Compere, Master of Ceremony, or Mc Professional Required

Professional conference speaker John Bell offers some essential tips on sourcing a quality MC, Toastmaster or Compere, (Compère) for your event:

Have you ever witnessed a quality orchestra performing without a conductor? It rarely happens and there are good reasons why that is the case.

Imagine the orchestra to be a motor vehicle - the engine may be a Rolls Royce but without the fine-tuning and skill of a top class mechanic it will eventually misfire badly and create the totally wrong impression to your audience or guests. How important is your event? If your answer is ‘very’, the tips that follow will help ensure you choose your Master of Ceremony / Compere wisely.


1. Why Choosing the Correct Master of Ceremony or Compere is so Necessary

By spending a little time now to source a Master of Ceremony or Compère, who has a proven ability to provide a quality service, and you can be virtually assured your event will be a great success, whilst freeing up your valuable time to actually get on and enjoy the day.

A good Master of Ceremony, with the knowledge, skill, and ability to manage proceedings, can turn an 'average' event into something that is seen by those attending as an amazing delight, and leave them with memories they will recall with affection for years to come.

2. Be on Your Guard for the Pretend Professional Compère or Master of Ceremony

It is important that you understand from the start that anyone can give himself or herself the title of ‘Master of Ceremony’ or ‘Compere’. So simply finding someone listed as such on a website, or in a business directory, is no guarantee as to his or her ability to facilitate proceedings at your event in a professional and efficient manner. Fear not – for help follows!

3.  Here’s How to Start Your Search

Using a computer search engine type the title Master of Ceremony or Compere or Compère and begin your quest. My search engine of choice provides over 700,000 possible hits for Master of Ceremony. This, of course, only partially helps you in your quest for the perfect manager for your event!

4. Narrowing Down the List of Possibles

You may already have noticed that there are thousands of ‘potentials’ on offer under the ‘Compere / Master of Ceremony’ umbrella and so you will need to do a little more.

Narrow your searches down further by describing the type of event you are to hold e.g. wedding, corporate event, award ceremony, formal dinner, etc.

Choosing a short list of potential candidates from the first two or three pages of a search engine listing seems, and is to some extent, a logical way to proceed. However, there are further issues that are worthy of your consideration:

5. Do I Need a Toastmaster, Compère, Master of Ceremonies, MC or Emcee?

Although all the terms listed above tend to refer to a person with some responsibility towards the general proceedings at an event, there are some subtle variations in role you should consider.

The term Toastmaster is often associated with Toastmaster International, a not-for-profit educational organisation with regional clubs now situated worldwide. The main purpose of the club is to help members improve their public speaking. You can also find listings under the National Association of Toastmasters. These are the officials often seen at larger weddings, formal dinners and the like and are usually dressed in bright red coats and act as the protocol officer. They are often required to bring those at the event ‘to order’ and to provide the necessary formal introductions etc.

A Compere (Compère) is normally engaged with the specific task of providing links and introductions for speakers or entertainers on stage, radio, television show, conference, convention and seminar. Comperes generally keep the event on track and heading in the right direction. During links, a good Compère will often use humour and witty observations to entertain and inform the audience. They also have a very special ability of being able to quickly build rapport with an audience.

The Master of Ceremonies has additional responsibilities to that of the compare. They are responsible for ensuring that the whole event runs smoothly. This means a much greater ‘hands on’ and carefully prepared approach to the proceedings. MC is nothing more than an abbreviation of Master of Ceremony and is sometimes used with the spelling Emcee.

The MC has a difficult role in that, despite their bright red uniform, they are expected to regularly fade into the background until their skills are further required. Being successful as an MC requires flexibility, a friendly disposition, temperate habits, and ability to ad lib when necessary.

6. Do I approach a Master of Ceremony direct or via an Agent or Bureau?

If you search the Internet you will discover that Speaker Agents and Bureaus represent the majority of the best, Comperes and Masters of Ceremonies working within the professional circuit.

