EVENTS

Welcome speech examples

A welcome speech opens an event. Thank people for coming, say what the event is for and tell them what happens next. Then hand the room to the first speaker, or let the event begin.

A chatbot can write a welcome speech in seconds. It doesn't know which guests drove six hours to be there, and it won't be holding the microphone when the room goes quiet. The welcomes below are made up, so keep their shape and fill in your own details. First comes a six-part template. Then come eight examples: a community event, a conference, a work meeting, a church anniversary, a family reunion, a wedding reception, a celebration of life and a short one. Last: how long to talk, who to name first, what to leave out and how to give it.

A welcome speech template

Susan Dugdale, a teacher of English and drama who founded the speech site Write Out Loud, lists six things a welcome speech covers. She treats parts 1, 3 and 6 as essential. The other three depend on your event.

Greet the room and thank people for coming. If they don't all know you, say who you are: "Good evening, everyone. I'm ___. On behalf of ___, welcome, and thank you for coming."
Recognize any special guests: "We're honored to have ___ with us tonight."
Say what the event is for and what happens next, like who speaks and when: "Tonight we're raising money for ___. Later you'll hear from ___."
Give the housekeeping, like when food is served and where the restrooms are: "Dinner is at seven in the main hall. The restrooms are past the coat check."
Introduce the first speaker, if there is one. Here's how to introduce a speaker.
Thank everyone again and hand over: "Thank you again for being here. Enjoy the evening."

8 welcome speech examples

The names and details are made up. Each one takes about a minute or less to say.

1. A welcome speech for an event

It fits a fundraiser, a community event or an open house, when you're the host or the organizer.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Riverside Library's fall book sale. I'm Helen Park, and I chair the Friends of the Library.

Thank you for coming out on a rainy night. Every dollar you spend tonight buys new books for the children's room. A special thank-you to our volunteers, who sorted more than nine thousand donated books this month.

The sale runs until eight. Paperbacks are in this room, and the rare books are upstairs. Coffee is by the front desk, and the restrooms are down the hall on your left.

Thank you again for being here. Happy hunting.

2. A welcome speech for a conference

Use it for the opening remarks on day one, when you also have the schedule and the Wi-Fi to cover.

Good morning, and welcome to the twelfth Midwest Nursing Educators Conference. I'm Dr. Alan Brooks, and I'm chairing this year's conference.

More than four hundred of you are here from eleven states, and a lot of you were on the road before sunrise. Thank you. Over the next two days you can choose from thirty sessions. Don't miss the simulation labs on Friday afternoon.

A few things before we start. The Wi-Fi password is on the back of your badge. Lunch is at 12:15 in Hall B, and every session room is on the second floor.

Thank you again for being here. Our first speaker has spent twenty years teaching new nurses how to get through their first night shift. Please join me in welcoming Maria Santos.

3. Welcome remarks for a meeting

It fits a team meeting, an all-hands or a board meeting. Keep it short, since people came for the agenda.

Good morning, everyone, and thanks for making time for this. A special welcome to the six people who joined us this month, and to everyone dialing in from the Denver office.

We have two things on the agenda today: the new scheduling system and your questions about it. We'll be done by ten.

Before we start, thank you to the support team. Last quarter you answered more tickets than in any quarter before, and wait times still went down.

Thanks again, everyone. Priya, over to you.

4. A welcome speech for a church anniversary

It fits the welcome on a church anniversary program. Ask your pastor or the program chair what your church usually says, since traditions differ. For Women's Day or a pastor's anniversary, replace the anniversary lines in the second and third paragraphs with the day and the people you're honoring.

Good morning, Pastor Harris, church family and friends.

On behalf of the members of Greater Hope Baptist Church, it is my honor to welcome you to our seventy-fifth church anniversary. To our visitors, and to our friends from Mount Olive who are worshiping with us this morning, thank you for celebrating with us. We hope you feel at home.

Seventy-five years ago, twelve families started this church in a living room on Elm Street. Some of their grandchildren are sitting with us today.

After the service, please join us in the fellowship hall for dinner. Once again, welcome. We're so glad you're here.

5. A welcome speech for a family reunion

Hi, everyone! For anyone I haven't met, I'm Denise, Grandma Ruth's oldest granddaughter.

Welcome to the twentieth Carter family reunion. Look around: there are four generations of us here today. Uncle Ray turns ninety next month, and baby Malik is three weeks old. A special welcome to the Ohio cousins, who drove nine hours to get here.

Lunch is ready, and the family photo is right after, so please don't leave before it. The table by the door has pictures going back to 1952. If you know the story behind one, write it on a card and leave it there.

Thank you all for coming. Now let's eat.

