How To Become A Professional MC In Nigeria (2024)

This article is about how to become a professional MC in Nigeria this 2024. If you have the passion to become a master of ceremonies in Nigeria and you do not have an idea on what to do to actualise your dream but you really want to go for it, then, this information is for you and we will advice that you pay attention to every detail in this post in order for you start your journey to becoming one of the most sort after MCs in the country going forward.

The official host of a staged event, performance, wedding or party of any kind in Nigeria is an MC, sometimes known as “emcee” or master of ceremonies in full. To keep the ceremony agenda going as smoothly as possible, an event compere presents speakers, makes announcements, interacts with the audience, etc. While being a master of ceremonies (MC) may appear to be a difficult job with all the pressure that comes with it, there are a few things you can do to nail your role as an event host and exude confidence and charm to make the programme engaging for all attendees, and we shall be discussing them in detail as we proceed.

GUIDE ON HOW TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL MASTER OF CEREMONIES (MC) IN NIGERIA 2024 

The following are the step by step processes on how you can become a professional MC in Nigeria this 2024:

GET THE NECESSARY TRAINING TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL MC IN NIGERIA 

The first and most important thing to do when you have decided that you’d like to build a career as a professional master of ceremonies (MC) in Nigeria is to get the necessary training. This is a very good investment that will help you in the long run during the course of your career as an event compere. You can look out for top training courses in your chosen career and apply for them at affordable prices. Many established event hosts organise trainings like this so that upcoming MCs can hone their skills before they launch out for their first job which will set the tone for many more to come.

Also, your training can start immediately on the job. If you have a friend who is established in the industry and you need them to put you through, all you need to do is to simply request that they feature you in the next event that they will be hosting and once there is an agreement, endeavour to show up early at the venue and allow your established friend to guide you all through the course of the event. You may not be all perfect the first time but as you mature in the business, you will become better.

You can as well watch videos of MCs you admire on social media, particularly on the Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Spend as much time as possible on those videos to see what they do and how they do it. Their events will serve as a template for you to launch your own career as an event compere in the foreseeable future when the time comes. Social media is a powerful tool for learning, use it to your advantage.

START YOUR JOURNEY AS AN MC

Once you are done with training to becoming a professional MC in Nigeria, the next thing to do is to launch out and start your career as an event host. You can start small by putting yourself out there and telling people about you and your services, once again, leverage on social media for this. Continually letting people know you that you are an MC even by word of mouth can go a long way in landing you your first job as an event compere. Like we have stated earlier, you can start small and build from there, leverage on your contacts who are already established in this field and ask them to put you through by tagging along in some of the events they will be hosting. As you get the exposure you need, you can then launch out after a while to become your own brand and do your job as an MC in your own style.

BE AWARE OF YOUR EVENT

Congratulations on achieving your goal of becoming an MC! The next thing you should consider is the next event for which you will be paid to host. Knowing your event is crucial for any form of ceremony, be it weddings, birthdays, corporate events, to mention but a few. The type of event will determine the environment you as the MC, must create. Being an effective professional event host in Nigeria requires knowing what is going on, what should be discussed, and what is coming up next.

KNOW WHY YOU HAVE BEEN HIRED AS AN MC FOR THAT EVENT

As a professional master of ceremonies (MC) in Nigeria, it is very key to know that you are in charge of establishing and maintaining the desired ambiance during the event. Depending on the sort of event, the intended ambience may differ, but most events that hire an MC want to create a fun and dynamic atmosphere. While you are on the job as a professional event compere, be sure to maintain the event’s flow and bridge the gaps between segments, maintaining the audience’s interest and ensure that they are having a good time,  ensure that your audience is feeling respected and that you are interacting with them, assisting the speakers in the case of a formal event in feeling appreciated, maintain the event’s timeliness, keep everyone informed on what is going on at the event, etc.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO AT THE EVENT 

Knowing what you have been hired to do at an event is one of the things that stands you out as a professional MC in Nigeria. You must have a good sense of humour, be able to entertain your audience, and be a confident public speaker in order to be an event compere. This means that you must be ready to improvise in order to respond quickly to whatever situation may come. For instance, you may need to still keep your audience busy while the organisers of the event have one issue or the other to resolve or there is a technical issue that needs to be fixed.

Remember to maintain a positive attitude. Smiling adds to the event’s pleasant and light hearted atmosphere and makes you appear to be a lively MC. Bear in mind that your job as the MC of the occasion doesn’t make you the centre of attraction instead, you are to be as professional as possible in ensuring that your audience is in fact, made to feel special, while you skillfully redirect the focus from you to them.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

It is very important that as a professional MC in Nigeria, you do your research by getting some background information on the key people and groups that will be gracing the event you are anchoring by taking note of their names, titles and the businesses they do if possible, and using that information to build your introductions. This background study will aid you in crafting more personal and genuine introductions. This is very effective especially at weddings where different people and groups are introduced.

At corporate events, you can also do your background check on the keynote speakers and introduce them accordingly as at when due. Determine whether any exceptional audience members should be acknowledged during the event. Make a mental note of everyone’s name and title so you know how to say it on stage when it’s their turn to speak. This cannot be overemphasised as it is a key part of why you have been hired as the MC to anchor a particular event.

BE IN CHARGE

An attribute of a professional MC in Nigeria is to be in charge of the event they are anchoring. To do this, you will need to create or analyze a provided event agenda, and plan out the event schedule minute by minute. Consider how long it takes to go on and off the stage, make guest introductions, and hear speeches or a word or two from audience members.

Also consider writing a rough script of what you will say during the event. You may choose to memorise this by heart or write it down on little notecards to keep you on track, this can serve as a template that you can follow throughout the event and in future events. It may be beneficial to inform the event’s primary organizer that as MC, you will only report to one person in charge. If you need to make changes to the the order of events, the only way you will be able to do so is if the person in charge approves the changes. This will help the event go more smoothly by reducing mix-ups and confusion.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

In closing, never forget to tell your audience to let other people know about your business. You can encourage them as an event nears its end to refer you to more people in the case of any future events. You must bring your A-game along as an MC before you ask for referrals, if not, leave it for another day. In this tech savvy era, you can leverage on such large gatherings to even request your audience follow you on your social media platforms where they can get to see more of your works over time. This fast tracks the referral process, and never you stop telling people about your business as an MC. With time, your works will speak for you.