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Be crystal clear about what your activity involves – state exactly what will happen throughout the activity, who it is designed for, how long it will take, whether food and drink is provided, what they need to bring for themselves. Leave no room for miscommunication and misunderstandings. 

Be polite and professional. You are hosting guests that are paying for your services so you must act accordingly. Although HOSTER is based around everyday people rather than otherwise licensed professionals, professionalism is still expected. Make sure your guests feel like they have received a top-quality service.  

Make sure the price of your activity aligns with the quality of the experience. 

Hosts must ensure the health and safety of all guests. Make sure the type of activity and location/venue is safe for guests. Inform your guests of the risks that may be involved with the activity before they start. Personal liability waivers are built into the terms and conditions when a guest books an activity but the host is responsible for managing any reasonable risks and maintaining the health and safety of guests at all times.  

Dangerous activities that involve water, hiking and wilderness activities, animal interactions, contact sports or anything involving a vehicle require extra care and attention to the safety of guests. 

Please read HOSTER’s terms and conditions for more information regarding your health and safety requirements. 

Great! You’ve decided what type of activity you want to host and are ready to list! Here is what you should include in your listing and what you might want to avoid.  

A Clear Title  

Your title should be short and sweet. Tell the reader exactly what your activity will be and  what they should expect all in the one sentence. Let them know in the title whether your  activity is going to be a social or entertaining experience or whether it will be educational.  

For example, if you are hosting a gardening workshop, your title might be something like  ‘Seed and Propagation Workshop for Beginners’ – here you’ve covered that it will be an  educational workshop specifically about seeds and propagation and it is targeted at  beginners. Having a clear and simple title will bring more traffic to your listing as people are  easily overwhelmed by too much information.  

A Description  

Use plain language to describe what your activity will be about. Describe what you are going  to do, how you are going to do it, and how long it will take.  

Tell the guests what they might need for the activity – hats, water, good pair of hiking boots.  Tell them whether food and drink is included or if they should pack their own. Let them  know about accessibly and potential level of fitness required for the activity. Let them know  if they need any previous knowledge or experience for the activity.  

Add a sentence or two about who you are with your background and experience in your  chosen activity. This will give credibility to your listing and also a personal touch.  

Photos 

Upload your own photos. Using your own photos creates authenticity and builds trust with  the customer.  

To begin with, you may not have photos of your activity in action so you should ask your  guests if they are ok with being photographed for your listing. In the meantime, you can still  upload photos of yourself or photos that directly relate to the activity you will be offering.  For example, if you are offering a gardening class, upload photos of your garden or recent  vegetables you’ve grown.  

*What to avoid* We highly recommend staying away from the use of AI in photos – they will  often produce a generic look, won’t help you stand out, are known to give people too many fingers, and they will bring down the authenticity of your listing. 

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!