How to run a lucky draw at your annual dinner, step by step

A step-by-step plan for the lucky draw at a company dinner: guest list, rules, rehearsal, the running order on stage, absent winners and handing out prizes.

The lucky draw is the part of the annual dinner most guests wait for. It is also the part that goes wrong most often: a name nobody can read, a winner who already went home, a draw that looks rigged, or forty minutes of prizes that empty the room. This guide is about how to run the draw itself, from four weeks out to the last prize. For what to give away, see our lucky draw prize ideas.

Four weeks before: the guest list

Everything starts with a clean list. Ask HR for the final list as an Excel or CSV file, one person per row.

Full name as people know it, not only the name on the passport. "Kenji Watanabe" is fine; "WATANABE KENJI (HQ-FIN-0213)" is not something an emcee can read out.
A second column that tells two people with the same name apart: staff ID, department or the last four digits of a phone number.
The table number, if you have a seating plan. It helps the emcee find a winner quickly.

Then remove what should not be there: duplicates, people who left the company, and the test names from last year.

Four weeks before: the rules

Write the rules down in five lines and share them with the committee and the emcee. Most arguments on the night come from rules that were never agreed.

Who is in the draw: all staff, or only those present? Are directors, the organising committee and the emcee in?
One prize per person, or can a name come up twice?
Does a winner have to be in the room?
How long does a winner have to come up before you draw again?
Can a prize be swapped or given to a colleague?

Two weeks before: set it up

Create the event and add a lucky draw.
Choose how names get in. Upload the guest list, or switch on QR entry so guests join at their table. With QR entry only people in the room can win, which removes most "winner not here" moments.
Add the prizes in the order you will draw them, from the smallest to the grand prize, each with a picture and how many there are.
Pick the look of the big screen and the way names are revealed.
Decide who runs the draw on the night. One person on a phone or laptop, standing where they can see both the stage and the screen.

One week before: rehearse

Run the whole draw once with the committee, on the same laptop you will take to the venue.

Open the big screen on that laptop and switch to full screen.
Run the controller from the phone that will be used on the night.
Draw three or four test prizes, try a redraw, then clear the test winners.
Time one prize from start to finish. Most take 60 to 90 seconds with the walk to the stage and the photo, which tells you how many prizes fit into your slot.
Brief the emcee: the order of prizes, the rules, and what to say if nobody comes up.

On the day: the technical check

Arrive before the guests and do these in order.

Connect the laptop to the projector or LED wall and check the picture fills the screen.
Give the laptop its own internet connection if you can, such as a phone hotspot. Venue Wi-Fi is shared by hundreds of phones once dinner starts.
Turn off sleep and notifications on the laptop.
Open the draw's waiting screen and leave it there.
Put the QR code on every table if guests join themselves, and check one phone from the back of the room.

On stage: the rhythm of each prize

A draw that keeps the room has the same rhythm for every prize:

The emcee names the prize and the sponsor, if there is one.
The operator picks the prize on the controller; it shows on the big screen.
Draw. The names roll and the winner appears.
The emcee reads the name and the department or table.
The winner walks up; the prize and the photo; applause.
Only then pick the next prize. The winner stays on screen until you do, so the photographer has time.

Keep the grand prize for the very end and announce it at the start of the night. It is the reason people stay for dessert.

When the winner is not there

Agree the waiting time beforehand, usually 30 to 60 seconds. If nobody comes, press Redraw in front of everyone. A redraw on the big screen looks fair; a quiet swap at the side of the stage does not, even when it is.

If your rules say winners must be present, say so at the start of the draw. Guests then expect the redraw and nobody feels cheated.

Many prizes, little time

With 100 vouchers to give away, do not draw them one by one. Draw a whole tier at once: the winners appear as a list on the big screen and guests check their own phones. Then go back to one at a time for the big prizes. Twenty minutes is plenty for a draw that would otherwise take an hour.

Handing out the prizes

Decide who hands out what. Small prizes are best collected at a desk near the exit with the winners list; large prizes are handed over on stage for the photo. Ask winners to bring their phone or staff card so the desk can check the name.

After the dinner

Export the winners list for HR, finance and whoever delivers the prizes, and keep it until every prize is collected. Send the photos to the communications team the next morning, while people are still talking about the night.

A checklist to copy

Guest list cleaned, with a second column to tell names apart
Five rules written and shared with the emcee
Prizes entered in drawing order, grand prize last
Rehearsal done on the venue laptop
Hotspot, power cable and HDMI adapter in the bag
Waiting time for absent winners agreed
Collection desk and winners list ready

Try it first

You can run a lucky draw in Yaypick free with up to 20 people, enough for a full rehearsal with your committee. See how the lucky draw works on the big screen, or try the free lucky draw with a short list of names.