Generally, agents are only interested in someone who is already established as a top MC or event Compere. They proactively promote the individual, putting their name forward to conference, convention, large wedding organisers and the like. They charge a fee to the MC for this service, usually based on a percentage of the Compere’s fee for the occasion. For effective 'numbers' reasons, the choice of MC, Toastmaster etc, found through an agent, can be somewhat limiting. It is always wise to enquiry with more than one agent.

Those bureaus offering the services of a Master of Ceremony tend to be dedicated to providing wedding, conference and event organisers with a large selection of professional Comperes, MCs, Toastmasters etc from which to choose. Too much choice can be the biggest disadvantage when using a bureau.

A Master of Ceremony or Event Compere, good or bad, experienced or amateur, will also often represent their own interests, and so it may be useful if I now provide a few tips on how to identify an established, professional MC, Compère or Toastmaster, of quality from the large pool of the Johnny-come-lately brigade you will find out there.

7.  How Do I Locate Quality?

Using search engines, top position for a ‘Master of Ceremony or Compere’ usually fluctuates from one day to the next, so compose a short-list of names from the first two or three pages, and you are ready to begin you quest for quality.

By way of caution, it is worth considering that sponsored links for Compère and Masters of Ceremonies are there because someone is prepared to pay, sometimes-large amounts, to jump to the front of the queue of other MC’s etc.  Whereas this is an admirable indication that they are prepared to invest in advertising, it does not necessarily follow that you will receive the best value for your money. Here is an easy way to narrow down your short list:

8. Establish Experience

Using your computer, retype that which you originally searched for, into the search engine, and add one of the names you have recorded in your short list e.g. Master of Ceremonies or Compere / Compère plus His or Her Name.

By doing so you can better determine whether that particular MC, Toastmaster etc has the expertise you require.  You will also have an indication as whether or not an agent or bureau represents them.

9. Research Testimonials

Experience has shown that any Compere or MC, worthy of consideration, will have a selection of testimonials from previous clients available for you to view on his or her website. Ensure companies and individuals are named. Descriptions such as ' The bride’s father said, or a senior manager at a large well-known company said....', are of little to no value, and should start alarm bells ringing. Look for named sources from respected individuals of quality companies. Such people are usually very selective about whom they are prepared to recommend, as their own reputation could be on the line.

10. Can They Do The Job?

This may sound obvious, but the most important traits required by a Master of Ceremonies is to have a masterly understanding of the management and mechanics of an event, with an advanced ability to communicate effectively.

It is worth noting that membership to some Emcee, Master of Ceremonies and similar organisations is usually open to all people aged 18 and above, who may have little more than a desire to improve their communications skills and learn the basics of public speaking.

The skills provided by a top MC or Compère are carefully structured and based upon a science that is studied by few, practised by even fewer, and mastered by even less.

Ensure your choice of Master of Ceremonies has proven credentials. The best associations are very selective about who is entitled to wear their ‘Badge of Office’. With a red coated Toastmaster this is seen in the medallion worn, with a ribbon, hung around the neck.

For those top Compares, Emcee etc who prefer not to be associated with such organisations, and there are many, one great way of checking their credentials is by establishing whether they have work that has been published, through a reputable source, on public speaking skills, professional Compere techniques etc. Use the method described in Tip 8 above to obtain a quick and easy result to your research.

Ideally, watch videos of the MC or Compere / Compère performing, and listen to the audience reaction to determine whether he or she has established a noticeable rapport with the audience. Study the footage carefully to establish if the style of delivery displayed by the MC, is that which you require for your event. Personal preference is established through a subjective test! You pay the piper therefore you can call the tune.

11. Cost Issues

Ideally you should have some idea of a financial budget, allocated to hire a MC or Compere, before commencing your search. The costs in hiring a Master of Ceremonies can vary dramatically and are dependent on the location of venue, numbers of delegates attending, the duration of the event and the quality and popularity of the Toastmaster or Emcce. My advice is this - if your event is worth holding, it is worth investing in an experienced and proven Master of Ceremonies.

You should be seeking a person who has presence, poise and a professional ability to take charge when and where it is necessary. Sometimes paying a relatively little bit more speaker fee often produces an immensely worthwhile investment that will give you greater peace of mind and the opportunity to actually sit back and enjoy the event!

