I went to a singles event last month out here in LA and I left inspired.
Not because I hit it off with anyone in particular or found love in a hopeless place, but it was because of the conversations I had that weren't about my dating life.
If I had to guess, I'd say 60% of you reading this are either in serious relationships, engaged or married (which is a total guess, but I know most of you are 35-65 years old - yay for data).
Assuming this is true, let me enlighten you relationship folks on what a singles event looks like in second-most populous city in America - then I'll share, what I believe, is the one of the most future-proof directory niches to build in right now.
I went to an event hosted by a company called Thursday. It's a dating company that hosts singles events all around the world every Thursday.
Apparently they're known for throwing some of best modern singles events right now for people who despise dating apps.
So one random Thursday I spontaneously said f*ck it and bought a ticket.
I didn't know what to expect, but I was crossing my fingers that it wasn't going to be like the speed dating scene in the movie Hitch.
Thankfully, it was way cooler than that.
I arrived at a beach-front bar/restaurant with music bumpin' and a nice lady behind a counter who checked me in.
The venue gave modern beach vibes with a little ocean-themed bar, pool tables, and a tasteful indoor/outdoor space with seats and a woman giving free tarot card readings.
Here's the thing: Once you walk in, there are no rules.
The place was packed with about 250 people, but I immediately noticed how 50 dudes were handling the lawlessness of it all from what appeared to be a perimeter of professional wallflowers that were clinging to the edges of the room.
side-note: I know we don't know each other personally, but I've always been extroverted. I love meeting people and have no issues walking up to someone and striking up a friendly conversation.
Seeing how many guys were just standing in the corners of the venue made me curious.
Is this also their first singles event?
How far did they drive for this?
What are they doing just standing there?
I ended up making small talk with 4-5 of these guys and long story short, every single one I talked to had attended multiple singles events before this.
Throughout the night I talked to about 30 people, got a couple phone numbers and uncovered that:
• A large majority of people have attended multiple singles events (I was in the minority as a first-timer)
• Most guys and girls felt like there were literally no alternatives to meeting other single people and that dating apps suck
• You shouldn't wear a formal suit to a Thursdays event
This reinforced the idea that people desperately want ways to meet people in real life, and Thursday is one of the few companies actually doing a solid job tackling that in the dating space.
- Paid Partnership -
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For WordPress users who want a smooth setup without getting too technical, I genuinely recommend Hostinger’s Managed Wordpress Hosting plan.
A future-proof directory will help solve human problems that only grow with time
I left that night realizing something.
With AI, we’re only going to get worse at meeting each other in person.
That’s the problem I can’t stop thinking about. And that’s why I think the most future-proof directories won’t be digital in the way we think.
I'm not saying that you should start a company that hosts singles mixers, or even a directory to help people find singles events (though that would be awesome).
I'm talking about using your skills to build something that helps people meet in-person.
A problem of this scale and complexity isn't something you can easily understand purely from looking at data and keyword research tools, but intuitively it's one of the most broken parts of modern society.
I've spent a lot of late nights talking with chatgpt to understand what I could build to help solve this.
The best answer I've come up with is to niche down and look where people are already succeeding at bringing people together.
For example, run clubs have exploded in popularity in LA.
Is there a comprehensive directory to help people find run clubs?
Are there people who want to start their own run club?
If so, how can we help them?
What about a pickleball directory? But instead of simply mapping out all the pickleball courts, you create an easy way for players to find partners to play with?
These are just a couple examples that I've been playing with that fits under the "bring people together IRL" niche.
So yeah, I didn't walk out of the singles event with a new relationship, but I did leave inspired to create solutions to problems that are bigger than me.
And maybe that's what I'll build next.
Best,
Frey
