09:00Master of ceremonies
Conference MC who carries the whole day
Open, introduce, link, close. A conference MC (emcee, compere, host: same job) with twenty years on stage, television presenting for Fox, Warner Bros and the BBC, and the one thing no other MC brings: eight game shows the whole room can play when the day needs a lift.
5.0 from 29 reviews·800+ events·Hosted a live Q&A with Deborah Meaden
On stage, on timeRoleMaster of ceremonies
What a conference MC does all day
Opens the room
The first five minutes set the day. I walk on to a room that does not know it is an audience yet and leave it one.
Introduces every speaker
Pronunciations checked, one thing worth hearing about each speaker, forty seconds, done. Then out of the way.
Links and holds
Between sessions is where conferences leak people. I hold the through-line, cover the gaps and land the close on time.
ClipWhen the tech failed
Ninety minutes late, and nobody drifted
The speakers were late. The video failed. The day ran an hour and a half over. In every one of those pauses I was on stage keeping the room, because a gap a host cannot fill is a gap the audience falls into.
That is the part of the job you cannot see on an agenda and the part that television trains: work to a rundown, take the earpiece, hold the room when the plan goes.
PlusThe difference
An MC who is also the entertainment
Most MCs can read an autocue and get the names right. When the room dips, they call a break. I call a game: every delegate on their phone, the board on the big screen, two tables head to head, and the next speaker gets an audience that is awake.
It is why my conferences do not die at half past one, and it is why organisers who have booked a bureau MC before come back to me.
- Company and leadership conferences
- Industry summits and trade events
- Product and brand launches
- Town halls and kick-offs
- Awards dinners after the conference
FAQBefore you book
Conference MC questions
Not answered here? Call me on 07596 851647 or send the agenda and I will come back within one working day.
What is a conference MC?
The master of ceremonies: the person who opens the day, introduces every speaker, links the sessions, handles the announcements and closes. Emcee and compere mean the same thing. It is the through-line your agenda needs so the day reads as one event rather than a list of talks.
What is the difference between a conference MC and a facilitator?
An MC presents the day; a facilitator chairs it. If your agenda is fixed and you need it delivered with polish and energy, book an MC. If you need somebody to steer the content and make the day add up, book a facilitator. I do both and will tell you which you need.
How do you introduce speakers?
Properly. I speak to each speaker or their team before the day, check pronunciations, find the one thing that makes the room want to listen, and keep the introduction to forty seconds. A good introduction is a gift to the speaker and the audience.
Can you MC the awards dinner as well?
Yes. If your conference ends with an awards dinner, the same host can carry it through: one voice from the first keynote to the last trophy. My awards hosting lives on my event host site.
What happens when the tech fails?
I keep the room. Twenty years of live television taught me to fill a gap without anyone feeling a gap. One organiser’s speakers were late, the video failed and the day ran ninety minutes over; the review is on this page.
17:00Close
Send me your agenda. I’ll show you where the room comes alive.
A fixed price, a free planning call, and a reply within one working day.