Deciding whether you deal with the MC direct, or through an agent or bureau is normally purely a matter of choice. In theory the fees quoted from an agent, bureau or direct with the Compère should, be more or less the same.

If, during your search for the ideal person, you are interested in hiring a celebrity Compere or Master of Ceremony you are unlikely to find any direct contact details and your only line of enquiry will need to be through an agent or bureau specialising in the provision of such artistes.

Agents that actively promote a Master of Ceremonies or Compère have a good idea of the fee normally required to secure that person’s services and will share that figure with you when you make your initial enquiry. It is always wise to obtain an all-in-fee from an agent.

A bureau's commission is normally obtained direct from the Compere. This commission can vary but normally falls between 15% and 30%. If they do not have a particular MC or Toastmaster on their books, they are usually happy to trace them and make any necessary arrangements on your behalf.

There are few of the top Masters of Ceremony or Emcee who work with only one agent or bureau. If there is no mention of exclusivity on promotional material or a website you can assume there is not. This, in effect means, that if you come across a MC or Compere of your choice, and he or she supplies contact details, this is an implied permission for you to contact him or her direct and independently negotiate a fee. Your aim should be to obtain the best value for your money with a Compère or MC that is the best suited to your event and most professional speakers are prepared to negotiate their fee.

12.  The Information Normally Required by a Master of Ceremonies

If you are contacting an MC or Compere, and you have researched him or her carefully, as advised, you can be confident in knowing you are speaking with the right person to present at your event. The Master of Ceremony should be a perfect fit in the large jigsaw puzzle that makes up an event. By way of example - a formal red coated Emcee, indicating in promotional material, that they prefer, or tend to work locally, may not be the ideal person to act as Compere / Compère and to appear on stage during the worldwide launch of your new product.

Should you decide on taking the agent or bureau route in your search, the first thing you will need to make perfectly clear, for the reasons described in Tip 8 above, is that you are seeking a Compere or a Master of Ceremony for a specific type of event.

Next supply the date of the event. A top MC or Compère are usually very popular and you can save yourself a lot of time, and disappointment, by establishing their availability early in the proceedings. It is perfectly acceptable to ask if you can provisionally hold a particular Emcee or Compere for a few days until a final decision is reached.

An efficient, professional quality, MC for a wedding, will have a whole host of questions they will want to ask you to help them to prepare for your event. If they don’t ask lots of questions you may not have the right person for the job!

The best event organisers will always provide a thorough description of the objectives and the purpose of an event or conference. They will also provide venue, size, type of audience, and the duration of the talks etc that will be provided by other guest speakers.

Professional Comperes link the presentations given by each of the speakers. They will often provide skilful comment on content from previous speakers and highlight relevancy to the next speaker. Proceeding should run smoothly with the delivery of effective ‘joins’ between talks, etc. The MC’s role is to make others at the event into the stars of the show.

The best event Master of Ceremony or Compère will skilfully use humour, and have the ability to adlib where and when required. Laughter makes uncomfortable situations more comfortable. It allows individuals at the event to laugh no matter how grim living may be away from the event.

Laughter is such a nice feeling people, will pay money to others to make them laugh. It is that powerful! It is cathartic; it encourages an individual to purge their problems and painful emotions through the joy of laughter. Great Masters of Ceremony often make skilful stand-up comedians and may, showing admirable versatility, and may occasionally provide, professional quality after-dinner speeches at other events.

They are also skilled at time keeping and will ensure that speakers at the event don’t overrun their allotted time by too much. A minute or two is acceptable whereas twenty is not!

Following the introduction of an invited speaker, the MC or Compere will lead the applause of welcome, and will initiate an appropriate appreciation at the conclusion of the speech.

Which brings me to a timely end. I wish you every success in your search for the perfect Master of Ceremony, MC, Toastmaster, Emcee or Compere / Compère, and can reassure you, that by following the advice I have provided, you will have the opportunity sit back on the day and enjoy the justifiable rewards obtained through your endeavours.