Why you should hire a professional MC for your next event

So you’ve got an event coming up & you’re not sure who to choose to be the MC. Is it really worth investing in a professional one? Although holding a mic & reading some prompts might sound simple enough in theory, being an MC is a considered skill talent for a reason.

Those that choose to host will speak at event after event, night after night to build the broad skill-set needed to facilitate events seamlessly truly put in the hard yards to master their craft.

“A great MC is like a cross between a Ringmaster, a Magician and a Clown… without all 3, your next event could be a circus”

To describe the role of a great event MC, you’d be best off diving into the acronym. It’s all in the title – Master of Ceremonies. It’s not called the Apprentice of Ceremonies for a reason. The MC has to be the ringmaster, the lynchpin holding all elements of an event together. The best MC’s are usually well-briefed, well-researched, well-scripted, and great at improvising when required.

A combination of warmth, stage presence, gravitas, and humour are usually the best combination. Ultimately, it’s all about the audience experience and serving the whole event, with the MC just serving as a ‘professional conduit’ for all others to shine.

From personal experience as an MC, my focus is always on the audience. I see it as my role to capture the audience’s attention from the 1st minute and keep it throughout. Once I have their attention, my aim is to entertain and engage their minds through relevant humour. This silky smooth experience comes as a result of countless unseen hours of research, writing, re-writing and rehearsal to guarantee a seemingly effortless delivery on the day.

Most of my clients are surprised at how much I seem to know about their industry, company or people. I do my homework, as it always shows up when least expected and in the best possible ways. As I always say, “The extra mile yields the extra smile” (well, I just made that up now. But I’ll start saying it).

In my humble opinion, or IMHO as “the youth” would say, memorable events are essentially made when either you think outside the box and deliver something truly unique and engaging, or when you get the messaging right and create something super relevant and practical. Attendees sacrifice a lot to attend an event, even online, we need to respect that by delivering true value in the content, the talent and take-aways from the event. Often, as with life, less is more.

So if you’re wondering whether Tony from accounts is up to the task – I can’t speak for Tony’s background, but just ask yourself this – will he delight, inspire and captivate your audience whenever he retakes the stage? Making an event a smooth, memorable success is something professionals train long and hard for because it’s a damn tricky thing to pull off- yet it’s hard to know given how easy they make it look.

Sam McCool is a world-class emcee, comedian, roaster, writer, debater, and expert in tailored event hoaxes. Multilingual, multicultural, and multi-talented, Sam is known for connecting with all audiences, with performances tailored to each individual organisation. 

Find out more about Sam  Browse professional MC’s