Marion County Father-Daughter Dance
Marion County businesses put up a package — a dinner, an afternoon at the spa, a weekend rental — and it goes to the highest bidder. Every dollar goes back into the dance.
What it is
It runs online rather than in the room on the night, which means you can bid whether or not you are coming to the dance, and nobody has to stand over a clipboard between songs. Bidding opens in January and closes a week before the event.
Bidding is not open yet. Lots go live in January. If you are a business with something to offer, the page you want is donate a package — packages are being collected now, and they need to be in before the listings are built.
The prize list
The list below is the shape of it, not this year’s lots. Real packages are published when bidding opens.
Donated by a local restaurant
Hair, nails, or a full package
A bounce house or event equipment for a weekend
Limousine service on the night of the dance
Anything a local business does well — detailing, lawn care, photography
These are examples of the kind of package businesses have offered, not committed lots. Nothing here is available to bid on.
For bidders
Steps marked below are still being finalised while we choose the auction software. Everything else is settled.
How you sign up to bid depends on the platform we choose. Details here in January.
Every lot is numbered, photographed, and described, with the business that donated it credited.
Each bid raises the price by at least ten dollars. Bid as often as you like, on as many lots as you like.
Bidding closes one week before the dance. Whether the close is hard or extends on late bids depends on the platform.
Winners are contacted after the close. The week between closing and the dance is deliberate — it leaves time to arrange collection.
For businesses
This is open now. If your business has something to offer, we would rather hear from you early — packages have to be photographed and written up before the listings go live in January.
Anything a family would want and would not normally buy for themselves. Things that have done well:
A short description of what you are offering, its approximate value, any restrictions or expiry, and your logo. We write the listing and photograph the item.
Your business credited on the lot listing and in the social campaign around the auction. Donating a package is separate from sponsorship — you can do either, or both.
Packages need to be confirmed by the end of December to be included when bidding opens.
Where it goes
The auction exists to do two things: keep ticket prices where families can reach them, and pay for the parts of the evening that make it worth dressing up for.
That means the room, the photographers, the dessert tables, the music, and the additions the committee has been wanting to add. Nothing leaves the event.
Questions
January. Lots go live then and stay open until one week before the dance. The week in between is there so winners have time to collect what they have won.
No. The auction runs entirely online and is open to anyone. Plenty of bidders are not coming to the event at all.
Ten dollars. Every bid raises the price by at least that much.
Winners are contacted after bidding closes, with a week before the dance to arrange collection. Payment and pickup details will be published when the auction opens.
Packages should be confirmed by the end of December. Earlier is better, because each lot has to be photographed and written up before the listings are built.
No, they are separate. Sponsorship is a level with defined recognition across the season. An auction package is a donated item that gets bid on. A business can do one, the other, or both.
Yes. The examples are only the things that have come up before. If you are not sure whether what you have is useful, ask — it usually is.
Tell us what it is and we will do the rest — the photograph, the listing, and the credit to your business when it goes live.
FatherDaughterDanceOcala@gmail.com