| AmEx launches travel auction website
Credit card giant American Express is launching a travel auction website for cardholders as part of its "My Life, My Card" strategy. The Going Once website launch is being backed by an experiential campaign centred in London created by OgilvyOne. The company is operating the site as a Dutch auction where the price continues to drop until a bid is placed. There will be nine different holiday packages available – one offered each day. The price will then drop every 20 minutes between 4.20pm and midnight. Destinations offered include Hong Kong, Antarctica and the Greek Islands. Cardholders are also given the option of buying a choice of three fixed-priced packages each day. † .
Burlco eyes Web auctions
Burlington County plans to join other local governments in auctioning government surplus items on the Web. The Burlington County Freeholders authorized its treasurer's office to sign an agreement with GovDeals Inc., which operates an Internet auction site called www.govdeals.com. The freeholders said they will sell vehicles and office equipment to the public online to make more money, save time and attract more bidders. Sharon Brauckmann, county purchasing agent, said the auction would be held later this year and not until the state Department of Community Affairs gives its approval. She said the state must approve a county application to waive the normal local public auction using an auctioneer. Kurt Brock, the county's chief financial officer, said the state is approving Internet auctions of government property only on eBay and GovDeals.
VW Auctions Off Hoods Without Car Attached
We have no idea what anyone would want with a Volkswagen Touareg hood without the rest of the car attached to it but that's the premise of a promotion the automaker is doing as a benefit for Feed the Children. Volkswagen will auction off two Touareg hoods that were signed by 40 athletes, musicians and actors during a Las Vegas Volkswagen Important People promotion in Las Vegas February 16-18 and during the National Basketball Players' Association Gala February 17. The auction began yesterday with minimum bids set at $500. Sadly, neither of the bids (one, two) have seen any action yet which, again, begs the question...who wants a hood without the car even if it does have a bunch of celeb signatures. Despite that, we have no doubt the hoods will eventually be scooped up. .
Bidding War for Green Energy
The corporate headquarters of a state-regulated utility would seem to be an unlikely place for green tech entrepreneurs to strike gold. But as global warming worries grow and regulators require utilities to obtain more electricity from renewable sources, the industry is turning to startups to meet those mandates. And so the scene this week at PG&E (PCG) in San Francisco, where California's largest utility held a bidder's conference for companies wanting to make offers to provide between 80 and 800 megawatts of clean, green energy. Like the other investor-owned California utilities – Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) - PG&E must get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. The quote rises to 30 percent by 2030. What's more, California regulators - laying the groundwork for the state's coming cap on greenhouse gas emissions - have barred the utilities from signing long-term contracts for the purchase of “dirty power" from out-of-state coal-fired plants.
Aust group bids to run New York horse racing
A consortium with its roots in Australia is bidding to run horse racing around New York. It has put in its proposal promising investment of up to $US1.8 billion. Capital Play is one of six companies seeking the franchise to operate Saratoga Racecourse, Belmont Park and Aqueduct racetracks in New York State. Four companies, including Capital Play bid originally for the rights, but the State decided to seek a fresh round of proposals. Capital Play chief executive Karl O'Farrell has outlined three proposals. "Capital Play remains fully committed to its original bid proposal which guarantees an investment of $1.8 billion," Farrell said. "Capital Play is very confident in its bid proposal; it is equally confident in its ability to bring the best marketing and racing model in the world to New York State, restoring the thoroughbred racing industry - including breeding and integrity - to the stature it deserves.
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