Welcome speeches at corporate events can set the tone of an event. A good speech made at the right time and place can raise the profile of an event immensely. Get it wrong and a welcome speech can be lost in the mists of obscurity.
In this video blog Brian gives a very short tip on dais location. Where in the room should a speech be made from? Discussing the general flow of crowds into venues and how this can affect your welcome speech.
Although some viewers may regard this tip as simple it should be borne in mind that most of the best plans are simple. And the simple things are the easiest things to overlook.
I’ve seen welcome speeches lost in a sea of noise where not only is the location not engaging people but compounded by poor sound distribution in the room. Welcome speeches that can’t be heard didn’t exist.
It’s interesting to analyse the flow of people into a room at a corporate event. So often waiters with drinks trays line the arrival door and rightly so the intension is to say first of all welcome, have a drink. But as the event fills up those waiters get pushed closer and closer to the door as the guests take there drink and then walk a few steps into the room before stopping to talk.
The end result being a scrum of people in the first third of the room and empty space in the other two thirds. A prime example for this for those of you who know London venues is the Undercroft at The Banqueting House in Whitehall and the Kings Gallery at Kensington Palace. Both long narrow rooms that tend to always fill closest to the entrance.
I’ve often thought that if caterers set up there waiters or bars half way down the room it would encourage people to occupy the space better. And in this tip on welcoming speeches I’m encouraging you the event organiser to try this option for your speaker.
Brian Russell
Copyright 2014