The secret sauce for successful corporate events: Hiring a professional emcee

By Heide Brandes//August 19, 2024//

As any corporate meeting planner knows, putting on a successful event requires a dedicated amount of preparation and attention to detail. While professionals focus on booking the venue, lining up the speaker and arranging the catering and A/V, one element often gets overlooked that can take an event from good to great: Hiring a professional master of ceremonies (MC or emcee).

While an amateur emcee might seem like an easy way to cut costs, the value a pro brings to the stage can be worth their weight in gold.

“A professional emcee is someone who deeply studies what the end result of that event should be … and why,” said Carolyn Holly, a veteran television anchor with over 35 years of experience emceeing events. “They go into it and find everything they can to tell that story well and accurately.”

A professional emcee’s sole job is to ensure an event goes off without a hitch and delivers the experience planners envision. This level of commitment and preparation sets true pros apart from just getting “funny Bob from accounting” to lead the program.

“Their role is to bring your vision, your dreams and your goals to the stage,” Holly said. “A great emcee usually has maybe a theater background – they understand how to make sure the audience is part of the whole experience. A great emcee is articulate, energetic, but most of all, they’re about you. If you’re hiring them, it’s your show, not their show.”

Qualities to look for

When vetting potential emcees, look for professionals with experience across different events and audiences. Having a background in theater, live television or public speaking is a major asset. The best emcees are poised and can think quickly on their feet when things go awry, and they are skilled at reading an audience’s energy levels and knowing how to modulate their tone accordingly.

Perhaps most importantly, seek out emcees who make it clear they will be focused on bringing an organization’s vision to life – not promoting their own brand.

“I built my company around the idea of using improv and comedy skills for better communication and connection in the workplace,” said Megan McCaleb, CEO and facilitator with ImprovTeamCulture.com. “I’ve been in the event planning space for over 15 years and cut my chops on all of that with comedy shows, not only as a performer, but as a producer. And an emcee makes a big difference in keeping the flow and good energy up during events.”

Both Holly and McCaleb stress the point of making certain an emcee knows the event is about the result, not the person on the stage. Emcees are more than acting as the “entertainment;” they are the guide for the entire event.

“A truly good emcee is about you,” advised Holly. “They put in the groundwork and homework to ensure it highlights you, your company and what you want to achieve.”

Finding the right fit

Since emceeing is often a side-gig for TV personalities, public speakers and the like, finding a professional emcee may require tapping an existing network for referrals or searching locally. No centralized directory exists, so ask other event planners which emcees they’ve had great experiences with.

Once a few prospects are identified, have an in-depth conversational interview to gauge their experience level, communication skills and commitment to ensure an event is a success. Providing potential emcees with a detailed overview of goals and letting them explain their approach can help determine the right fit. The investment in great emcee talent pays off through a polished, memorable audience experience.

“A professional emcee understands flow, and they take the time to work with the organizers to understand the goal of the event and type of audience being served,” McCaleb said.

Professional emcees should be included in the preparation of the run-of-show so that they can execute on being the chain that links all the pieces together into one cohesive experience. A professional will read through the speaker bios and information about the sponsors so that they don’t stumble over words or mispronounce things.

“This way, they can maintain connection and eye contact more with the attendees and not fumble over words staring at a paper, reading things for the first time,” McCaleb said. “It shows respect to the people being celebrated because it shows they care enough to know who they are announcing to the stage.”

Advice from a professional

Beyond just introducing speakers, a skilled emcee acts as a representative for the brand and a guide for the audience experience from start to finish. They keep things moving, smooth over any hiccups, and ensure messaging stays focused and on-point.

“If something goes down – a microphone failure, a speaker gets delayed, anything – you know so well what this event is supposed to be about that you pivot and do what you have to do to keep the show going,” Holly said. “My job is to have a plan A, B and maybe even C.”

This ability to think on one’s feet and improvise when needed is critical. Holly recounted a time when another emcee dropped out three days before an event. She got the call from the planners.

“They panicked and called me,” she said. “I said, ‘The first thing we need to do is meet.’ So I pre-interviewed the executives to fully understand their goals for the event. Then my job was to go on stage and deliver that for them.”

A professional emcee also understands the audience for the event, a key component that amateur emcees often overlook, which dictates how a presentation should be done. The emcee and the planners together need to understand who that audience is and how to best get them to do whatever the organizers want, whether it’s a call to action, raising money or just having an enjoyable experience.

“If the person walks away enlightened and feeling like that emcee elevated the whole experience, that’s when you know you had a great one,” Holly said.

While finding a top-notch emcee often happens through word-of-mouth recommendations, it’s well worth the effort to secure someone with the right combination of speaking abilities, quick thinking, audience understanding and commitment to ensuring the organizational goals are met.

“I believe it is also helpful to ask a potential emcee why they like to do that kind of work to ensure it’s coming from an energy of service and connection,” McCaleb said. “Get referrals from other event planners or find professional speakers or comedians. I would encourage people to look for video content from that presenter because that will give them a great idea of what they will be like on stage for their event.”

For the next corporate conference, award ceremony or high-stakes product launch, planners should avoid the amateur up on stage just reading from notes. A professional emcee who can tap into decades of experience to keep an event remembered long after the last stakeholder has headed home is worth the extra expenditure.