How to Write a Welcome Address for your Virtual Event

By: Lourdes Soares
Date: Jul 14, 2021
Comment: 0
Category: Awards Management

All those arduous stages of planning and putting together an event can really drain the lifeforce out of you, something all organizations dealing with event management would definitely be aware of. However, even after checking all those boxes, the job is still half-done. Think about any events that you have attended in the past.

Did the host’s welcoming address make you want to stay glued to your seat or just wonder why you ever decided to attend that particular event? Welcome addresses at events are so extremely vital because they set the whole tone of the event within the starting few minutes of commencement and play that all-important role of keeping you stuck to your seat. As an age-old saying goes; “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”, so it’s imperative to get it right.

What is a welcome address?

That warm, usually well-rehearsed opening speech for the event given by its host, may it be a small-scale cultural event or a company’s grand awards ceremony is a welcome address. The primary purpose of having one of these at every event is to greet and offer recognition to all the attendees of that event. Now, there may exist this widespread misconception that writing a welcome speech for an event is just a task that the event host or their content team breezes through in a single session, but that is as far from the truth as can possibly be. Welcome addresses are usually well-strategized and well thought out speeches.

Who actually participates in a welcome address?

A welcome address is primarily a one-way dialogue between the event host and the event attendees (making them the two participants) and is meant to engage those attendees from the get-go.

What do you include in a welcome speech for an event?

Every event host has asked this question at least once in their life “How to write a welcome speech for an event?”. Now the intricacies of how to create a welcome speech really depend on the type of event that you are going to host. You can really go crazy, but of course, within reason (If you know what that means). Something that really needs to be accentuated through your welcome speech is the predetermined objective of the meeting, conference, ceremony or event that you are going to host. To write a welcome speech for an event, you need to strategically mould your words around the message that you really want to convey through your address. Setting up the event while keeping your audience engaged and wanting more is the real challenge. An event host can use anything from interactive presentations, dazzling light shows or even just some light-hearted humour.

Structuring your welcome speech

Finding the right words for your welcome speech that can cause the most impact on your attendees, can seem pretty intimidating. However, it isn’t rocket science, so don’t be disheartened. The first step is to really create some form of structure for your speech, making it much easier to plan when and where, to say what. One thing that is really vital is first deciding on what message your speech has to exactly convey and then of course to find a way to deliver that entire message in the most concise way possible. Remember, the human attention span is pretty short, so you have a limited window of opportunity to impress!

Don’t be overwhelmed, we have put together a basic structure to guide you:

Introduction

Well, don’t roll your eyes yet, an introduction of course is a pretty basic and obvious first point to highlight, but it is also that extremely important part of your speech which really sets the mood for how the following events will unfold.

An event host needs to really impress within the first few minutes of their entrance. The grander the entrance, the more attention drawn. Once you have made your appearance, it comes down to reeling your audience in with your charming greeting. A simple, yet warm “Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen” can do the trick, but don’t hold back. Next, you move on to reiterating the purpose and theme of the event to the attendees.

Acknowledgements

Then of course, comes the part of thanking the individuals and the team that made it all possible. This does not have to be an extensive list, as it’s not an auction or some court hearing. Keep it short by starting off with something like “Today’s event just wouldn’t have been possible without…..”

Purpose of the event

This is when you can really make the objective of the event crystal-clear. It doesn’t need to be a breakdown or explanation of the whole agenda of the event, but should definitely include what will exactly be conveyed in this session and the practicability of applying it in the audience’s real lives.

Wrap-up

Now comes the part of moving towards the close of your welcome address and letting the actual event take centre stage. You can still improvise based on what you feel the pulse of the audience’s response is and maybe even use humour as an icebreaker or to nudge the event into a more casual setting.

What’s next……

Your main role as the event host is, as we know, to ensure smooth transitions between the planned activities or sub-events, unless you want to just sit and observe a room filled with confused and thoroughly lost individuals. What your attendees really need is a heads-up as to what’s in store for them. As the event host, you need to take the lead and ensure fluid continuity between the activities of the event, without a drop in audience engagement. Something as simple as warmly introducing the next key-note speaker is one example.

Creating a welcome speech for an event

Considering this structure as somewhat of a blueprint, one can now begin working towards actually creating their welcome speech. It goes without saying that you would have to design your speech considering the type or kind of audience you would be catering to. The more a welcome speech is customized, considering the attendees it will be presented to, the better. Doing this will ensure maximum resonance with an audience and make the job of keeping their attention fixated on the address much easier.

Occasions that call for a welcome address

Welcome addresses can be used for every significant event you can think of. However, the grander welcome speeches are of course reserved for formal events like company conferences, those larger-than-life award ceremonies, fundraisers, charity events and the like:

For conferences

These are of course one of your more austere, more objective driven events. The right idea is to avoid straying away too much from the primary objective of the conference as each of these events has a set agenda. That being said, there is no reason to shy away from some tried and tested methods like icebreakers, just to lighten up the mood before everyone really gets down to business. Do remember to keep it short though.

For award ceremonies

You know what your audience is expecting here! Some brilliant entertainment and a great time. To write a welcome speech for an award ceremony that works as a catalyst of excitement, keeping your attendees pumped up and wanting more is your main objective. The attendees have after all, come together to celebrate their achievements and be rewarded. So keeping it lively and engaging is the way to go, think along the lines of ‘a party host’.

For fundraisers and charity events

Welcome addresses or speeches at fundraisers or charity events need the host to be at their absolute charming best. Your primary purpose as a host here, is to set the required tone of convincing those elite attendees towards supporting your cause, by loosening up their purse strings a little. The specific causes being promoted and the respective benefits they could bring about with some funding, is what you really need to accentuate here.

Some tips for creating a welcome speech

Every piece of data or information needs to be backed with thorough research
Stay politically correct always, as you will mostly always be addressing a diverse crowd
Keep it short, lengthy monologues are a thing of the past
Always be ready to improvise!

Samples / Templates

Referring to a welcoming speech sample of the type of event you are going to host, is always a great idea. You can research similar types of events and the speeches that their respective hosts used, to give you an idea of what structure to follow. Googling something as simple as ‘welcome speech for conference examples’ or ‘welcome speech for event examples’ pulls up some really useful links.

Some great examples of winning welcome speeches

A few modern-day examples of what an ideal welcome speech should sound like are listed below for some context:

Conclusion

There exists no magical ingredient that can conjure up a killer show, but make sure to appeal to your audience’s interests and needs at all times. Stay dedicated, practice and always be ready to improvise. Don’t be afraid to try something different. After all, quirkiness does draw the most attention!