Auction Day Checklist: 25 Things to Prepare Before Your Draft Starts

The difference between a smooth auction and a chaotic one is almost never the software. It is preparation. Organizers who run through a checklist the day before have calm, fast drafts. Those who wing it spend the first hour firefighting. Here is the 25-point list our most experienced organizers swear by, grouped so you can tick it off in order.

Venue and Setup (1-6)

1. Confirm venue booking and access time.
2. Test the projector or large screen with your actual auction view.
3. Confirm reliable power and locate the nearest backup socket.
4. Arrange owner seating in dugout-style clusters.
5. Set up the auctioneer position with a clear view of the screen.
6. Check lighting so the screen is readable, not washed out.

Technology and Connectivity (7-12)

7. Test venue Wi-Fi speed at the actual room, not the lobby.
8. Arrange a mobile hotspot as backup connectivity.
9. Charge all devices and pack chargers plus a power bank.
10. Log in to the auction and load your event in advance.
11. Send owners the join link over WhatsApp before they arrive.
12. Do a 2-minute live-bid dry run with one test player.

Section	Items	Common miss
Venue and setup	1-6	Untested screen
Technology	7-12	No Wi-Fi backup
Owners and money	13-18	Unpaid owner fees
Rules and roster	19-22	Vague RTM rule
Post-draft	23-25	No instant export

Owners and Money (13-18)

13. Confirm all team owners are attending or have a proxy.
14. Verify every owner fee is collected via UPI.
15. Set each team purse correctly in the system.
16. Confirm base prices for every player.
17. Cap marquee bids if your rules require it.
18. Brief owners on how to bid from their phones.

Rules and Roster (19-22)

19. Finalise the player pool and lock late entries.
20. Write RTM and tie-break rules in one shared message.
21. Decide unsold-player recall rules.
22. Set minimum and maximum squad sizes.

Post-Draft (23-25)

23. Know how to export final squads instantly.
24. Prepare a team-photo and reveal moment.
25. Draft the WhatsApp announcement to send before people leave.

The Payoff

Run this list and your draft starts on time, moves fast and ends without a single dispute. Load your event into our auction platform the night before, invite owners on WhatsApp, and you have covered most of the list already. For the full event flow around this checklist, read our complete hosting guide, and practise the whole thing risk-free with a free auction.