you juggle your creative needs, our team is here to help bring your Big Top dreams to life!
