Good hosting is an act of hospitality. There will be a range of people in the room during an Events Week, and they will have a range of concerns: What will happen here? Will I be asked to do something awkward? Is this event really for me? Is this group really somewhere I can belong? It’s the job of a host to make those people feel at ease, welcomed, and included.
Here are some notes that you could send hosts in advance of their hosting an event.
- Prepare! It’s easy to assume that less preparation will make you come across more ‘natural’. The opposite is true! The more prepared and scripted you are, the more relaxed you will feel and the more relaxed you’ll help guests to feel. Prayer is a big part of preparation too! Ask God to guide your decisions and plans.
- Expect a range of people. As you prepare, think about the range of people who will likely be in the room: a range of cultures, a breadth of beliefs, and differing familiarity with the CU. So, explain what the CU is, avoid ‘in jokes’, avoid overly Christian language, avoid cultural references that many might be unfamiliar with, don’t assume any knowledge of anything!
- Let us meet you. As a host, you have an opportunity to help guests feel at home by demonstrating that you are ‘just like the guests’. Good hosting welcomes guests by demonstrating that they are right to feel at home, that they are amongst friends, and that the evening is run by people just like them. So, share a bit of who you are! Perhaps encourage guests to do the same with one another.
- Keep to time. Guests are honouring the CU by attending one of their events. We can honour them by keeping to time and not allowing the event to overrun. So, make sure you start and end on time.
- Think beyond. What do you want guests to leave with? What do you want them to feel as they leave the event? Are there particular messages that you want them to hear that you might need to repeat? Are there next steps that you want to invite people along to?
Check out these examples of how to structure and time both lunch and evening events.
Here's an excellent demonstration from Cambridge University of how to host events well…
Things to do:
- Hosts. Find a small number of people, perhaps just two, to host over the course of the week (better to have a few people who get good at hosting, rather than giving everyone a turn!). If possible, ensure that they represent the range of people who attend your university; if guests see people like them up front, it communicates that they are welcome in the CU.
- Communicate. Communicate to hosts that hosting will take prayer and preparation; it’s a commitment!
- Prep. If possible, ask your Staff Worker to meet with hosts to prepare before the event. Make sure it’s at least a couple of hours before the event starts.