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Is the highlighted phrase an indirect way of saying "the auction raised nearly two million dollars"?

The program featured a cocktail hour—the Top Spin (gin with lime juice), the 40–Love (strawberry liqueur and Prosecco)—followed by dinner, a performance by a mentalist, and a live auction, which would, by the end of the evening, raise nearly two million dollars.

Edit: The sentence came from this lengthy piece about tennis star Novak Djokovic.

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    Please, please, PLEASE do not ask about the meaning of passages without including additional information about where you got it from. Imagine me asking the question, "What does Mary had a little lamb mean?" without linking to online restaurant review where the author writes: I went to this delightful little cafe with my friend Mary on a Tuesday evening when the crowds were sparse. I ordered the Coq a Vin; Mary had a little lamb. Both of us found the meals tasty and perfectly seasoned. Many who want to tackle the problem of literary interpretation appreciate full context – please give it.
    – J.R. ♦
    Sep 13, 2013 at 9:43
  • @J.R.- That's awesome!
    – Jim
    Sep 15, 2013 at 3:03

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Would is used as the past form of will.

He said he would be here at eight o'clock. He says he will be here at eight o'clock.

She asked if I would help. She asks if I will help.

Using the Simple Present for feature, the quoted sentence would become:

The program features a cocktail hour—the Top Spin (gin with lime juice), the 40–Love (strawberry liqueur and Prosecco)—followed by dinner, a performance by a mentalist, and a live auction, which will, by the end of the evening, raise nearly two million dollars.

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  • But eventually this auction earned that right?
    – user2492
    Sep 13, 2013 at 0:32
  • The two million dollars were raised, yes.
    – apaderno
    Sep 13, 2013 at 0:40
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    IT is a bit ambiguous whether it is the program or the auction that raised the 2 million. Grammatically it should be the auction, but I have a feeling that it's really the program.
    – Jim
    Sep 13, 2013 at 1:33
  • @Jim I think it is the auction that raised two million dollars. If it were the program to raise two million dollars, I would expect an and instead of which: "The program featured […], and would raise […] two million dollars."
    – apaderno
    Sep 13, 2013 at 1:45
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    @kiamlaluno- Like I said, I agree that grammatically it should be the auction, but it sounds to me like they are describing a fundraiser that includes the bar, dinner, a show and the auction, and that by the end of the whole evening (in which all those things took place) they will have raised 2 million. If it's just the auction, why mention all those other potential fundraising activities?
    – Jim
    Sep 13, 2013 at 1:50

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