Attending a major conference in a big city like London was a daunting prospect for Geri Hunter. She was always pretty nervous about these events anyway, although she realized the enormous benefit she received from networking and keeping up to date with the latest trends. The recent terrorist bombings didn’t add much to her peace of mind either.
Because you won’t know exactly what frame of mind your delegates are in as they await the beginning of the event, it is important that the presenters opening words orientate the audience to the reasons for holding the event. They should refer back to the original objective and should cover the following:
Who are the people running the event?
Why has it been organized?
What should delegates expect to get from it?
How will the event be run?
Where in the venue will elements of the event be held?
When will significant activities and breaks happen?
This welcome speech should be well rehearsed and word perfect, delivered in an up-beat tone to set the energy level for the day otherwise you may lose the audience before you have even begun.
Safety and...