A dinner and dance emcee in Singapore runs your company D&D on a clock nobody else in the room can see. The emcee gives the welcome, introduces the CEO or guest of honour, reads the award citations, runs the games and both rounds of lucky draw, and hands over cleanly to the band or the DJ. We shortlist D&D emcees who match your headcount, your language mix and your company's tone.
Price: usually SGD 1,000 to 1,600 for an established bilingual emcee at a mid size D&D of 100 to 400 guests, from SGD 600 for a small departmental dinner and SGD 1,500 to 2,200 for a senior corporate emcee. See emcee rates in Singapore.
A sample D&D run sheet
This is roughly how a 400 guest company dinner in a hotel ballroom runs, and where the emcee drives the room.
| Time | Segment | What the emcee does |
|---|---|---|
| 6.30pm to 7.00pm | Cocktails and registration | Greets VIPs, checks the microphone and cue cards |
| 7.00pm to 7.15pm | Guests seated | Opening remarks, introduces the CEO or guest of honour |
| 7.15pm to 8.00pm | First course, opening act | Hands over to the lion dance or opening act |
| 8.00pm to 8.45pm | Main course, awards | Reads citations, times the stage between courses |
| 8.45pm to 9.15pm | Dessert, lucky draw round one | Runs the winner announcements, keeps the pace tight |
| 9.15pm to 9.45pm | Games | Leads the games or hands to a games host |
| 9.45pm to 10.15pm | Lucky draw round two | Builds up to the grand prize, checks the winner is present |
| 10.15pm onward | Band or DJ, dancing | Clean handover, closing thanks |
A good emcee watches the plating speed as closely as the crowd, so the lucky draw does not land too early or too late against dessert.
Corporate style or fun style
A finance firm's annual dinner and a creative agency's party at the same hotel often need opposite energy. Corporate style hosts run tight scripts and say every title and department name precisely. Fun style hosts lean into games and crowd play, which suits younger teams. Tell us the personality of your company, not only the headcount, and we shortlist accordingly.
Language
Most D&D rooms are mixed, so a bilingual emcee who moves between English and Mandarin is the safe default. Malay and Tamil hosting is available too. If many staff are older or speak a dialect, ask for a Hokkien or Cantonese speaking host.
What the fee covers
A D&D emcee quote usually includes the emcee's attire, a pre event call on the run of show, arrival 45 to 60 minutes before doors open for the sound check, the welcome and closing, transitions, lucky draw hosting, games if you want them and the handovers with the band or DJ. Scriptwriting beyond an outline, extra performers, AV rental and hours beyond the agreed block are usually extra. A rehearsal session for awards or VIP speeches costs about SGD 100 to 300, and each hour past four hours about SGD 150 to 300.
Timeline
Eight weeks out, confirm the date, venue, headcount and budget and ask for a shortlist. Four to six weeks out, confirm and share the first run of show. Two weeks out, lock the script, the speech order, the award list and every VIP name and title. One week out, confirm arrival time, dress code and microphones with the hotel.
The costliest mistake is sending no written run of show until the week of the event. That is how nights run an hour late or the lucky draw gets cut by the 11pm ballroom curfew. See the run sheet and script guide, then send your date through the quote form.
