Awards shows are often a highlight of the corporate year, they are an excuse to dust off your favourite outfit and celebrate the accomplishments of your colleagues within your industry!
Even if you and your team don’t take home any honours, a great awards host can guarantee it’s a night to remember. The host’s role is to ensure the awards start off with a bang and keep the audience entertained throughout (no matter how much food and drink they may have had)!
Here at JLA, we get enquiries for a wide array of different hosts, for both internal and external awards, and from a diverse range of industries. A one-size fits all policy doesn’t work – to successfully carry the event, the host needs to match the brief of the audience. They don’t have to be a comedian by trade but need to have a light-hearted and amusing energy to keep the room entertained throughout the evening.
Below, in no particular order, you’ll find some of the finest hosts I’ve had the pleasure of working with during my time here at JLA.
Jeremy Vine
A familiar voice from his morning show on Channel 5 and his lunchtime show on BBC Radio 2, as well as BBC1’s Points of View, Jeremy’s career has also seen him appear on our screens for a memorable turn on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015. As you would expect from a seasoned broadcaster and journalist, Jeremy takes the time to research and understand his audience. His witty, topical speeches, with amusing anecdotes provide a great start to an evening of awards.
View Jeremy Vine‘s profile here.
Suzi Ruffell
We’ve only been working with Suzi for a relatively short amount of time but she’s already taking the corporate world by storm. Suzi is a pleasure to work with, and more importantly, her hilariously entertaining stories, and innovative style keep the audience thoroughly entertained throughout the whole award show. Her charisma and natural storytelling engage her with any audience and will guarantee laughs throughout! Indeed, we think so highly of her here at JLA that she co-hosted our most recent RVS with Tom Allen and featured in our 2019 RVS – you can watch a short highlights video of the event on our Real Variety Show page.
View Suzi Ruffell‘s profile here.
Martin Bayfield
Once Martin retired from being one of England’s most potent forwards on the rugby pitch, he made the switch to presenting – sandwiched in-between his time on the set of the Harry Potter film series as the body double of Robbie Coltrane, when he was playing Hagrid. Martin is an accomplished and entertaining host. His laid-back demeanour, coupled with comedic timing, has given him a wide appeal on the corporate scene.
View Martin Bayfield‘s profile here.
Sindhu Vee
Before turning to comedy Sindhu was an investment banker with degrees from Delhi Oxford and Chicago. Since then, she’s made appearances on Live at The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You? Indeed, her diverse background has given her a broad appeal across a range of audiences. Sindhu also featured in the 2018 RVS and she went down so well she was later asked to host the 2021 RVS – you can watch a short clip of each on Sindhu’s profile page.
If you’d like to enquire about any of the names above, or would like some more examples of great awards hosts please contact your JLA Account Manager.