The Importance of a Good Host

The Importance of a Good Host

We recently attended an annual awards evening in London, which is always a social event to look forward to. It gives us the opportunity to see who’s done what during the past 12 months as well as catch up with industry peers and have a little fun in the process.

 

It’s safe to admit that as a group of people, we’re a tough crowd, as if anyone is going to be critical of how the event runs it’s a room full of event professionals! But the one person that will always gel that group together is the host. Normally this falls on the shoulders of a relatively well known comedian and normally they do pretty well at keeping us all in check. Previous hosts such as Alistair McGowan and Stephen Mangan certainly didn’t take any prisoners.

 

This time, another comedian, who for the purpose of this blog shall remain unnamed wasn’t so impressed with the crowd. Complaining about the audience to see who’s actually listening and making comments about the fact that we don’t care about what’s happening during the evening isn’t necessarily the best way to get your audience on side.

 

It just goes to show that who you pick as your host is so important. Ensuring they’ve done their research on the crowd is always a plus but being able to take control if people lose interest and start working their way round the tables is also a must.

 

Use the knowledge of your event organisers to make suggestions on this. We’re used to seeing who’s successful and who’s not, as well as picking someone who’s right for your industry. It can be a make or break of your event and you don’t want to be remembered for the wrong reasons!