And defining some roles while I’m at it.
Every large-scale event has a producer. Producers are people who brings teams together, pays artists, hires contractors, handles grounds, fencing, permits and staffing, and oversees structural business elements to create a trusted ‘container’ for gathering. Producers may also handle marketing and usually handle the money.
Producers should also have a vision, the ability to communicate the vision, and demonstrate a nature that helps people rally around a quality shared idea to get things done. Producers usually have capital or access to it and take a role of responsibility for the event’s success as well. Gracious producers learn to credit everyone except themselves, treat staff as equals, and share the wealth.
Great producers are also – at heart– are usually lovers of big ideas, and can pull together quality teams to make them so1.
And while producers are the seen folks, carrying the event, every large scale events needs Hosts too, which I’ll define here. I’m not talking MCs – that’s a showman’s role (and also very important). I’m also not talking Sponsor, which is usually a quid pro quo role: here is money in exchange for advertising. I’m not talking “partner” or “collaborator” here either, which have specific, sometimes legal meanings or digital mechanisms to adhere to.
Hosting is a working role, and it may be fulfilled by a number of staff members, or aggregate.
The hosting roles I’m talking about are usually quieter, untitled position/s that grow an owners vision, reputation, organization, and wealth. Hosts encourage positive participation by all members of an event community and facilitate good will naturally.
By this definition, hosts may serve as co-visionaries, and tend to be in demand because of demonstrated soft skills they perform inside a measurement-based disciplines like marketing, organizational development, networking, talent development, and planning. Hosts are usually creative by nature.
The host role is usually made manifest inside tasks, taste, advisory capacity, communications, introductions, and the graceful art of suggestion both up and down the totem pole of players – as well as directly engaging the public.
Hosts can also see where their organization is going, and how to ride the cultural waves for the greatest good for all. This means hosts pay attention. And when graceful suggestions are not heeded, hosts can spell them out – as long as they are invited, and their words are valued appropriately anyway.
A host role may be filled by someone named a “manager,” or a family member, or multitude of staff or customer service people, who communicates with customers, guests, managers and owners via public and private channels.
Sometimes, hosts are people you can’t see: like the spouse or children of an owner or producer.
You may be surprised how often this host role is fulfilled by teams of women without corresponding titles or pay, or access to capital, power, or promotions.
Or if you are a woman, you may not be surprised at all.
To be clear, the host role is not only held by women. The role is often fulfilled by individuals with empathic gifts, an ability to read and write patterns, an ability to plan (and execute) tasks, a personable nature, an ability to command respect, an ability to see natural patterns and evaluate past mistakes, ability to improve and grow, and an ability to communicate up, down, and sideways while holding a big mission of an organization in forefront of one’s mind.
IE hosts usually act based on personal values, and hold close to an organizational mission and personal integrity. When all is in harmony, amazing things happen.
The people fulfilling host roles are often employed in disciplines related to public relations, marketing, or serve in assistant-ships to named leaders, and/or management, because ideally, hosts can clearly communicate what’s expected, the goal of the thing, and usually don’t find titles, power, or revenue, or spreadsheets more important than people. The good ones anyway.
Within their sphere of influence, hosts usually:
1) understand –or set– an organization’s community vision, while cultivating positive and truthful communication both inside and outside in tandem.
2) communicate facts clearly to whomever needs to know (so they can succeed)
3) help producers, guests, and team members to feel included/invited/supported, while handling their specific contracted tasks in professional manner
4) keep a positive outlook, and
5) produce quality in their area
6) make all this look effortless
Like many restaurant folks who came before me, I wound up recruited into this role by hosting-focused businesses, music festivals, and other large public events, non-profit institutions, and private business owners – usually when the mission is unstated. I fell into this work (and at one point was recruited to run a Chamber of Commerce, so random) because of a long-practiced service mindset, honed through years in restaurants, and paying attention.
