[Hokkaido/Kyogoku Town] Raffle Machine Becomes a Device to Visualize the Related Population

Under the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team DAO managed by Aruyuumu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sapporo, Representative Director: Hiroaki Hatanaka), which promotes regional revitalization through NFTs, Mr. Yamachu, the DAO manager for Kyogoku Town, Hokkaido, held an offline event called the "Raffle Drawing Event" at "Roadside Station Meisui no Sato Kyogoku Meisui Plaza" from Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 17, 2026, connecting local residents and visitors.

The total number of participants over the three days was 154, and approximately 110 people newly joined the Kyogoku Town official LINE Open Chat "Kyogoku JOY's," which was incorporated to visualize the related population. This article shares the design philosophy of the "7-Step Challenge," the core of this event, along with the feedback and reflections gained on-site, for those planning events in local communities.

Why a "Raffle Machine"?

Mr. Yamachu chose the raffle machine as a tool to engage people in an offline event for three reasons:

Participation is instantaneous, making it difficult for queues to form.

Participation conditions can be freely designed and easily linked to KPIs.

Low cost, starting from approximately 20,000 yen including the main unit and banners.

"I really felt the raffle machine is versatile. It's quicker than bingo, and you can freely set conditions like charging a fee, having people join something, or follow you. It can connect both digitally and analogically," said Mr. Yamachu.

Core: The Blueprint of the "7-Step Challenge"

The biggest feature of this event is its multi-stage design, allowing the same participant to spin the raffle up to 7 times as they meet conditions (winning probability 1/3). The conditions for each step and the design intent behind them are as follows:

[Step 1] Joining the LINE Open Chat "Kyogoku JOY's"

Goal: Visualization of the related population (the most important KPI of this event). The first step directly linked to the mission as a Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team DAO Manager.

[Step 2] Taking a photo at Meisui Plaza and posting with the hashtag "#RaffleDrawingMeisuiPlaza"

Goal: Repaying Meisui Plaza for providing the venue free of charge, as they couldn't include Meisui Plaza items as prizes, and announcing the facility's renovation.

[Step 3] Installing the Notion app and registering an account

Goal: Creating an entry point for the town's project meeting "Kyogoku Blueprint," held twice a month. It also served as digital education with a view to connecting to the NFT/web3 field handled by Aruyuumu Co., Ltd.

[Step 4] Answering the event questionnaire

Goal: Understanding the visitor demographics (where they came from), awareness channels (how they found out), and future planning needs (what kind of events they would like in Kyogoku Town).

[Step 5] Indicating participation in "Kyogoku Blueprint" ("I'll come if I can" is acceptable)

Goal: Increasing awareness of "Kyogoku Blueprint" and securing time to explain its content on the spot.

[Step 6] Posting a receipt from Meisui Plaza on that day to SNS (#RaffleDrawingKyogokuTown) or the Open Chat

Goal: Contributing to Meisui Plaza's actual sales.

[Step 7] Posting images of town facilities or monuments to the Open Chat

Goal: Having participants discover new attractive spots in the town from their perspective.

"During the planning stage, I assumed we would have around 100 participants daily, so I allowed multiple spins from the start to prevent cheating. I thought if someone came 7 times, they would remember, and I couldn't think of any ideas beyond 7 steps. In the end, only one person completed all 7 steps," said Mr. Yamachu.

The gap between the design assumptions and reality itself provides real insights for planning local events.

Prize Design: A Two-Pronged Approach to Eliminate the "Feeling of Losing"

With a budget of 100,000 yen, the grand prize was a 5,000-yen meal ticket for a local yakiniku restaurant. It was set with the intention of being "an amount that would allow them to order a dish they wouldn't normally order."

Notably, the role of the "Yamachu Original CD" placed as the 3rd prize was significant. This was not just to fill a slot but a proactive placement to "prevent people from feeling cold and thinking 'I won't win anyway'" and "to avoid having losers."

"I could have given the CD as a participation prize for losers, but it's worth 2,000 yen, and I didn't want my own work to be considered a 'loser' prize. It would also be disrespectful to the fans who have bought it so far. So I set it as the 3rd prize, making it a 'winner' prize," said Mr. Yamachu.

When they said, "You can spin the raffle just by joining the LINE Open Chat. You can win a meal ticket for a yakiniku restaurant or my CD," more people turned around. Some CD winners even asked for photos and autographs on the spot.

Three-Day Numbers and On-Site Discoveries

The key figures for the period are as follows:

Total participants: 154 (May 15: 12 / May 16: 52 / May 17: 90)

New LINE Open Chat members: Approximately 110

Raffle results: 5 grand prizes / 11 first prizes / 28 second prizes / approximately 60 third prizes

The most insightful discovery was that the visitors' places of residence formed a gradient over time.

"We obtained data, albeit by feel, showing a time-of-day characteristic where the residence of participants got closer as time passed: distant areas like various countries and Honshu in the morning, mid-distance areas like the Sapporo area around noon, and nearby areas like Kutchan and Muroran around 3 PM," said Mr. Yamachu.

One episode: A parent who came with their child from Sapporo won 1,000 yen and said, "I might not come to Kyogoku Town again." Immediately after, their child in their 20s or 30s won the grand prize of 5,000 yen. With a total of 6,000 yen in meal tickets, they were able to say, "Please do come again."

On the day, Kyogoku Town Council member Mr. Ohno, fellow cooperation team member Mr. Takahashi, and Kyogoku DAO core members Mr. Hoshi and Mr. Funabashi also came to help set up as a surprise.

What Worked and What Didn't

The breakdown by acquisition channel was about 10% from SNS, word-of-mouth, and LINE Open Chat, and the remaining 90% from "directly approaching visitors to the roadside station." On the other hand, there were only 1 SNS hashtag post and 0 participation indications for "Kyogoku Blueprint," honestly listing measures that fell short of expectations. The fact that town resident participation was less than 10% of the total also remained a challenge for local penetration.

Changes for Next Time: 5 Reflections

Prepare at least one type of prize that can be used at the venue (Meisui Plaza).

Add toys that small children will enjoy as prizes (strong as a trigger for parents to join LINE OC).

Simplify the number of raffle spins to about 2 times to lower the barrier to participation.

Prepare a participation prize that can be given even if they lose.

Apply sunscreen from the first day for outdoor operations (based on the real experience of getting a sunburned face).

A Message from Mr. Yamachu to Fellow Event Planners

"The raffle machine is truly versatile! (laughs) You can get everything for about 20,000 yen. The gold balls are expensive, but when they come out, it really gets you excited.

You can set it up to charge a participation fee, have people join something, or follow on Instagram. The prizes can range from trivial to amazing, offering great freedom. Yet, it doesn't take up much time. It's quicker than bingo, and there's almost no waiting. It might be a bit noisy, though.