South Beach Wine & Food Festival

South Beach Wine & Food Festival The Food Network made sure that those who weren't able to partake in their beachside fundraising festivities in Miami were still able to show their support - by bidding in their South Beach Wine and Food Festival online auction!

Since 2006, the Food Network has run several auctions with cMarket, raising funds for Florida International University's programs in hospitality and spirits beverage management. Veterans of online fundraising, each year they expand their auction catalog and collect high end donations such as exotic travel packages, gourmet dining experiences, rare wines, tickets to events and more.

A highly anticipated event, the SOBE Wine and Food Festival raises thousands for the University's programs each year. To ensure that their auction is as profitable for the school as it is exciting, the Food Network opens their catalog to the public by placing it online. For many bidders, their selection of fine wines and trips abroad presents the opportunity to indulge, while helping to raise money for the school.

In 2008, the SOBE Wine and Food Festival raised $266,000 for Florida International University. They sold 166 of their items online, including 63 destinations that generated 562 bids and over $140,000 for the "Travel" section - by far the most popular category in their auction. Another notable category was, of course, "Wine & Spirits". It featured a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothchild 2000 that raised $20,500 at auction - a bargain for the highest bidder, as the same bottle fetched over $100,000 at an earlier auction.

In addition to the general online exposure, the Food Network sent out 12 emails during the course of their fundraiser. They also took advantage of cMarket's online donating capabilities to earn extra revenue and secured five sponsors for their auction site to raise money apart from their catalog of items. With their sixth successful fundraiser behind them, the Food Network has now raised close to three quarters of a million dollars with cMarket's online auctions.