58% of 18-to-35s don't want socializing to be the main event

Soft socializing: what the survey says

Plenty of organizers put "meet new people" in the title of their event, and it's a reasonable instinct. People do want connection: 89% of respondents want events that connect them to their community.

Wanting to meet people and wanting to be made to meet people are different things, though.

Eventbrite's 2026 Reset to Real report has a section called Soft Socializing. In it, 58% of respondents "prefer when socializing isn't the main focus, desiring places to sit and observe, and control how they interact." The report describes a wider move away from "forced networking" toward "organic connection on their own terms."

It's not antisocial, it's a different kind of social.

That's a vendor's line, but a useful one for anyone designing a room. It moves the question from how to get people talking to how to let people choose when they talk.

The numbers, and how far they go

Eventbrite's platform data points the same way. Comparing August 2023 to July 2024 with August 2024 to July 2025, attendance at flower arranging events rose 282% in the UK and puzzle competitions doubled in the US. In both, you have something to do with your hands while you decide whether to talk.

Look at one pairing in particular: 79% value spontaneity, while 51% still need detailed logistics. People want room to improvise, and that doesn't let the organizer off the hook on preparation.

What this survey can't tell us

• It's Eventbrite's own survey. Eventbrite sells event services, and the results flatter the event market, so keep a healthy distance.
• It covers the US and UK only. There's no data for Taiwan or other Asian markets, and you shouldn't assume it transfers.
• It asks about preferences, not behavior. Someone who says they don't want structure may still be grateful for an icebreaker on the night.
• If 58% hold this preference, 42% don't. Events built openly around meeting people still have an audience.
• We've read the press release and summary figures. We haven't seen the full questionnaire or the wording of the questions.

Five event networking ideas, and they're our inference

These ideas are our own reading of the survey and related research. The survey didn't test them, so try them on a small scale and adjust based on what you see at your own events.

• Make the activity the headline. Tastings, workshops, screenings and markets give people something to do, and conversation can happen alongside it. That fits the 58%.
• Keep places to sit and observe. The report names this directly. Side seating and a bar let someone read the room before they decide to join in.
• Let people opt in and out. Make icebreakers optional and say clearly that sitting one out is fine, which leaves control over interaction with attendees.
• Be thorough before the event and loose during it. Given that 51% want detailed logistics, spell out time, place, cost and who it's for. The schedule on the night doesn't need to be packed.
• Encourage people to come back. A Brisbane study of 278 residents ties familiar faces to belonging, and its authors suggest pairing visibility with repeat visits. A recurring series may build more than one large one-off.

Objects can take some of the pressure off too. In 2023, Cornell researchers tested three moving stools that generate sound and imagery with 12 groups of three strangers and saw a sense of togetherness emerge. It's a small study, and the idea is what's useful. The same team's mirror robot follows similar thinking. You don't need the hardware. A shared activity or a shared table may do the same job, though that's also our inference.

Don't leave the first move entirely to attendees

Moving socializing out of the spotlight doesn't mean walking away from it. Attendees tend to overestimate how badly starting a conversation will go, as the research shows. Others have good reason to be cautious when a stranger comes over, and the person being approached is weighing different things. A good event looks after both, so that people who want to talk get the chance, and people who don't can leave comfortably.

Staffing matters here as well. Attendees should know who to go to if something feels off, and that deserves as much thought as the program. Our safety guidance is a starting point.

Limere helps attendees meet people at the same event, and it works with organizers and venues. If you're planning your next event, see how we work with organizers and venues. How you shape the room is still the decision that matters most.