So, you’ve booked a table at a business event, be it an awards ceremony, business dinner or charity event, and now you need to make it work for your business and justify the expense to your bank manager as well as having the responsibility of hosting that table and making sure everyone has a great time. Here are a few tips to take into consideration prior to the event that will help you become a master at table hosting.

1) Do your homework…

Do some background research on your guests prior to the event. This will not only allow you to get to know them a bit better, but will also allow you to get an idea of which guests will benefit from getting to know each other. This is also the perfect opportunity to practice some conversation starters.

2) Contact guests before the event…

Contacting your guests before the event will allow them to familiarise themselves with you, which will help promote a more relaxed atmosphere upon meeting. This also gives you the opportunity to remind the guests of key pieces of information such as; the dress code, timings of the event and what table you will all be sat on.

3) Arrive early…

Arriving early to the event gives you the perfect opportunity to greet all your guests on arrival, help familiarise them with the venue and break the ice before the event begins.

4) Listen…

One thing to avoid when being a host is to get caught up and realise you haven’t actually let anyone get a word in edgeways. Make sure you listen more than you talk – use those conversation starters you prepped prior to the event to get the ball rolling, then sit back and watch the conversation unfold.

Note: Make sure that the conversation doesn’t steer too far off track, be alert and when necessary, bring the conversation back to a more grounded topic.

5) Make sure no-one is left out…

As a host, this is probably the most important of them all. Plain and simple, make sure that all guests at your table are taking part in the conversation as there’s nothing worse than feeling left out.

Overall, it is the hosts job to make their guests as comfortable as possible so that their time at the event can be a positive one.

All this being said, remember to enjoy the event yourself and don’t just spend the entire time running around after your guests, you are a guest too. Leave the running around to the event planners.

Written by: Paige Cradduck - Events Assistant for Grapevine Event Management