Purpose:

The corporation is organized, and shall be operated exclusively to encourage, foster, promote and stimulate the common business interests of, and cooperation and friendly exchange of information between, those individuals, partnerships, corporations and associations engaged in the business of promoting community activities, businesses and organizations through welcoming services to residents.

The goal of Welcoming Services International shall be to have as many non-competing members as possible from as many areas as possible.

History:

Welcoming services have helped people be acquainted with their new communities for over 50 years. While some became nationwide corporations or franchises, most operate as independent community or city newcomer greeters.

Early in the 1950's a group of city hostesses and hosts in California agreed it would be beneficial to get together with people who were operating independent welcoming services in other cities to share information and ideas. This group selected the name City Hostess International when a woman joined who owned welcoming services in Canada. Eventually the group's membership spread across the Midwest to the East coast and even to Alaska, Hawaii and England.

At the September 1992 conference in Anchorage, Alaska, the organization voted to change the name of the group to Welcome Services International and in March 1993 they incorporated as a nonprofit trade association.

Welcome Services International continues to hold fall conferences each year, primarily in the cities of member services around the United States.