How to Find a Conference Moderator in the UK

You can book a conference moderator directly, through a speaker bureau or on a recommendation. Hire the one who prepares with your panellists and keeps time.

As a guide, my own fees start from £1,500 to moderate a single session and from £2,500 to host and moderate the full day. Travel and expenses are charged in addition, and no VAT is added. The rest of this guide covers what a moderator does, where to look, what separates a good one and what to send in the brief.

I am a conference host and panel moderator, and CEO & Founder of TRM Flex. As Head of Events at The Office Group I ran TOG Talks, hosting the evenings, interviewing guests and leading the panels. I have also sat on the organiser's side, delivering the SANS Institute's EMEA summits across twelve cities in Europe and the Middle East. In 2026 I sat on the panel at the London Christmas Party Show, so I know what a panellist needs from the chair.

What a conference moderator does, and how that differs from a host or MC

A conference moderator, sometimes called an event or session moderator, chairs a session. They frame the topic, introduce the panellists, ask the questions, balance the voices, take audience questions and close on time. Their job is the conversation in front of them.

A conference host or corporate MC runs the wider programme. They open the day, introduce each speaker, hold the transitions and keep the agenda on time from the first keynote to the close. A facilitator is different again. They run a working session, such as a roundtable or workshop, where the participants are the audience.

Many conferences book one person to host and moderate. That saves a second briefing and gives the day one voice. I do both, and I also work as a live interviewer for fireside chats with a single guest.

Where to look for a conference moderator

Direct. Search for UK conference moderators and hosts and contact them yourself. You speak to the person who will do the job from the first call, and you can judge how they prepare from the questions they ask you. Look for a site that shows real sessions, a clear process and guide fees.

Speaker bureaux and agencies. A good bureau will give you a shortlist across several names, handle the contract and find a replacement if something goes wrong. That is worth paying for, especially if you want a well-known name or you are booking for several events. The agency adds its commission to the moderator's fee. If you come to me through an agency, my fee to them is net and they add their own commission.

Recommendations. Ask who moderated the best session you sat through this year. Ask your venue, your production company and your speakers. People who work on stage know who prepares and who wings it.

The host you already have. If you have booked a conference host, ask whether they moderate. Often they can, and they already know your agenda.

Five things that separate a good moderator

1. Preparation. A good moderator researches every panellist and speaks to them, or their team, before the day. That call is where the panel is made. If a moderator is happy to turn up and wing it, keep looking. I wrote about why in How to Moderate a Panel.

2. A question plan shared in advance. The moderator should agree the goal of the session with you, then draft a flexible question plan and share it with you and the panellists. Nobody should be ambushed on stage. The plan is a map, not a script.

3. Balancing airtime. Without a moderator who steps in, the loudest voice wins and you get four speeches instead of a conversation. A good moderator brings the quieter panellist in by name and cuts across politely when a point runs long.

4. Structured audience Q&A. Ask how they run questions from the floor. I take them in twos so the panel can choose, turn a rambling question into a sharp one, and bring online questions into the room for hybrid sessions.

5. Timekeeping. A panel that overruns by ten minutes takes that time out of every session after it. I have run conference agendas from the organiser's side, and time is the first thing I protect. A good moderator works with your producer and stage manager and lands the session on time, even when a panellist is on a roll.

What to send a moderator in the brief

The more the moderator knows a week out, the better the session. Send what you have.

• The session title, its length and its goal. What should the audience leave with?
• Panellists' names, roles and contact details for a short call the week before.
• Who the audience is, how many, and what they already know.
• Where the session sits in the agenda, and what comes before and after it.
• The format: seating, microphones, screens, and whether it is hybrid or streamed.
• How audience questions will be taken, from the floor, by app or online.
• Anything sensitive, such as topics to avoid, news under embargo or sponsor commitments.
• Contacts for your producer and stage manager.

What a conference moderator costs

Fees vary by moderator, by sector and by how much preparation the session needs. As a guide, mine start here.

• From £1,500 to moderate a single session, panel or fireside chat.
• From £2,500 to host and moderate the full conference day.

Fees include a briefing call and full preparation. Travel and expenses are charged in addition and quoted up front with the fee. No VAT is added. Multi-day conferences are quoted on the programme. The full list is on my guide fees page.

In one line

Hire the moderator who asks about your panellists before the day. That question tells you how the session will go.

Questions people ask

I moderate panels and host conferences UK-wide from my base in Essex, near London. See panel moderator for how I prepare a session, conference host if you need the whole day held together, or live interviewer for a fireside chat with one guest. If you have an agenda and a date, send an enquiry and I will reply within one working day with availability and a guide fee.