RECEPTION FOYER — A guest at a corporate reception experienced a breakthrough after learning that the person carrying champagne was called Maya, rather than 'Champagne.'

The discovery followed several unsuccessful attempts to obtain service by snapping. Maya was busy redirecting a tray around a wheelchair, checking an allergy and quietly rescuing the guest of honor from a spilling glass.

'She seems to know everything happening in here,' the guest observed. Colleagues confirmed this was because she was working, a category of activity rarely studied from the VIP lounge.

He thanked her by name. She told him where the good wine was. For one brief moment, a reception functioned as an exchange between people rather than a room full of hands reaching over a tray. The guest called it exceptional hospitality. Maya called it being nice.