What is an event host? What is an emcee? Do you have to apply to be one? Do you need a degree? It may seem farcical at first, but let me introduce you to a profession that few understand and even fewer can master! You see when you’re a master of ceremonies, you’re an entertainer.
What is an Event Host?
You live and breathe for those moments on stage. For the rush of a joke landing with the crowd. For the unadulterated joy, you get from standing in front of an audience, letting everything go, and baring your soul. In those moments you feel seen. It’s freedom like you’ve never felt before. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing it for.
Whether you’re telling jokes at a comedy club or a corporate retreat, the only thing that matters to you is that 50 min window, where you can bring a little light and levity to the lives of your audience. That’s what it means to be an entertainer, and that’s what it means to host an event. Now, this introduction may seem a little bit dramatic but I’m going to use this as an opportunity to break down why having a host for your event is so important, plus we will further illuminate what roles they can play in helping to make your night a special one
An Information Hub
Now before we get into some of the emotional details of what makes an emcee so necessary for any large-scale event. Let’s first unpack some of the more meaty mechanics of an emcee’s function, and go over some of the hard science when it comes to an event host. Let’s start with the basics. What does an emcee do?
Well, they keep an event moving to schedule, and are there to disseminate any important information that the audience may need to know. For example, say it is a problem as pedestrian as someone leaving their car’s lights on. If you’re hosting an event and you notice this, of course, you’re going to want to let that person know. But with so many people, it’s pretty impractical to go one by one to each of your guests to alert them to the situation.
If only there was some centralized person that everyone was already listening to. Someone that when given a small note could read it and convey the information printed on it to your entire party all at once. Wait? What!? There IS!?!? Yes indeed, you see that’s just one of the jobs of the emcee! Yes they tell jokes, yes they are entertaining but they are an integral piece to the puzzle of your event
Sticking to the Schedule
Now trading in information is not all that an emcee does. There’s a reason you hire a comedian and not a secret agent after all! Anyone hosting an event that includes activities or games for their guests knows how important it is to keep to a schedule. Whether you’re selling some items in a silent auction.
Or you’re having trouble getting your guests to transition to the dining room. Having someone who is aware of your timetable and is working to keep the event as close as possible to that table can be invaluable. When you have a thousand other things on your mind, you don’t want to be checking the clock every five minutes. Let someone who has experience communicating with a group of people conduct all that business. You have bigger things to worry about!
We Live to Laugh
Now that we’ve spoken on the emcee’s function from a more pragmatic perspective, I’d like to take a second and speak from the heart about what an emcee can do for people from an emotional point of view. Now when you think of someone like an emcee who are we thinking of?
Maybe someone at a party or a gala? Maybe they’re wearing a suit and tie? They’re telling cheesy jokes and the crowd responds with tepid laughter. More of an acknowledgment of his efforts than a reflection of their joy. It’s pretty grim, I know. And with a mental image like that, it’s easy to see why some may not respect the profession’s importance.
But if we take a step back for a second, and we begin to expand our scope on what an emcee is, we begin to see something truly exceptional. You see if we consider anyone who engages with a crowd as an emcee something truly magical happens. You start to realize that anyone can be an emcee.
Your pastor could be an emcee, your teacher could be an emcee, even your granddad one particularly boisterous thanksgiving could be an emcee. It is under this lens that we begin to realize that some of the most profound moments of our lives have happened because of emcees. Because what is an emcee but someone who unites us for a meaningful moment in a singular belief.
Now, maybe those moments are focused on different things. Maybe some are more meaningful than others, but speaking for myself I have to say. As I get older I find there are some invariable axioms of truth in the world. And one of those is. We don’t get to choose the moments that impact us. Maybe it’s a sermon. Maybe it’s a song. Maybe it’s just a joke you heard at a gala, but the truth is that these things have an unquantifiable impact. And in all honesty to me, that’s what makes an Event Host so important!
