Auction Invitation By Mark Bynum A new feature for the 2010 LSBF convention will be a bonsai tree auction held immediately after the Saturday evening meal. We have all tried to sell our surplus bonsai trees at local club auctions or sales events with limited results. The central purpose of a convention auction is to expand your prospective sales market to the LSBF membership from the whole state and increase your chances of selling your tree at a reasonable price. In addition, publicity will be locally distributed to entice the general public to attend. The secondary purpose of the convention auction is to raise funds for the LSBF visiting artist tour, which benefits all member clubs. The final price of each tree sold will be split 80% to the owner and 20% to LSBF and the hosting bonsai club. Only LSBF members will be allowed to enter trees into the auction with a value of $100 or more. Guidelines for the auction are attached or available online at the Fort Worth Bonsai Society webpage at www.fwbonsai.com. We would like to see the auction become a regular feature at future conventions. If the members know it is coming every year, then their trees can be prepared well in advance and the auction will just get bigger and better. To be a successful auction, we will need buyers as well as sellers. Please bring along an attitude to buy and let's have some fun!