[vines make perfectly serviceable not-hands, okay]

Ah, no, the pleasure is all ours. It's an unimaginable opportunity to be able to meet you all, really.

[...should he bullshit pretending to know these people, or]

Though, I'll confess, my knowledge of important figures from other regions is a bit... provincial, really --- a defect I've been trying to rectify as quickly as possible.