Our failures keep us humble. While basking in the sunset of a conference well-hosted last week, a shape appeared on the Bristol skyline as if to remind me that things didn’t always go so well…

It was an old foe, a silhouette of shame, the scene of my worst hosting nightmare many thousands of sunsets ago. I was a student at Bristol University, no more than 19 or 20. As the boffin of our student radio station (and the only one with a real bow tie), I was asked at the eleventh hour if I’d step-in as MC of a charity concert to be held at Clifton Cathedral. The time for rehearsal had passed, but the organisers had faith – and seemingly meticulous notes – so, surely, I’d be fine?

I’d actually been compèring concerts since secondary school and fine I was… until the star piece of the night, performed by a young child with the proverbial angel’s larynx. She was clearly accomplished and the audience was spellbound by her performance – I could see them from the wings, wide-eyed and visibly moved. As her last, long, lingering note faded away into the sugar-funnel roof of the cathedral, I waited for the inevitable applause to bridge my return to the stage… but applause there were none. I paused for a moment longer before spontaneously starting my own enthusiastic applause from the wings, hoping others would follow.

Still there was silence from within in the cathedral. The little girl looked over to me, flushed with embarrassment. I marched onto the stage to mount a rescue, still clapping (and now cheering) as I went, like something from Hi-De-Hi. As I did all I possibly could to whip the audience into the requisite frenzy, the girl calmly and professionally turned away from me… to carry on with her performance. The second movement of her piece…

More than two decades on, I revisit this horror of ill-judgement before every live event I host – and whenever else I need to bring myself to ground. Hosting events has become a major part of my portfolio career, especially since leaving the BBC to become freelance in 2023. Since then I’ve been hosting corporate events, moderating conferences and presenting awards ceremonies alongside broadcasting, podcasting and voiceover work. Last year I hosted more than twenty events, all over the UK – and, let me tell you, every single one was, in some way, fenced-off from potential disaster by the many lessons I learnt that day in the sweet funnel of failure.

Last week’s more triumphant event was Great Western Railway’s Safeguarding Conference in Bristol, which I hosted as their voice of safety (mine is the voice on GWR’s trains and stations which tells you to “Mind The Gap”, amongst other announcements). Although no child performers were present to sing, there would have been plenty of opportunities to, erm, slip up. The subjects were emotive, some of the case studies were tough and we had an unexpected tear or two alongside me on the stage. But my time on both the stage and the radio has taught me how to navigate all of this, how to react when the unexpected happens. As somebody very kindly put it, “you make all this look so easy, and yet I know it’s anything but”.

So, if you’re looking for an experienced (and, these days, dependable) host to bring polish to your event, to give direction to your conference, or to take the pressure off whoever normally catches the mic at your functions, drop me a line. I have a string of successes to my name… but more importantly, I’ve survived a couple of movement-inducing failures, too.

About David Sheppard

Playful, imaginative communicator with 20 years' experience in daily live broadcasting, voiceover and audio production. Available for voiceover work from his own studio facility and as a presenter for radio, podcasts and live events.