Should I Hire An Events Host?

Written By: Hilary on May 24, 2009 No Comment

event-host If you’re throwing a party—whether big or small, one thing that you want to make sure of is that your event is a hit. You will want people to arrive expectant and leave delighted later on. Most people who try to save money on other expenses tend to skimp out on getting a party host. It’s a detail that most people overlook because to them, the more important expenses are meant for the supplies needed like food, decorations, waiter services, etc. Some parties have featured guests like local or unsigned artists aspiring to be record-breaking singer/songwriters, some have stand up comics and some others have a whole band or a clown (of course, you’re going to want to take into consideration the age bracket of your guest list before you go and book a guest).

A professional events host can make or break your function. If you’re unlucky enough to get an inexperienced and nervous one, you might be in for a lot of stale punch lines or dead air. Another yet worse scenario is you get a pretty over self-confident and cocky host who likes to feel edgy by making jokes that compromise religion or political leanings of society—that would cause a lot of eyebrow-raising among your guests and plenty of talk in the days after.

You want to get a host who can establish a great rapport with your guests and has a sense of humor that is palatable to the majority of guests. An experienced master of ceremonies is one who can quickly identify his audience judging by the cause or theme of the event alone and can adjust well. Someone who is used to hosting college parties or casual social functions may not be the most sensible choice for a black-tie affair. You certainly wouldn’t hire someone who’s used to hosting children’s parties to be the face and voice of your high-society gala. That being said, a great host will also do his/her own research on the company that’s holding the event and also look into the main purpose of the celebration in order to have a better grasp of the day’s festivities. Beyond a successful opening joke, a great host can engage the audience and keep your guests entertained and attuned to the night’s festivities.

A number of things can go wrong during and throughout any function or event. Sometimes these mishaps (like a guest performer arriving very late or a certain technical disruption during an audio visual presentation) can hardly be avoided. A good host will know how to discreetly stall if needed, improvise when necessary, and more importantly, keep the whole program running smoothly. You will want to hire someone who is articulate and has a good expansive vocabulary (especially if you are looking for someone to host a more high-class function) and is quick-witted and thinks on his/her feet.

When you do decide to hire a professional to host your event, the best or quite possibly the easiest way to start is to go by word of mouth—ask around among your friends or family members for contacts and references. It would be even better if you could approach someone who is into events organizing or works for an events production company because chances are, they will have worked with a lot of hosts in their previous projects. When you finally get a few names down, touch base with your candidates; ask for a resume or profile. It would be great if they had a short video clip of any previous event they have hosted. If the video clip is a tall order, then your next bet is to be able to sit down and have a chat with your candidates in order to get to know them better. This will allow a better grasp of their personality and manner of speaking and may give you a clearer idea of what you want in an events host. From there you can gauge if that candidate is the right one for you.

Of course, when you have finally decided to hire a particular candidate, make sure you draft a contractual agreement for that particular project to protect both of you and avoid any legalities should any problems arise.