A simple guide to hosting successful events and activities.
1. Define The Purpose
Begin by deciding what type of experience you will be hosting. Will it be a workshop or class where learning will be the main objective? Will it be a social event where guests having a good time and making friends is the objective? Choose your purpose and tailor your activity around that.
2. Plan The Activity
Make a plan or itinerary for your activity or workshop. Plan what you will do and how long it will take. Take into account time spent arriving, settling down, the activity itself and any other unplanned moments. Be flexible as your plan will most probably change!
Decide how many people is the optimal number for this type of activity and how many people you can comfortably manage and give quality time to.
3. Create A Budget, Set A Price
Make sure you create a budget for your activity so you know exactly what you need to make the experience a success. Include materials needed and how much that would work out to be per person, maintenance or wear and tear on things you already own that will be used, fuel if using, local venue hire if needed, and most importantly the time you spend organising and actually hosting the activity. Deciding how much to charge should incorporate all of these factors.
The price of the activity should reflect the level of quality of the experience. If guests are paying a high price for an activity, the quality of the experience must match. If the price is too high, consider whether everything you have included in the price is needed or worth it. Also ask yourself, how much would I be willing to pay for this activity?
4. Know Your Guest
Although you will never know exactly who your guests are, you should be able to glean a little bit of information about your guests from their profiles when they book an activity. This should give you some insight into what kind of people to prepare for. Their age, gender, where they live and their interests should all help you to prepare. You should assess what your guests may or may not already know and tailor an experience for their perceived needs.
If you have a range of different people in your group, try to make your language asclear and universal as possible – avoid slang and don’t assume your guests know what you are talking about!
5. Anticipate Your Guests’ Needs
No matter the activity, you should think of anything your guests may need throughout their time with you. Toilet facilities – if in public, at least know where the closest ones are. Water and drinks, food and snacks – are these included or should you suggest they bring their own. Sun protection – depending on type of activity you can recommend hats and sunscreen or you might provide a sun shelter if your activity is outside on a hot day. Accessibility and ease of activity – you could state what fitness or ability level your activity requires. Anticipate the weather conditions and make a call whether to carry on if it doesn’t look so good.
6. Be Yourself
As the host, being the centre of attention for a long period can be a daunting thought. Imposter syndrome kicks in. Am I really that good at painting that I can teach others? Yes you are, and you’ll be fine.
Be yourself and teach how you want to teach. There is no set standard for how you carry out your activity – be as formal or informal as you want. As long as the customers are happy and rules are being followed then you’re doing a great job.
There you have it, 6 easy steps to becoming the most charming host!
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