Often an event’s emcee selection can seem less important than some of the other pieces. It is important that you have your special appeal speaker ready and sponsors taken care of. But the emcee can actually make or break the flow of the program at your event and should be a component that you spend time thinking about.
Often organizations go after a local celebrity. But personality emcees may not be a good fit if that person doesn’t know anything about your organization and can’t speak to your work from the stage.
Securing an emcee who is integrated in your work and can hold a space for themselves on stage with a microphone is a better bet.
Adelante Mujeres believes in moving women forward, specifically Latina women in Washington County. Their emcee was a great way to start this message.
Perla and event auctioneer Stephen Kilbreath at Fiesta of Hope 2015
They asked Perla Rodriguez back as their emcee for this year’s Fiesta of Hope, and for good reason. She works in the school district where Adelante Mujeres offers services. Because of this, she has direct, personal experience witnessing the life changing effects of the work of this organization as it helps young Latinas overcome fear and isolation and move toward confidence and a sense of community.
Perla had an engaging demeanor on stage that held the audience’s attention and was also able to translate some of the key elements of the program for the Spanish speakers in the audience. She understood that her role was to keep things on track and moving forward. When an emcee does this well you can hear the relief in the audience knowing that they have a trustworthy guide on their journey along the story of your organization.
When looking for an emcee, think engaging but not someone prone to grandstanding. You want this to be about your audience and the impact of your work. Look inward and see where your talent may be. Or look one layer out from your organization to see who is a champion of your story and embodies the spirit of your organization so that you can energize your audience.
Photos by Izzy Ventura
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