Emceeing – more than talking and looking good

Words by Stevie G

In showbiz, good looks help but having the gift of the gab will take an emcee pretty far.

Hard work and the drive to self improve matters including the ability to understand what clients want and expect.

“In this business you get to meet all kinds of people. It’s quite a challenge dealing with different crowds.

“They expect different things. They also like different things,” Penang-based emcee C.H. Tan, who has over the years emceed at big events like corporate functions to more casual and private ones like weddings and birthdays.

“So change is constant and imminent in this business. Emcees like me also have to be able to adapt with the entertainment industry’s dynamic changes and expecta-tions,” he tells where2.

For emcees to do well, Tan says it is a given that they must know and understand the jobs they are hired for, especially what their different clients want and expect.

He says he will sit down with them to discuss the details thoroughly to understand their requirements and expectations; and research online for additional information that can help him do his job.

He will even find the best outfit or costume to dress up for the job according to its theme if necessary, he says, because “looking the part is important”.

“You feel that sense of fulfilment and satisfaction when you see that you have helped make the event fun and successful. That feeling still gets to me,” he says.

Fraternising with other emcees is good to improve himself.

“I always try to learn from others and from my own mistakes and shortcomings to improve, and to expand my portfolio so I can be a better entertainer.”

Tan has been emceeing since 25 and in the business for over eight years. A chance occasion by his former employer who wanted to save a few cents got him the role of an emcee for a company event.

Interested to be a radio deejay in his high school years; he gave it a go and ventured out to hone skills.

From word of mouth and referrals from past clients, he made good and with several partners set up an events company Dreamz Productions that operates out of Penang and Kuala Lumpur.