6. A welcome speech for a wedding reception

It fits whoever speaks first at the reception: a parent who's hosting, the couple or a friend acting as emcee. Keep the stories for the toasts. Giving one of those too? See father of the bride speech examples.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Michael, Jenna's dad. On behalf of Jenna and Sam and both of our families, welcome, and thank you for being here.

Some of you flew in from Seattle, and Sam's grandmother came all the way from Manila. We're so glad you made it.

Dinner will be served in a few minutes. After dinner you'll hear from the best man and the maid of honor, and then Jenna and Sam will have their first dance. The photo booth is in the corner by the windows.

Enjoy your dinner, and thank you for celebrating with us.

7. A welcome at a celebration of life

Dugdale writes that people at a memorial service generally expect a more solemn and formal choice of words. Keep the welcome gentle and simple, and leave the stories for later in the service. If you're giving the eulogy too, see how to give a eulogy without crying.

Good afternoon. I'm Laura, Frank's daughter. On behalf of our family, thank you for being here to remember Dad.

He would have been amazed to see so many of you. He kept every card you ever sent him, and some of them are on the table by the door.

In a moment, Pastor Lee will lead us in prayer. Then my brother Ben and Dad's oldest friend, Walt, will each say a few words. Afterward, please stay for lunch in the back room.

Thank you for coming, and for loving him.

8. A short welcome

Use it when the program is full, or when someone else is covering the details.

Good evening, and welcome to the Lakeside Community Band's spring concert. Tonight's program is all music from the movies. Please silence your phones, and thank you for coming.

How long should a welcome speech be?

Dugdale says one to two minutes is usually enough. Her own sample welcome for a conference runs 357 words, which she says takes about two minutes to say. A meeting welcome can be shorter, since people came for the agenda. If you can't decide, aim for a minute.

Who to name first

If you're recognizing dignitaries, start with the most senior person and work down. That's the order the Government of New Brunswick's protocol guide gives for introducing head table guests.
Use each person's correct title. Gilda Bonanno is a presentation coach who has emceed events. In Toastmaster magazine, she says to use the right titles for dignitaries and elected officials. Unless you know the protocol well, she suggests finding someone who does.
Learn how to say every name. Bonanno's advice is to write each one out the way it sounds and practice it out loud. Dugdale adds two checks: use each guest's pronouns, and make sure anything you say about them is true.
Thank groups, like the volunteers or the planning committee, and name one or two people at most. A long list of names loses the room.

What to leave out

The speakers' best material. When you mention a guest or a highlight, Dugdale's rule is "just enough to tempt and no more."
Long stories. Save them for the toasts, the speakers or the eulogy.
Jokes you make up on the spot. Bonanno says opening remarks are no time for ad-libbed jokes.
Long apologies for the weather, the parking or a late start. Say it once, then move on.
Inside jokes that most of the room won't get.

How to give it

Bring notes. Bonanno's advice is to print your remarks or an outline in a font size you can easily read.
Check the room before the guests arrive. Bonanno rehearsed on stage the night before one event and found the lights were so bright she couldn't read her remarks.
Practice it out loud and time it. Bonanno also suggests deciding ahead of time what you'll cut if the event starts late.
Look up from your notes for your first line and your last.

Nervous about the microphone? See how to stop your voice from shaking. For other ways to open, see how to start a speech.

Rehearse your welcome speech with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing a welcome speech. Say it out loud one part at a time, like the greeting, the housekeeping or the handoff. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each part where you'd look up from your notes. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To time it, open Voice Cam on the home screen and record it, with the camera or audio only. A clock runs while you record, and each recording stops at one minute, so record a longer welcome in parts. As you talk, it shows your volume, pitch and pauses, plus an estimate of your pace in words per minute. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

How do you start a welcome speech?

Greet the room, say who you are and welcome them: "Good evening, everyone. I'm ___. On behalf of ___, welcome." Then thank them for coming.

What do you say in a welcome speech?

Thank people for coming, recognize any special guests and say what the event is for. Then cover the housekeeping, introduce the first speaker if there is one and thank everyone again.

How do you write a welcome speech for an event?

Fill in the six-part template above, then cut anything your event doesn't need. Example 1 welcomes people to a community event, and example 2 opens a conference.

Who gives the welcome speech?

Whoever is hosting: the organizer, the emcee, the person chairing the meeting or someone from the family. Bonanno notes that the emcee is usually the first person who speaks at an event.

How do you welcome special guests?

Name them in order, most senior first, with their correct titles. Practice saying each name out loud before the event.

How do you end a welcome speech?

Thank everyone again, then hand over to the first speaker or tell the room what happens next: "Please join me in welcoming ___" or "Dinner is served. Enjoy your evening."

What do you say in a welcome speech at church?

Greet the congregation, welcome any visitors and say what the day is for. Example 4 is for a church anniversary. Ask your program chair how your church usually opens.

More practice guides

Updated November 3, 2026.