Compere, MC, Host or Toastmaster: Which Do You Need?

In the UK, a compere, an MC and an event host are usually the same booking with a different emphasis. A toastmaster is a different trade.

Organisers lose time on this question, so here is the plain answer. If you are running a conference, an awards night, a gala dinner or a company party, you need one person who can hold the room, keep the running order and look after your guests. Whether you call that person a compere, an MC or a host matters far less than whether they can do the job. If you are running a wedding, a livery dinner or a formal banquet with a receiving line and a loyal toast, you may want a toastmaster.

I am an event host, MC and compere based in Essex and working UK-wide, and the CEO & Founder of TRM Flex. People book me under all three names. Here is what each word means, and when it gets used.

What is a compere?

A compere introduces the acts, the speakers or the award categories, and links the evening together. The word is French in origin and very British in use. You hear it most at awards nights, entertainment shows and gala evenings. A compere keeps the energy up between moments and makes sure every handover lands.

What is an MC, master of ceremonies or emcee?

MC stands for master of ceremonies. Emcee is simply MC spelled out, and it is common with international clients and in travel and hospitality. In the UK, MC is the usual word in corporate settings: conferences, company events and product launches. Master of ceremonies sounds more formal and turns up on invitations to formal functions and dinners.

The job is the same as a compere's. Welcome the room, introduce each speaker or act, hold the timings and close the event properly. A good master of ceremonies also covers the moments nobody planned: the speaker who overruns, the video that will not play, the room that comes back from the break late. At a business event, a corporate MC also learns the company, the sponsors and the reason the day exists.

What is an event host?

Host is the general term. It covers everything above, and it is the word most organisers type when they start looking. An event host might welcome guests, interview someone on stage, moderate a panel and present awards, all in one booking. If the brief includes conversation as well as links, host is usually the most accurate word.

And a presenter?

Presenter borrows from broadcast. It suits events with cameras in the room, a livestream, or a stage show built like television. In practice, the person presenting your awards or hosting your conference is doing the same work. The word just signals a more produced format.

What is a toastmaster?

A toastmaster is a specialist in formal protocol. Traditionally they wear a red tailcoat. They announce guests in a receiving line, call for silence, introduce the speeches and call the toasts in the right order. You find them at weddings, livery company dinners, civic banquets and formal society dinners.

It is a distinct trade with its own training and its own etiquette. I am not a toastmaster, and I would not pretend to be one. If your evening runs on protocol, book a toastmaster. If it runs on a running order, with awards, speakers, sponsors and a room that needs lifting, you want an MC or a host. Some formal dinners book both.

When each word is used

Here is how the words tend to fall in the UK. These are habits, not rules.

• Conferences and summits. MC or conference host, with a panel moderator for the discussions. Often the same person does both.
• Awards nights. Compere, awards host or presenter.
• Gala and charity dinners. Host, MC or charity dinner host.
• Sports dinners and club nights. Host, compere or sports dinner host.
• Christmas and company parties. Host or MC. See Christmas party host.
• Weddings and livery dinners. Toastmaster.

The conference line is where I learned the job from the organiser's side. As Head of Events at The Office Group I ran TOG Talks, and I planned and delivered the SANS Institute's EMEA summits. From that side of the room, nobody cares about the job title. They care whether the two o'clock session starts at two o'clock.

The dinner and sports line is where I spent twelve seasons, hosting the WRU Official Members Club from 2014 to 2026. Same room, different mood every match day. The title on the running order never changed what the job needed.

What to put in the brief

The word you use matters less than what you write underneath it. Put these in the brief and you will get the right person, whatever you call them.

• The event type and the purpose. A product launch and a retirement dinner need different hosts.
• The audience: how many, who they are, and how well they know each other.
• A draft running order, even if it will change.
• Every job on the night: links, awards, panel moderation, a live interview, sponsor reads, formal toasts.
• The tone you want: formal, warm, high energy, or somewhere in between.
• Any protocol, such as grace, a loyal toast or a receiving line. If there is a lot of it, that is your sign you may need a toastmaster.
• Whether there is an auction. That needs a specialist auctioneer, and the host should know who it is.

If cost is the next question, I have written a separate guide to how much an event host or MC costs in the UK.

In one line

Call them a compere, an MC or a host. Book the person who can read your room.

Questions people ask

Not sure which you need? Send me the running order and I will tell you. You can read more about booking a compere, a master of ceremonies or an event host, or send an enquiry. I reply within one working day.