Category: Event Host Blog
Corporate quiz night: how to run one people don’t drift out of
How to run a corporate quiz night that holds the room, from a professional host. Rounds that work, how to stop it dragging, and when a hosted game show beats a DIY quiz.
How to present an award on stage without the awkwardness
How to present an award at a corporate or charity ceremony, from a professional award host. What to say, how to handle the winner’s walk-up, and what to do when the winner is not there.
What is a gala dinner? A clear guide
A plain-English explainer on what a gala dinner is, what happens across the evening, a typical running order, and how it differs from an awards night.
After dinner entertainment that beats a flat speech
After dinner entertainment for corporate events, from a host who runs the room live. What works after a big meal, how it differs from an after dinner speaker, and what to ask before you book.
How to choose an after dinner speaker (honestly)
A plain guide to what an after dinner speaker really is, when a keynote name is right, and when an interactive host lands better.
Staff Christmas party ideas that don’t need a big budget or a big venue
In short These staff Christmas party ideas are for the small, internal staff do, not a big formal client-facing event: a team of ten to fifty celebrating together, usually organised by one person alongside their actual job. The best staff parties match the mood to the team, not to what a big venue brochure is…
How to be an MC: a working host’s honest guide
A grounded, first-person guide to how to be an MC, from a host who came up through television: the core skills, proper preparation, and the mistakes to skip.
Office Christmas quiz: how to run one people actually want to play
In short An office Christmas quiz works best with teams of four to six, five or six short rounds, and a mix of general trivia, company-specific questions and one genuinely silly round. Company knowledge rounds, built around your own team’s year, consistently land better than generic Christmas movie trivia alone. A nominated quiz master matters…
How to build real audience engagement at live events
The host techniques I use to get a live room taking part rather than watching, from reading the energy to splitting the room into two teams.
Office party games that work for any celebration, not just Christmas
In short Office party games aren’t just a December thing: leaving dos, summer parties, work anniversaries and promotions all need the same thinking. Farewell games work best when they’re tailored to the person leaving, not a generic format run on autopilot. Summer parties suit outdoor, physical formats, tug-of-war, water balloons, alongside the same quiz and…
How to make a corporate awards ceremony entertaining
A corporate awards ceremony does not have to drag for everyone who isn’t winning. Here is how I structure the night so the room stays alive to the final trophy.
Office Christmas party games that don’t fall flat after the second round of drinks
In short Office Christmas party games work best when they don’t rely on everyone being fully sober and fully attentive by 9pm. Simple, high-energy formats (Minute to Win It, charades, bingo) hold up well because the rules are already familiar. White Elephant gift exchanges add a genuine talking point without needing much facilitation. Hosted, TV-style…
How to emcee an awards ceremony that doesn’t drag
Twenty years of hosting award nights, distilled: how I brief every nominee, land every name, and keep the room alive long after the winners sit down.
Christmas team building activities: festive ideas that don’t feel like a chore
In short Christmas team building activities work best when they’re genuinely festive, not just a normal team activity with tinsel added. Craft and food-based options (gingerbread decorating, wreath-making, desk decorating contests) suit smaller, low-key groups. Quiz and games formats scale well and give everyone a reason to actually compete rather than just chat. Hosted, TV-style…
Corporate team building days: how to structure one that doesn’t feel forced
In short Corporate team building days fail most often on pacing, not activity choice: too slow and people switch off, too intense and they burn out. A good structure mixes content and connection, arrivals and framing, an activity block, a proper break, a change of energy after lunch, and a clear close. Half a day…
Emcee games for corporate events: the show I run
The interactive game show rounds I run as corporate entertainment, what each one does to a room, and how to pick the format that fits your night.
Large group team building activities: how to keep 100+ people actually engaged
In short Large group team building activities fail for one reason more than any other: too many people watching, not enough people playing. The fix industry-wide is breaking a big room into smaller rotating subgroups, typically 8 to 12 people, so nobody’s stuck spectating for the whole session. My version of that fix, for Family…
The corporate event MC script I’d actually use
A steal-able corporate event MC script, stage by stage, with real lines you can adapt and the reasoning behind each one.
Team building activities for small groups: what works when it is just one team
In short The best team building activities for small groups (roughly 3 to 15 people) are more personal and less staged than a whole-company day, built around everyone actually contributing. Trust and connection exercises like the Human Knot or Paper Holding Challenge work well because there’s nowhere to hide in a small circle. Icebreakers like…
What makes a good event compere?
The difference between a compere who holds a room and one who just announces the next item, from 20 years of hosting.