3 Reasons To Hire A Professional Emcee or Host For Your Hybrid or Virtual Event

After attending my first hybrid event last week, it became clearer to me that while engaging your "in-person" audience is an art form, keeping your "at home" audience dialed in also requires a high level of expertise. You've gone to a lot of trouble to create a hybrid event, so why not make it as awesome as possible?

The jury is back, and the consensus seems to be that virtual meetings are here to stay and that many organizations will likely run hybrid, at least for the time being. So we need to establish some best practices.

As a business coach for speakers, I get a bird's eye view of the meetings industry, what works and what doesn't. But I wanted "boots on the ground" for this article, so I asked some expert hosts/emcees for their input.

When you have 300 people in the live audience and another 400 watching from home, you need to have a plan to engage both groups. And if you aren't already convinced, here are three reasons why you should let a pro handle each job.

Reason #1: A Pro is a Pro

Our recommendation is that you hire a pro for the stage portion and another for the virtual audience. Then, when you have people who have been trained (sometimes by the school of hard knocks), you can rest easy knowing that they have the talent and skill and they know what works and what doesn't. What ice breakers to use for different audiences, and what falls flat. They know how to grab the room’s attention straight away and understand what doesn't work on virtual yet flies brilliantly with a live audience. A pro is a pro. My advice is to hire the right people for the right jobs.

Thom Singer, Professional Keynote Speaker and Emcee, says this:

"The at-home audience is not a "second-tier audience.” The on-stage Emcee cannot properly manage both, as the most important time for the virtual Emcee is during the coffee breaks, lunch, and the time allotted to move to breakout rooms ....the virtual Emcee can be interviewing the speakers (and getting additional special content that makes the at-home participants feel they are getting extra attention since they cannot be in the room). You can interview your sponsors. They love the value of personal interviews, and you can interview your attendees who can help show at home people why to sign up to attend in person next year. The stage Emcee has other things to do during these breaks (like go to the restroom, eat, and meet with the production crew). To do this right, both audiences need to be treated differently. The NFL has different people who plan the in-stadium experience and the TV experience."

Hiring a professional, rather than assigning someone from the organization who doesn't do this for a living, is the way to go!

Reason #2: Your Glue

A quality Emcee can bring all of the elements of your event into one seamless experience for the audiences. You've likely thought through stage time very thoroughly to ensure that your event flows. But let's not forget the glue for the at-home audience.

Kristin Arnold, Professional Facilitator, and Emcee, says this:

"The Emcee is the glue that holds your event together. The Emcee provides continuity in the virtual world, providing navigation directions on using the platform, encouraging people to go to the virtual exhibit hall, participating in the “games.” They can help connect the dots between segments, make observations about what is going on in the social streams (chat, Twitter, etc.), and most importantly, help the event organizer recover if a speaker fails to show up or digitally goes dark."

A solid Emcee can also reduce the amount of FOMO that the home audience might be having. You don't want your home viewers to feel "less than" or like they were an afterthought. Instead, you want to make them feel special. A pro can do that.  

Reason #3: Protect Your Investment

You’ve budgeted for all of the event expenses. Sometimes the coffee breaks get allocated more funds than the speakers, a head-scratcher to me, but that's another article for another day. In addition, you’ve invested in streaming your event to home viewers, which is a large investment in and of itself. We know those hotel streaming costs can be high, and your production costs, not cheap.  

But that can't be where your investment stops. You must continue to ensure that the event is the most successful it can be. And more importantly, that it gets people talking about it positively. Studies show that more people will talk about a negative experience than a positive experience, so let's make sure your investment stays protected.

Quinn Conyers, Professional Emcee and Host, says this:

"The goal is to transform your audience into ambassadors for your cause, company, or corporation. A professional Emcee or Event Host can energize and mobilize your audience to become your cheerleader and champion. If you want to build a deeper connection with your audience, so they become vocal about your event and commit to returning, the perfect Emcee can spark that relationship. Many organizations ask (or tell) a member of the leadership to host the event. The problem is keeping the audience engaged, navigating tech challenges, and having the right energy to keep an audience's attention isn't something you can turn on. A professional Emcee has the desire to make your event memorable, and it shows. "

If you are someone who is working in the wild west of meetings right now, you deserve a standing ovation! This is not an easy time for meeting professionals or executives making decisions. It’s also an uncertain time for your audience, and hiring a professional Emcee or host can make or break your meeting. Do you really want to take a chance?

Want a breakdown of the various types of hosts and Emcees? Check out this handy chart from Kristin Arnold's white paper, Hiring a Virtual Emcee. https://nsaspeaker.org/emcee/

Grab the original download of this article here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/speakerlauncher_why-you-need-a-professional-emcee-for-your-activity-6809113938291175424-Wx90