Host Guide
How to host well
An invitation is a relationship, not a transaction. Here is how to bring an Indigenous speaker, artist, performer, or facilitator into your space with care — and get something real in return.
The shape of it
Every engagement moves through the same path
From first request to follow-through, we hold the process so you and the person you book can focus on the work itself.
- 01
Submit an inquiry
Tell us your event, audience, topic, budget, timeline, location, and what you are trying to accomplish.
- 02
Get matched
We recommend speakers, facilitators, MCs, moderators, or advisors who fit the room and the work.
- 03
Book properly
We support scope, fee, preparation, travel, contracts, calendar, and expectations.
- 04
Extend the value
With consent, engagements can become transcripts, clips, articles, newsletters, and resources.
Principles
Four things to hold onto
If you remember nothing else, remember these.
Be clear about why
Know why you are inviting an Indigenous voice into this room. "Because it is the right thing to do" is a starting point, not a plan. Tie the engagement to a real purpose your audience can feel.
Resource it properly
Honoraria, travel, accommodation, preparation time, and cultural protocol all cost real money. A serious invitation comes with a serious budget — not an afterthought line item.
Share context early
Who is in the room, what has already been said, what the tensions are. The more context you share up front, the better the engagement lands. Surprises in the room rarely help anyone.
Hold space, do not extract
You are inviting a person, not renting a perspective. Let them shape how their knowledge is shared, what is recorded, and what stays in the room.
In practice
Do this, not that
Do
- Offer a fair honorarium before you are asked
- Cover travel, accommodation, and meals without quibbling
- Send context, audience details, and the run of show in advance
- Ask how they want to be introduced — and use their words
- Confirm what can be recorded, photographed, or quoted
- Build in time for protocol, welcome, and ceremony if appropriate
- Have a real point of contact on the day
Don't
- Ask someone to speak "for exposure" or "for the community"
- Treat a welcome or land acknowledgement as a checkbox
- Spring difficult questions or hostile audiences without warning
- Record or livestream without explicit consent
- Schedule a heavy topic with no room to breathe afterward
- Assume one person speaks for all Nations or all Indigenous people
Questions hosts ask
The honest answers
Consent, compensation, and cultural protocol are not optional extras — they are the foundation of every engagement we arrange. If a request cannot meet them, we will say so honestly rather than pass the problem along.
Ready to do this properly?
Tell us who is in the room, what you are hoping for, and what you can resource. We will help you shape an engagement that respects everyone in it.
Still have questions?
If you are not sure where to start, just reach out. We would rather have a real conversation than watch you guess.