The host makes the difference--

make everyone, audience and performers alike, feel welcome,

give performers good introductions and encourage applause (Lets give a big hand an old friend of ours, "Blank", doing an old favorite/special version of a popular song/song just written yesterday"--lets give a big Open stage welcome to a brand new friend, "Blank)

get to know regular audience members by name and musicial taste

make a special point of welcoming new performers offstage as well as on--

developing a running dialog with the audience--


Also very important to keep things moving

Honor the sign-up list, but try to manage the program so that you don't have three inexperienced performers in a row, and make sure to save the best for last--

If someone really hot plays, it helps if you play a song next , or lead a sing along, creating a space so the next performer doesn't get the "How do I follow that?" blues--(You're the host, you can afford to take the fall)

Remember that the host's job is to make sure that everyone has a good time--if that happens, over time people will come to listen, and people will come to play--