Zoo To Do Silent Auction Tips

The Virginia Zoo’s annual gala, Zoo To Do, is just a week away! Staff and attendees are equally getting prepared for a night of feasting, dancing and untamed fun. Besides having the opportunity to take in new sights of the World of Reptiles and Friends, drink the night away, and eat until your heart’s desire, guests can also bid on some ssspectacular Silent Auction items!

Some packages and items are already available to bid on, while others will become available for auction on the day of the event – June 2. Whether you’re a pro at bidding on the most desirable of items, or new to the bidding game, here are a few tips to make you the ultimate Silent Auction expert.

The Zoo uses BidPal to run our online Silent Auction for Zoo To Do. When guests arrive and check in, a link to begin bidding will be texted to their phone. Can’t make the event? You can bid from home! Just visit bidpal.net/zootodo to start the fun.

If you’re coming to the event, before you start looking for items to bid on, be sure to register a credit card! This is to ease the process of checking in at the gate and checking out at the end of the night. You can always choose to pay with another method when retrieving your item at the event, such as cash or check. Keep in mind you can’t place any bids unless you have a card on file – it’s just like having a tab at the bar!

Do you see an item you just have to have now? You can choose to ‘Buy It Now’ at the set price to ensure it’s yours. The item will then become unavailable for anyone else to bid on. Maybe the ‘Buy It Now’ is a little more than you want to spend. You can always set a max bid that allows BidPal to automatically bid for you until it reaches that price. You can increase your max bid at any time and you will even receive a text if someone has outbid you!

 

This year, some of our most popular Zoo-centric Silent Auction items have returned, such as the Pig Walking Experience, Zoo Vet for a Day and our remarkable animal artwork. We’ve also added new items and experiences like an interactive Animal Ambassador experience and naming rights for one of our new Siamese crocodiles! You can also bid on first-class flight tickets and various sports packages. There’s something within our Silent Auction to suit your fancy.

  

Remember, you can bid from home, but let’s face it, you want to be in the middle of the fun! Tickets are still on sale for Zoo To Do and will increase $10 in price on Monday, May 28. Zoo To Do is June 2 from 7 pm to 10 pm (Zoo members can access the even an hour early at 6 pm). We hope to see you there!

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