I’d do it more often, but the income/expense balance sheet has to be good enough to sustain my personal needs. But that’s another story for another day. Hello to being an artist, writer and advisor [support this free material with a paid subscription or tip].
Ode to the land where 86 lives
Hiring Tip: those who have succeeded in working in restaurants are some of the best judges of character and movers of mountains. They deal with hunger, acutely observe how people handle money and other people (tipping is a funny tell), are empathic and present, and literally keep hot-headed chefs cooled down by practicing public-facing excellence.
Servers, bartenders and front of house hosts, get hundreds of tasks done per shift, inside fast-paced, ever-changing set of priorities and with dozens of different kinds of people.
To do their jobs well, restaurant people also need to think through these hundreds of tasks and relationships in the moment.
In this way, food service is the opposite of factory work. This kind of on-the-fly prioritization is skill not everyone has and, I believe, will be growing in value in the coming years.*
Blowing one’s own experience horn: I worked in restaurants from ages of 14-40. In that time, I treated everyone the same, and subsequently (kicking and screaming) was “pushed up” into management roles. This was after I turned celebrities away from getting seated, because other folks were ahead of them on the waiting list; yelled about the owner needing to feed the staff; and told badly-behaved, but wildly rich, and/or elected vips, “this is what we do here,” while spelling out expectations to the badly behaved.
And they loved it.
For instance, during my time working in service, I told an actor at my bar to “just hang in there, acting is a tough field with so much rejection. You’ll make it!” to meet with wide-eyed smiles, and then turn on the TV later and see that guy in his own series. Ha!
I also was handpicked to take care of famous folks dozens of times, likely, because I did my job the same for everyone, no matter who was in front of me. Lisa Minnelli is a straight up lovely woman, BTW. I loved giving the love to one of the music industry’s true working girls and total queens Christine Ohlman too.
I also stopped young men in dumbass brawls with my body in “my section,” but that shouldn’t be a job qualification. Sheesh.
My winning philosophy
So, here is my philosophy of service that later got me recruited as a paid member of big teams for many high-profile, multi-million dollar grossing, public events. It is three phrases and all you need to know to hold a good space and do your job well.
I suggest you take the concepts to heart and train your mind on a graceful and good “this is what we do here,” and then watch beautiful things unfold:
No one is favored.
Everyone is special.
This is what we do here.
No one is favored
Means treat everyone with dignity and respect and kindness, supporting them as you can, regardless of their role (or your role) or seeming importance. IE, treat the trash guy with as much dignity as a monk, an owner, or famous person. Care about them, their people, and notice the value of their contribution.
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it… – Rudyard Kipling
Why this works: treating the ‘lowest’ among us well, is a key to experiencing a better time in life and helping others to do the same. So, even if your ego or wallet doesn’t get promoted, you’ll at least feel great about what you do and stay strong in your center.
This is priceless – and priceless is always free to walk with dignity.
Why else this works: a person who does not curry favor from anyone, nor favor anyone will also not fawn over the famous people, vips, owners, or even the artists. In roles where service staff interfaces with “the talent,” you need people who actually understand what the famous and/or the powerful bring to the table. Then take care of them like anyone else = with good will, and well. Their roles are sometimes tough, being publicly visible, and they need support to do good stuff, lest they drink the koolaid the public blows on them most days.
It’s also important to interact with artists and notables without preference or projection, like fans sometimes do.
In other words: no artist wants to do selfies with staff. No real person likes fawning either. So, if you can get out of ‘projecting importance’ on others, and do your contracted job with excellence, you’ll be fine, and maybe even have some fun in the process.
Pro Tip: real artists prefer to connect with real people who also do their jobs like artists. It helps them do theirs better too. This includes the person who cleans the bathrooms. Just sayin.’
Everyone is special
The corollary to the above is that you treat everyone proactively well, to the best of your ability given guidelines you have set yourself. This makes everyone feel special. I think it also means being transparent in your agenda, clear in your communication, and fearless in how you move the good vision forward, while leaving your ego out of it.
