What Is a Pitch-a-Friend Event? Here’s Why Singles Are Swapping Apps for PowerPoint
Dating app fatigue is driving singles toward pitch-a-friend, an in-person event where friends use a PowerPoint presentation to sell their single friends to a room full of potential matches. Here is how the format works, why it is catching on and where to find a night near you.
What is a pitch-a-friend event?
A pitch-a-friend event is an in-person singles gathering where friends deliver a 3-5 minute PowerPoint presentation pitching their single friend to a room of potential matches. After the presentations wrap, attendees mingle with anyone who caught their attention based on what they heard.
The format currently runs in more than 50 cities across 30-plus states and 10 countries, typically hosted at breweries or bars. The appeal is lower pressure than traditional singles events, because attendees arrive with a friend who already knows them and the crowd gets background on people before actually meeting them. Emily Churchill, host of a similar London event called Date a Mate, told The Guardian, “We’ve hit a cultural nerve. Single people are sick of swiping, they want real human connection.”
Why are singles giving up on dating apps for pitch-a-friend nights?
App fatigue is driving the shift. The number of people using the 10 most popular dating apps declined 16% year-over-year, according to a 2024 Ofcom report cited by The Guardian, and research suggests the apps are designed to be addictive rather than help users find lasting connections.
Luke Brunning, a researcher at the University of Leeds research network on the ethics of online dating, told The Guardian that in-person meeting is being romanticized again. “There is a growing romanticisation of in-person meeting and interaction. The ‘meet cute’ is becoming a trope in how people on social media talk about romance. Very few of them are turning to the apps as an exclusive means of setting up an in-person meeting. It’s much more fluid now,” he said.
How does a pitch-a-friend night actually work?
Friends take the stage with a 3-5 minute PowerPoint slideshow explaining why the single person they are pitching is a catch. Once the presentations end, the room opens up for mingling and attendees approach the people whose pitches resonated with them.
Romantic matches are the headline goal, but organizers say any in-person interaction counts as a win. John, an event organizer for Pitch-a-Friend Buffalo, N.Y., told Audacy in February 2026, “We’re in that mindset of trying to create connections in person. We’re all done with the dating apps, we’re all done with trying to build chemistry through screens. We want people to be in the room together to meet, to have the opportunity to network, even if it’s not with the sole intention of having a romantic date happen.”
What happens after the presentations end?
Attendees swap phone numbers and Instagram handles, and some walk away with connections that are not strictly romantic. Organizers of similar events say friendships, professional contacts and community ties form just as often as dating matches.
Erica Yim, who attended a comparable New York event called Pitch and Pair, told Glamour, “After all the presentations were done and the night was kind of over, I definitely talked to some people. I did have a few people ask for my number and Instagram, which is nice. Unexpectedly, I joined a knitting group that one of the presenters mentioned. So now I’m a part of a knitting group, which is great. Just making all of these connections outside of dating is awesome.”
Where can I find or start a pitch-a-friend event?
Pitch-a-Friend has an expanding footprint spanning dozens of U.S. cities and several countries abroad. If there is no event near you, the organization accepts city nominations through a voting page at pitch-a-friend.com/vote, and locals are welcome to organize their own version. The Buffalo, N.Y., chapter is one community-run example.
Similar formats are also cropping up. Pitch and Pair in New York City bills itself as the place “where PowerPoint meets romance,” according to its website. Founder Joe Teblum told Glamour, “It’s a lot harder to find good activities and dates and ways to mingle. A lot of people are trying all the online dating apps, online events, in-person, standard speed dating, and none are really tailored for them.” London hosts a comparable event called Date a Mate, run by Emily Churchill.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
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