In the lead up to Valentine’s Day, Eventbrite conducted an independent survey of more than 1,000 Australians, revealing that events are a hot spot for finding love.
In spite of a growing community of ‘social daters’ online, experiencing real connections at events has proven to be a top opportunity to meet a future partner, with more than 49% of Aussies having met a significant other at an event.
Top hotspots for hookups
So where are the hottest places for hookups at Aussie events? Our survey revealed that sporting events (12%), music festivals (11%), and business/networking events (9%) were the top three places for meeting a future partner.
Big ticket festivals that people commonly travel to are also magnets for finding love, attracting like-minded people from across the country who may otherwise have never met.
Personal connections are key
The survey overwhelmingly reveals across all measures that in-person connections reign supreme compared to online during romantic beginnings.
97% prefer initiating a conversation vs liking a photo on social media (just 3%), 97% kissing vs swiping on Tinder (3%) and 95% prefer introducing someone to their friends vs posting a selfie with their date/partner (5%).
“While more and more first time interactions are being formed via apps and social media, the study findings are resounding proof there is no replacement for real life connections in taking a possible love match to the next level,” said Laura Huddle, Head of Marketing at Eventbrite.
Live experiences have even been found to make the perfect setting for proposals, with one in 20 of us (5%) getting engaged at events, while almost 13% have witnessed a proposal at an event. A further 4% of respondents went one step further and tied the knot at an event!
Live experiences set the perfect stage for singles ready to mingle, and potentially finding lasting love. Events of all shapes and sizes bring people together to celebrate their common interests and passions. Being in a place with like-minded people and similar interests encourages people to be open and live in the moment.
We believe events are the perfect setting for meeting someone special, be it on Valentine’s Day or any other time of the year.
For more facts and learnings on how Aussies are prioritising events and live experiences, check out our findings from the Eventbrite Live Experiences Impact Survey 2015.
