You're ready to meet your favorite celebrity at a meet and greet, but you don't want to look like an overly enchanted fan. To behave appropriately at a meet and greet event, you need to focus on maintaining proper body language, controlling your emotions to appear calm and relaxed, and following proper photo and gift etiquette. With enough luck, you'll make a good impression on the celebrity and have fun interacting with him as a fan.
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Part 1 of 3: Showing Proper Body Language
Step 1. Avoid touching celebrities
While it may be tempting to reach out to or touch a celebrity out of the joy of meeting them, avoid doing so. Don't grab a celebrity's hand or touch her in any way unless she looks open to touching. Approach the celebrity as someone you've just met and respect their personal boundaries.
Step 2. Respect celebrities' personal boundaries
Avoid standing too close to the celebrity or placing your body within his or her personal boundaries. If the celebrity is behind the counter, stay on the side of the table where you are.
If there is no table between you and the celebrity, stand at a sufficient distance to respect the celebrity. This will show that you are focused on the meet and greet and can respect the celebrity's personal boundaries
Step 3. Shake the celebrity's hand if he reaches out his hand
Most celebrities at the meet-and-greet will shake hands with you. Let the celebrity offer it first and then shake his hand firmly and briefly. Waiting for a celebrity to offer a handshake will show that you can respect his or her boundaries.
Some celebrities may offer a different form of greeting, such as a high five or a wave. Respond in a friendly manner by giving a high five or waving back. Let the celebrity dictate the rules of interaction
Step 4. Have an open and friendly attitude
Meet-and-greets should still be warm and welcoming, especially if you're meeting a celebrity you really admire. You should focus on maintaining open body language, maintaining eye contact with the celebrity and placing your body facing the celebrity.
You should also let the joy shine on your face by smiling at the celebrity. Show your smile and let happiness shine on your face. This will show the celebrity that you are happy to meet him in an appropriate and respectful manner
Part 2 of 3: Controlling Your Emotions
Step 1. Prepare your questions or thoughts beforehand
To avoid feeling overwhelmed by meeting a celebrity, you may want to sit down and prepare a few questions for him or her. Try to pick one main question you want to ask the celebrity and/or one thought you want to tell him. This will allow you to mentally steady yourself and prepare for the meet-and-greet.
- You can ask simple questions like, “What inspired you to make this film/create an album/write this book?”
- Or you can ask more specific, perhaps lesser-known questions to show the celebrity that you're a true fan. For example, you might ask, “Why do you always end a song with two rounds of applause?” or “What was it like working with Mia Farrow at Deadweight?” Oftentimes, little-known questions will impress a celebrity and make you stand out from the crowd of fans.
Step 2. Speak calmly and clearly to the celebrity
Take a deep breath when it's your turn to talk to a celebrity. Greet with “hello” or “hi”, and say hello or wave, if he started it. Smile and talk calmly to him, maintaining eye contact. Try to speak slowly and clearly, like talking to a friend or someone you admire.
Step 3. Praise the celebrity's work
Most meet-and-greets spend only a few minutes with the celebrity. After greeting a celebrity, you may want to immediately move on to complimenting the celebrity's work. You can also ask one question at a time, by opening a conversation with a celebrity.
- Try to stick to only one to two questions or compliments, because you don't want to waste too much celebrity time. This is especially important if you are in front of a long queue of fans and don't want to spend a lot of time with the celebrity.
- If the celebrity answers your question, be respectful and listen to the answer without interrupting. Make sure you say "please" and "thank you" when the time is right, as this will show the celebrity that you are treating him like a fellow human who just happens to be famous. Plus, it's a nice and polite attitude.
Step 4. Ask for a signature, if allowed
You'll need to bring the object you'd like him to sign, such as a celebrity photo or a copy of his work. Only ask for autographs if allowed at meet-and-greets. If there's a sign that clearly says signatures aren't allowed, don't ask for it as this could be seen as rude or presumptuous.
Consider asking the celebrity for autographs at the end of the meeting as a way to end the meet-and-greet. Make sure you have a pen and an object ready so you can easily hand it over to the celebrity to sign
Part 3 of 3: Following the Proper Photo and Gift Rules
Step 1. Don't take pictures of celebrities if it's not allowed
If there's a sign that clearly says taking photos isn't allowed at the meet and greet event, don't keep asking for photos or trying to take pictures with celebrities. This can be considered disrespectful by the celebrity and annoy him.
You may want to check with the meet-and-greet to see if photo-taking is allowed so you know the policy up front. Some celebrities are more comfortable having a one-on-one conversation with fans, rather than taking pictures
Step 2. Ask if you can take pictures with celebrities
If there is no sign that says “photos are not allowed”, ask to have a photo taken with a celebrity before taking the photo. Some celebrities will have a photographer at the event take photos for you. Another meet-and-greet event will allow you to take a photo with a celebrity using your own camera by having a friend take it for you.
You may want to read more about how to pose for photos. Make sure you smile widely and maintain eye contact with the camera when taking pictures with celebrities. Try to look happy but relaxed in photos. Then you can reminisce about the photo with the celebrity for years to come
Step 3. Bring gifts for celebrities, if allowed
You may decide to bring a homemade gift to give to a celebrity. Most meet-and-greets will specify whether bringing gifts for the celebrity is allowed. If allowed, you can give the celebrity a gift at the end of your interaction with him or her as a parting gift. Many celebrities value fan-made gifts and will think of gifts as "thank you" and "I love you" from you at the end of the meet-and-greet.
- You may want to make a homemade gift for the celebrity, where you use the photo to make a t-shirt, self-made painting, or other craft piece. Then you can sign your work and give it to the celebrity as a gift.
- You can also choose a gift that will show the celebrity that you're a huge fan, such as an item that refers to his role in the film or a reminder item that relates to the lyrics of his rap song. Get creative and give the celebrity a gift that the celebrity will remember.
