It was an emcee job, and quite an honor to be the voice for a premier fund-raising event. This kind of event is full of beautiful surroundings and auction contributions from high-end businesses, each one would be the envy of the relatives of the buyer. The evening was designed to be memorable. We are talking about everything from camels and live snakes to aerial dance routines, to auctioning the trendiest French high-mileage auto. Add to this the annual outing of the most elegant dresses in town and finish off with a huge dance floor full of open-bar patrons. A very classy affair.
The evening was to be dramatic. Patrons would; have their photos taken with the camels, be greeted by belly-dancers, mingle with hundreds of black-tie networking opportunities, pick from raffles of beauty treatments or VIP back-stage passes, and each of the evening’s performances would simply “reveal” before them. It was an immersive concept, and tastefully detailed. Candles on the tables set a mood of depth and mystery. The event designer didn’t want an emcee, she wanted a “voice behind the curtain”. The voice would only politely encourage the crowd into their seats on time, introduce a few transitions, add some timely reminders for the auctions, and thank the crowd in general. Performances would begin without introduction.
It was also an experiment. Ever try to corral a large group of successful, independent thinkers into their seats without being seen? How about trying to get them into their seats again, after 2 hours of access to that open bar? So much for dramatic staging. What made the transitions to show-times difficult was this – those supporters, patrons, indeed revelers, didn’t see an authority and didn’t know what to expect. There was no anchor, just a voice from the overhead speakers (I was visible, but placed off-center with the sound technicians). When it came time to display (by way of the virtues of a couple of the evening’s most elegant attendees) some of the auction items in preparation for asking the crowd to bid generously, it was difficult to command attention toward the models. There was no face to listen to, no person to lead, to explain, to entertain and direct the focus. Critical transition points fell apart, and it took time and patience to recover the crowd's undivided attentions.
In an event, the crowd is looking for the plan, always re-setting their expectations of what’s next. Nobody wants to miss the show, or delay it because they didn’t know it was about to start, or because they couldn’t hear the announcement because the room was louder than the voice. “Hey girlfriend, there isn’t anybody on stage, so hey, talk to me about the new puppy.” And too, people have bladders, ya know. That voice didn’t mean much without the gravity of being visible and illuminating.
Certainly, the evening was a huge financial success. But from my (limited) view, the traditional emcee role could have helped things run more smoothly. An anchor, an emcee role is more than a voice from the ceiling. The function of holding an event in play is needed; to pull together focus on the agenda of the moment, to swing the spotlight on each presentation, one by one. Leaving the room to “keep up” as each performer took to the stage was to catch the crowd unaware. There may have been a number of ways to do this, by an agenda with fixed times and sequences, notices, if you will. Did you ever see a crowd follow a printed agenda on their own?
Creating an important and beautiful event can be an art form, and this one was magnificent, leaving a nice afterglow. A celebration of support brings together energetic people, anxious to enjoy each other and their common interests - directing that energy helps create a community to enjoy a unique and truly special excitement. The role of the emcee is to work with the event planner throughout the designing process, ultimately to ensure that everyone can enjoy the program to the fullest. It requires balancing the roles of the announcer with the welcome, the expectations, the introductions, and if needed, the safety officer role (please step back from the stage and refrain from flash photography, etc.).
Whenever you take on the emcee role, bear in mind the need to first hear the client. Understand the mood to be set. Each sequence should be talked through. The needs of any group require that you set expectations, introduce each phase of the evening, welcome and thank the crowd, lift the moment with energy where you can, and through it all, manage it within the time schedule. That’s the job. Help your event manager understand the responsibility that accompanies the microphone, and to recognize that audiences need someone to simply explain what to expect. Then,they can gather, sit, and dance the night away, in synch.
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