The Irish have a saying that a good beginning is half the work. That certainly applies to conferences.  Whether it’s a business conference or a church conference the way you begin sets the tone for the whole event.
So you need a good welcoming speech. That speech should make your audience or congregation feel as though they are special. It should encourage them to feel that they are participants rather than mere listeners. It should make them feel that this conference is for and about them, their business or their beliefs.
Your speech should be warm in tone. It should lay out the procedures for the conference. It should make people feel involved.  When they listen to you they should feel that they will benefit from the event in some particular way.
It’s hard to convey all this in a short speech, but it can be done. Think of what you would like to hear said to you in that hall or that church. You’d want to feel wanted and needed wouldn’t you? You’d want to feel appreciated for your effort in coming.  In the business conference you’d need to feel that you were getting value for your money. In the church conference you’d want to feel that somehow this conference would make you a better person or would enrich your faith..
Starting a conference is one thing. Ending one is another. Your ending of a business conference speech should sum up the event clearly and concisely. It should make people go home feeling satisfied that they have achieved something, learnt something new or done something worthwhile. Above all, it should make them want to come back to the next conference.

Check out our sample speeches