Do games work?

Has your benefit auction held a game that had guests participate in it to win a prize? How did it go? Was it magnificent? Did a good number of guests participate? Did you raise a ton of money? In my experiences with games at events these things can happen. Games take a lot of time to execute and most of them do not make a significant amount of money to justify all the set-up, volunteers and buying of prizes. I am not dismissing all games at an event. Some events are built around playing games but that is not what we are focused on here. Games like Heads Or Tails take a long time to sell beads and just as long to play the game. Most of the time the winner is predetermined by who buys the most strings of beads. In addition Heads Or Tails really doesn’t raise much money. I have played it at only two events and the following year, that client has said they’d forego doing it again. “It took too long and it didn’t raise enough money.” Bingo! Now, games that work are usually ones with intrigue. There is a genuine challenge to it. Sometimes there is a decision that has to be made that can win a huge prize or be surprised by a smaller consolation prize. I am not going to give my secrets away but some games produce fun, entertainment and most importantly, big money. That is the ultimate objective. We are raising the most money for your organization. Happy people give and unhappy people leave early. If you decide to play a game it should come with a big payoff.