Auctioneers from across the state will be making their way to CQLX, Gracemere next Monday for an intense two-day ALPA auctioneers school. There is almost record attendance for this year’s school with 28 registered. The last time numbers were this high was back in 2009 and 2010.
It is great to see positivity returning to the industry. We went through some rough patches with drought year’s impacting numbers with fewer new entrants joining the industry and tighter professional development budgets. This was then followed by licensing legislation changes that deterred would be auctioneers from starting out, as it became a requirement for an auctioneer to be fully licensed before they could auction.
Experienced auctioneers and speech pathologists will be on hand to instruct the auctioneers on the finer points of their profession. The practical aspects take into consideration the pre-auction preparations including product and market knowledge and buyer requirements and post-auction responsibilities including advising sale prices and discussing the results and the market. For the auction proper, the auctioneers are instructed on their legal and ethical responsibilities with particular attention given to the Auction Terms and Conditions of Sale.
The speech pathologists are integral to the auctioneer training with close attention being paid to voice preservation. An auctioneers bread and butter is their voice, so it is important that they learn to protect it. Operating in the typically dusty, noisy saleyard environment is not conducive to good vocal care. The speech pathologists provide guidance on how to manage this risk and also how to identify the warning signs of voice misuse to prevent vocal damage. The speech pathologists provide instruction on other voice attributes including: clarity, projection, volume, pitch, diction, correct speech and pronunciation.
All auctioneering over the two days is filmed. As they say, a picture never lies or in this case film footage. The footage is reviewed with feedback provided on the auctioneering positives and negatives. The auctioneers receive a copy of this footage at the end of the school which can be used for future revision.
Moving to the broader agency profession, ALPA is on the lookout for an agent who has developed a unique marketing concept that is resourceful and "outside the box". Nominations are now open for the ALPA Fairfax Media Agency Award. This award recognises excellence in marketing, whether it be livestock, property, wool, merchandise, agronomy or insurance. If you know someone with less than 10 years’ experience in the industry encourage them to nominate. Nominations close, 13 July. The winner receives a fully paid trip including accommodation and $1,000 cash to the 2019 Calgary Stampede in Canada, courtesy of Fairfax Agricultural Media and Quadrant Ag Tours. Contact ALPA for further information.