It’s official. We’re all swiped out.
After nearly a decade of apps dominating the dating landscape, single people—especially Gen Zers and Millennials—are tired of scrolling through online profiles and struggling to build connections through half-hearted messages.
Instead, they’re looking for real-world opportunities to meet new people, where developing relationships through shared hobbies and having meaningful conversations is often much easier.
“More and more of our daily lives are on screens,” say the co-founders of Friend or Flame, who host speed-dating events in Los Angeles and New York City. “Millennials and Gen Z are desiring authentic and tangible human interactions more and more.
“The vulnerable act of searching for love and connection shouldn’t be mindlessly monetized and coded, but rather consciously explored and experienced.”
Our 2024 Niche to Meet You report documents the rise in offline singles and dating events, which were attended by 376,000 people on Eventbrite in the last year1. And with an average of 128,000 monthly searches for dating and singles events on Eventbrite1, this growing interest presents a huge opportunity for organizers to host fun-filled singles events that leave people feeling good, whether or not they meet their ideal romantic match.
So how can you cater to the growing number of single people looking to connect IRL? How can you continue to evolve your event concepts to reach new eventgoers? We spoke to organizers hosting successful dating events to find out.
Speed dating is making a comeback
In the past year, more than half (57%) of dating and singles events on Eventbrite were specifically speed-dating events1 and, as Andrea Ramirez, founder of The Next Fun Thing and Love in LA, says: “What many people used to consider a ‘last resort’ has now become a fun night out meeting new people.”
Love in LA hosts an average of three speed-dating events a week, each one catering to different age groups, locations, and sexual preferences. A successful speed-dating event hinges on helping people feel comfortable and form connections, and organizers can take proactive steps to make these vibes happen.
For Love in LA, this means not only creating events for specific demographics but also sending attendees a simple questionnaire to help match them with other participants they’re most likely to be compatible with.
“We’ve seen people bring signs to cheer on their friends participating in the event and girls joining with friends as a girls’ night out,” Andrea says. “We’ve even had a couple of people reach out letting us know they are engaged after meeting at one of the events.”
Ensuring your event listing details exactly what the event will entail can help ease nerves. Friend or Flame’s event information includes an ‘agenda’ outlining how the night will work and answering any questions attendees might have—including the all-important question of what to wear.
Pro tip: Read our guide to learn how to write an effective event listing.
Bring like-minded people together
Our research found Gen Z and Millennials who are increasingly frustrated by the lack of authenticity in online dating are reconnecting with their own passions and hobbies—and hoping to meet someone who shares their interests along the way.
Ashley Turner met her husband on a hike and now hosts events that bring singles together through shared hobbies. Her company, Los Angeles Fun Events, holds activity-focused dating nights and mixers, including hikes, yacht gatherings, and karaoke. Their aim, Ashley says, is to help people “foster connections beyond algorithms or expectations The best connections are those you never see coming.”
Our survey found respondents would prefer to bond over cooking (46% of Gen Z, 41% of Millennials) and creating art (35%, 22%), with niche interests—such as thrifting clothes (23%, 12%) or collectibles (27%, 20%)—also proving popular. A third of all respondents (33%) anticipate they’ll meet a potential romantic partner at a recreational activity like a dance class or a painting workshop.
When it comes to niche dating events, attendance at athletic dating and singles events, such as paddle board yoga, grew by 136% from 2022 to 20232, while game-based dating events, such as board game nights, brought in 88% more people2.
Chicago-based Penny Gibbons founded singles events company meet irl and runs the non-profit Trash People, which hosts hyper-localized litter-picking events in numerous neighborhoods. She saw sparks fly when she held a collaboration between the two.
“We started the day with a community cleanup, and then we went to a local brewery,” Penny says. “It was really lovely; the vibes were great. The two communities just kind of allowed that to be a special event.”
Help attendees get comfortable
One of the big draws of an IRL dating event is that it’s often easier to foster genuine connections when people are actually in a room together—and organizers can assist by providing icebreakers and suggesting conversation topics.
The Tantra Institute has hosted hundreds of dating events and encourages attendees to focus on “really seeing each other.”
“Our goal is to facilitate genuine, focused interactions that last more than a fleeting moment and still less than three minutes,” says Guy Shahar, originator of the Tantra Speed Date. “We believe the way we pay attention to each other in a relationship is the real secret to genuine lasting connection, and that’s what we aim to teach and foster.”
At meet irl’s dating events, hosts are on hand to help people feel comfortable and answer questions—and they can facilitate introductions for anyone feeling a little nervous.
“We try to make it clear that our hosts are there to help and support you,” Penny says. “The way that I try to plan my events is that as soon as people walk through the door, they’re immediately relieved and have real clarity about what’s expected of them, and what the right thing to do is. There are some people that don’t need that, but the majority of people are feeling very nervous.”
When it comes to icebreakers, Penny has a winning formula: “A good icebreaker is one that gives somebody the excuse to talk to as many people as possible. You want to find something that will allow someone to have a five-minute conversation with one person, and provide a reason to break that and chat with somebody else.”
Ready to host your own IRL dating event? Get started with Eventbrite, and help your attendees find their perfect match.
Eventbrite platform data methodology:
1 Using Eventbrite platform data, including event data and website / app data, collected in the USA over the one-year period from May 2023 to April 2024.
2 Comparing Eventbrite platform data in the USA from 2023 to 2022.
3 Comparing Eventbrite platform data in the USA from January – April 2024 to the same months in 2023.
Survey methodology:
This survey was written in collaboration between GWI and Eventbrite, and was then distributed by a panel in an online format, to 1,001 respondents in the USA with each respondent being compensated at an agreed rate for their time. The survey was fielded from March 7th, 2024 to March 26th, 2024. Each survey took approximately 20 minutes to complete. For this study, a sample of GWI USA survey respondents, aged 21 to 35, were recontacted.