And, if you don’t know your place on the totem pole of power, Who T F cares?! It does not matter to the task at hand, if all you were hired to do was tasks.
All you need to do is be sure you are treating people with equanimity inside your sphere of influence and keeping your own “head about you when those about you are loosing theirs and blaming it on you.”
Also be sure to credit all the good people around your orbit. Raise them up, because you can.
And yes, knowing everyone is special means telling the truth and standing up for the “little guy” when needed too, or your marginalized co-workers, or your TEAM.
The philosophy “everyone is special” means understanding that everyone is the center of their own universes and just as important as anyone else. Titles and roles are not relevant, and prestige a magic act. Each person is a king or queen in their own land. So treat everyone as honored…
Everyone includes guests, staff, vips, managers, owners, customers, vendors, sponsors, politicians, and the press. It also means knowing everyone wants to do their jobs well, and you can help them succeed by noticing their positive attributes and sharing information as you have it so they can do their part well. A good guest, can receive the great stuff you’ve helped give them (good food, great music, beautiful environment, etc.) because the ticket price rarely covers the true value public events bring to our world. The value is brought by everyone who comes.
Since not everyone knows how to be a great guest (those of you in customer service understand this), you can help reveal this to them via your role. Not through bossiness, but through showing them how, by doing it yourself.
Pro Tip: customers also want to be their best selves, so as an event host, you can help define what that means by depicting it, writing about it, and otherwise showing how “having a good time” is done in your community.
Which leads to…
This is what we do here
We in this statement is always everyone. And by that I mean, everyone includes those folks who buy tickets, those who sell the tickets, and those who observe from their armchair via social media or read your newsletters. Yes even those who see your signage; and those who partner with you for quid pro quo prestige, especially those work for you, those who no longer work with you, and even those who like you, and those who don’t.
This is what we do here is held as an inner understanding of what you want to have carry on later, as long-term as a result of your actions today [See my oldie but goodie Living Legacy Worksheet for personal clarity on this idea].
Sometimes, “what we do here” is keeping something alive that you can’t define. Sometimes it’s a focus you understand as important, and you give your energy to it in all you do.
When I worked for legendary music producer, Chuck Wentworth Jr. of Rhythm & Roots, I understood via witnessing his decisions that he 1) understood all good American music has roots in Africa, 2) that helping young people learn to love quality music is a worthy endeavor and 3) that the arts and music will continue to carry human spirit forward in joy, movement, and emotion for the generations that come regardless of the industries, money, or power structures that seek to control it.
So, if you are a young unsung host, below are a few ways you can define, inside, what we do here.
“the arts thrive here”
“music community gathers here”
“people make friends, meet neighbors, and find affinity here”
“people learn about their community here”
“people help each other succeed here”
“people are welcoming, kind, inclusive, and fun here”
“families have a wholesome good time here”
“people enjoy great food and drink here”
“people dance away their cares here”
“people enjoy working together here”
“good people are here doing good things”
PRO SUPPORT I still offer consulting around this and happy to schedule a time for us to talk confidentially. Rate $149 intake zoom/call, $125/hour thereafter until my calendar fills (soon). Email me for a slot, and please include 2-3 schedule openings in your correspondence.
For my community of creatives and service-minded people: I’d love to hear from any of you who have experienced being in this role. Especially how you knew and defined your value and importance, and what language you used to discuss it with named ‘superiors.’ The host role has often been pushed down the social strata, while the wealthy and privileged and business-minded leaders and doers pushed themselves “up.” That’s part of how the system works. However, I’ve come to experience by naming your own role wherever you are, your real role, you can begin to stand solidly inside your own center and effect positive change in the places that matter the most to you.
Many thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts back.
FOOTNOTES & SUB-SUBTEXT
*one of the reasons I’m watching AOC, a former bartender.
- “Make it so” is another Term of Endearment originating from Star Trek, the Next Generation. ↩︎