Assign staff hosts to greet every guest by name when they arrive virtually.
technique — attributed to Natalie Jones Hallahan
At the Meridian Ball Global Leadership Summit's first fully virtual run, Hallahan assigned staff hosts to specific guests. As people joined, they were personally welcomed by a named staff member who confirmed their tech was working and asked how the team could help. The team also reviewed the guest list in advance: make sure this ambassador is not alone, broker the corporate partner who wants to meet that ambassador, then step away. The human scaffolding turned a cold virtual platform into something closer to a hosted gathering. The technology did not produce the warmth. The staff did.
For organizers of high-stakes virtual and hybrid events where the value depends on connections forming. The technique requires real headcount: one staff host can manage about ten to fifteen high-priority guests well.
hosting, virtual-events, onboarding, personalization