The Best 5 Award Show Hosts for Your Big Event

Award shows are fantastic events that celebrate the successes, talents and achievements of your team, and having the perfect awards host is key to making your event a success. Not only will they bring professionalism and entertainment, but they’ll also elevate your event to the next level to really engage the audience.

When planning an awards show, it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to intertwine all the different moving parts. The host is one of, if not the most important, person in the room, so it’s crucial that they are the perfect fit for your event - this is where we come in!

Whilst you’re busy organising the million other things needed for your event, we’ll handle the finding and booking of the event host, including organising their travel arrangements. We’ve got your back!

A fabulous evening deserves an even more fabulous host, and we have a plethora of amazing awards hosts and presenters available who will make your evening memorable for all the right reasons.

Great for a bit of inspiration and insight, this blog should give you an idea of what to look for when selecting your awards host. Here we have highlighted just five of our most-loved hosts, who are famous for their charisma, professionalism and unique ability to entertain a wide range audiences.

What's the Importance of a Great Award Show Host?

Audience engagement is fundamental for a successful event. This doesn’t necessarily mean bringing people on stage to be part of a magic act, it’s more of the mental engagement.

The host must essentially win the audience’s trust by letting them be the star of the evening, which tends to be easy if they’re already an established name with some credibility. You’ll tend to have a pretty good idea of what to expect if say, Alison Hammond, Claudia Winkleman or Alan Carr are hosting the evening, meaning you’ve already bought into the event before turning up. Going to the event open-minded and wanting to have a great time is the best mindset to attend with, as the audience will have a better evening, which means the host will, too!

A really talented host will not only engage and entertain the audience but they’ll also smoothly transition between segments to ensure a smooth sailing evening.

Having said all this, the most important thing a host can do is make the event memorable for weeks to come. Giving the audience little inside jokes from the evening and things to refer to with other attendees all creates a sense of community that will fondly stick with the audience.

How to Choose the Best Award Host for Your Event

Along with giving out your awards, what is the purpose of your event? Are you hoping to entertain or educate your guests? Would a riskier comedian be inappropriate or preferred? Is the event formal or more relaxed? Whatever the answer to all these questions, they will help you identify the best person to host your awards event.

An important thing to consider is if your ideal person has experience hosting similar events to yours. This will not only give you a feel of how they’d perform on the evening, including the amount of audience interaction they’d include and how professional they are, but it’ll also show you how the host deals with unexpected situations.

Whether it’s a heckling audience member or a technical hiccup, there is always a chance that something unplanned can crop up and knowing that your host is able to professionally deal with it will ease your worries (to a certain extent)!

Below we’ve featured just five hosts who are renowned for their abilities to expertly host awards evenings. Not just great entertainers, these individuals are brilliant and will definitely make your event memorable for all of the right reasons.

Mark Durden-Smith

Mark is best known for his charm and spontaneous wit. Having hosted the spin-off shows from I’m a Celebrity..., Hell’s Kitchen and Soapstar Superstar, along with presenting This Morning and Lorraine, we’re all familiar with his brilliant work.

Having hosted events for O2, Britvic and The Carphone Warehouse, Mark certainly knows his way around the world of hosting!

“I would thoroughly recommend Mark as an awards host for corporate events. His fun, vibrant style really helped create an excellent atmosphere, and he had obviously done a lot of research in his own time on the presenters and winners of our awards.” - Visit Chester and Cheshire.

Martin Bayfield

Former international rugby player Martin Bayfield is famous for his impeccable comedic timing.

The famous 6’10” tall sportsman used his height to his advantage, being one of England’s most potent forwards. Juggling his Metropolitan Police career with rugby between 1985 and 1989 before going full-time in 1990, now having retired and played Robbie Coltrane’s body double in the Harry Potter film franchise, Martin has the most unique stories and anecdotes that he shares with audiences at his events.

“Engaging, entertaining and very polished. A great guy who really held the room.” - ETX Capital

Jo Brand

Known for presenting The Great British Bake Off – An Extra Slice, along with appearing on QI, The Graham Norton Show, and Have I Got News for You, Jo is a beloved comedian and writer.

She’s been dedicated to Comic Relief, having participated in numerous charity specials, and her BAFTA-winning series Getting On toys with her background as a psychiatric nurse.

“The best female comic in Britain.” - The Mirror

Afua Hagan

One of the leading voices on diversity in Britain, Afua is a regular on This Morning, Good Morning Britain, Sky and many other channels.

TV News Anchor, Commentator, Journalist and Broadcaster, Afua is praised as passionate and experienced by clients such as Retail Week, the NHS and Cambridgeshire Police.

Miquita Oliver

Beginning her career co-presenting the legendary music show Popworld with Simon Amstell, Miquita is a skilled and respected broadcaster.

Known best for presenting live music festivals, including V Festival, Bestival and T4 On The Beach, Miquita also regularly performs DJ sets. She’s interviewed everyone from Robert DeNiro to Beyonce and previously hosted a morning show on BBC’s 1Xtra.

Top Factors to Consider

1. Consider your Audience

As we mentioned earlier, tailoring the host to your audience's preferences is a guaranteed way for the guests to have a good time. Refer back to the earlier questions about the purpose of your event to narrow down your options, as this will make the process easier and less overwhelming.

2. Match the Event’s Tone

Ensure that the host’s personality and presenting style match the event’s tone and theme. Not only will this allow for a seamless evening, but it also makes logical sense!

3. Check Availability

If you’re working with us, you don’t need to worry about this, as we handle the nitty gritty for you. We do all the liaising, all you need to do is talk to us about who you want to host your awards event, and we’ll do the rest!

If your desired host is busy, or out of your budget, we’ll curate a bespoke list of suitable alternatives that will do a fantastic job of hosting your awards evening.

4. Get Feedback

Reading reviews and feedback from previous events that are similar to yours will help get a feel for if your desired host is right for you and your event. Don’t be afraid to ask your Account Manager for client testimonials on your hopeful host, as the more feedback you get, the more informed decision you can make!

We understand that planning an awards ceremony can be rather overwhelming, which is why we’re here to help. We take away your worries of finding the perfect awards host, presenter and entertainment for your awards event and do all of the hard work for you.

Awards events are incredible and valued highly by attendees, who doesn’t want to go to an event that celebrates yours and your co-workers hard work and achievements?

Get in touch with our friendly team, who will be more than happy to help make your awards evening the best it can be – give us a call at +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email us at info@speakerscorner.co.uk