An event host is the person between your guests and your event. They meet people at the door, check them in, answer the same question for the two-hundredth time with a smile, and spot the guest who is lost before they have to ask.
Where hosts work
Most events need hosts in more than one place. The job changes with the spot:
- Door and arrivals: welcome, wayfinding and first impressions
- Registration: badges, scanners, guest lists and walk-ups
- Lounges and hospitality: looking after guests through the day
- Stands and experiences: starting conversations and managing the flow
Give hosts the full schedule
Guests ask hosts everything, so hosts need to know more than their own spot. At the Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Global Summit in London our team was briefed on the full run of show, so they could answer questions and point creators to the right place.
Match languages to your guests
If guests travel in, a host who greets them in their own language sets the tone for the whole trip. For the TikTok Youth Council Summit, multilingual greeters met members and guardians from 15 countries. For one visiting group at Arsenal, Guinness needed a Korean-speaking host, and we found one.
Make sure every host knows who to call.
How hosts differ from brand ambassadors
A host looks after guests and keeps the event moving. A brand ambassador talks about the product. Plenty of jobs need both, and the best people can do both, so say in your brief which matters most.
Checklist
- Where each host stands and what they own
- The run of show, briefed in full
- Guest lists, badges or scanners tested before doors
- Languages needed, if guests come from abroad
- A named person to escalate to on the day
Common questions
Is an event host the same as a brand ambassador?
Not quite. A host looks after guests and keeps the event running. A brand ambassador talks about the product. Many jobs need a bit of both, so say what matters most in your brief.
Do hosts need to know the event programme?
Yes. At the Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Global Summit our team was briefed on the full run of show, so they could answer questions and point creators to the right place.
Can you supply hosts who speak other languages?
Yes. Tell us which languages each role needs. At Guinness hospitality at Arsenal that included a Korean-speaking host for a visiting group.
Tell us the dates, the spots to cover and any languages, and we’ll come back with a team.
