Based on a qualitative and quantitative survey of introduction and address and naming behaviour of Austrian academics at international conferences in linguistics and language studies, we compare reported strategies in Austrian German and in English as a lingua franca (ELF). The scenarios asked about are self-introduction, introduction of others and when being introduced by others. Overall, the qualitative data demonstrate that Austrian academics are well aware of the social and linguistic complexities of introductions at international conferences as well as of cross-cultural differences in introduction and address conventions in academia. Quantitative results show important differences across scenarios and between the two languages of communication. Elements of the cohort's L1 introduction behaviour, such as high frequency of title use when introducing others, confirm previous studies. To determine if there are any transfer effects from their L1, the ELF introduction behaviour of the Austrian German L1 speakers is also compared to the L1 behaviour of speakers of US English. The frequency of reported first name use in ELF introductions by our Austrian respondents is similar to that reported by their American counterparts. However, title use by Austrians in ELF scenarios is consistently higher than among US English L1 speakers, indicating pragmatic transfer. •The national variety of one's first language influences introduction behaviour.•This influence can be seen both in the first language and in English.•Speakers of Austrian German tend to be formal when introducing others in German.•When using English, they are much less formal in self-introductions than in German.•When introducing others in English, they tend to be more formal than US Americans.