Latest news with #socialevents
News.com.au
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
9am dance party shows where Sydney's night life has gone
Sydney night life can be a little lacklustre with dining establishments closing early and few options outside of getting a drink — but a viral video has shown exactly where clubbers have gone. The video, shows a jam-packed room full of revellers, but while you might think it was filmed on a Saturday night, it's actually 9am. Connor Cameron and Tay Gwyther set out in November 2024 on one mission — to get people socialising in person again. 'We'd seen how well run clubs were doing, but that's for a very specific subset of society that wants to get up and run at five in the morning,' Mr Cameron told 'We figured there was a pretty natural extension into social events.' It started off with a single dinner, inviting 10 friends and asking them all to bring another person. Now, it's swelled into weekly events where anywhere up to 1000 people attend and meet new people. The Maple Social Club hosts events such as Affogato Hour at Blooms in Potts Point, tennis events, Messina in a car park and wine tastings at the Winery. But, one of their most popular events is Maple Social Club's Coffee and DJ sets that take place every other Saturday morning. 'It seems to be quite a global trend, this concept of dancing with a coffee in hand so that event has done really well,' he said. 'Our biggest event was the one with Messina.' It's important to have variety, as some are diehard supporters and go to every Maple Social Club event while others might just attend an event or two that interest them. Mr Cameron told the idea of the events is that they are supposed to add to your social life, meaning they often take place during the day on a Saturday or Sunday — or occasionally a Thursday night. As a rule events aren't planned on Friday or Saturday evenings where possible. 'I think there are probably very few places in the world that are as busy at sunrise than Sydney is — particularly if you go to Bondi at 6am. It's just as busy as it is at 6pm, so I think there is a particular interest in that,' he said. 'I think we are an early rising city — potentially as a result of the fact that we don't have much in terms of late night options. 'There's a societal trend here and around the world that socialising doesn't need to be going and getting a drink at a bar at night. People are exploring different ways that they can meet others. 'The novelty of being at a big party on a Saturday morning is astounding and I think if you came to one of those events, you'll find that the dancefloor has a lot more energy than a club at midnight.' Social media users have had a huge reaction to the warehouse raves. One said: 'Forget Saturday sleep ins. I want to maple Saturday sesh.' 'This is hectic,' another added. Mr Cameron said the key of their events is that everyone is there to socialise — and the activity of choice isn't so niche that people feel excluded. He said it feels easier to meet people through these events than somewhere like a bar. He said he wouldn't say that Sydney is harder to meet people than any other major city, but Sydney is driven to do more socially. He said coming out of Covid, for a lot of cities, there was pent up frustration from not being able to meet people. It's resulted in a big push for events such as the ones Maple Social Club runs. For those interested, the events are listed on the group's Instagram and all people have to do is RSVP.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Times
A Simple Trick for Better Parties
My editor, Patia Braithwaite, is close with her family members. I've noticed that when she's telling me about their quality time together, she'll throw out names for their gatherings, like Sangria Sundays and Money Club. After a while, I asked her to explain. 'It's just branding,' she said with a shrug. Giving a social function a fun name, Patia told me, seems to amuse her family. And when the name sticks, so does the event. That's how a pitcher of sangria on a random summer weekend became a tradition. And how a group chat about personal finance turned into a quarterly meeting to discuss milestones and goals. Why do these activities seem so tempting? All Patia did was give them a name. I asked Priya Parker, the author of 'The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters,' and she said that she wasn't surprised. Gatherings flourish when structure is baked into them, she explained. And framing time together in an intentional way, she added, helps people understand what they're walking into, how to show up and why it matters. Branding a family activity can also increase buy-in, which Parker has called 'the quiet force behind gatherings that stick.' So I asked experts how to get creative with everyday get-togethers to make them more enticing, fun and easier to initiate. Finding more excuses to convene, even if they're small or offbeat, can give us 'a portfolio of ways to engage each other,' said Brent Smith, a professor of marketing and associate vice president for executive education at Emerson College. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Sun
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Brits spend more than 16 HOURS waiting for late pals every year, research reveals
BRITS spend more than 16 hours a year waiting for late mates to arrive at social events. The study of 2,000 adults found 75 per cent have a friend who is 'always' late – with 20 per cent having to wait an hour or more beyond their agreed meet time for a pal, a study has shown. 2 2 Although they'll typically chase them up after 19 minutes to get an estimated time of arrival. While 60 per cent say summer is their favourite time to socialise, and many (20 per cent) feel closest to friends during this season, it also means more time spent waiting. But 39 per cent will kill time waiting for their mate to eventually arrive by looking at their phones - scrolling through social media (42 per cent), catching up on news (30 per cent), and checking emails (27 per cent). As a result, 45 per cent admitted they've drained their phone battery while waiting for their pals to arrive. To help, Vodafone - which commissioned the research - has unveiled gigantic 'Wait for a Mate' stations across the nation, so people have a comfy place to hole up and recharge their phones while they await their friends this summer. Broadcaster Roman Kemp, testing the seat out in central London, said: 'With my mates, I'm definitely the early bird. 'I find I can use the time to catch up on a bit of life admin - aka check the football scores.' The most popular message sent by 35 per cent of those waiting is 'where are you?'. While 17 per cent go for the friendly approach of 'Can't wait to see you!', 16 per cent are much more assertive and send a simple 'hurry up'. When waiting for their friend, 61 per cent hunt for a cozy place to sit and 10 per cent search for a place to charge their phone. Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink But tardy mates aren't always to blame as 28 per cent said they deliberately turn up early – with 57 per cent doing so to make sure they can find the meeting spot on time and one in 10 (12 per cent) simply too excited to see friends. One in 10 of those polled, via OnePoll, even use the opportunity of arriving early to get their life admin in order by paying bills or replying to emails. The news comes after it was revealed that most Brits meet their best friend at the age of 19. The study, carried out by Nutella, found that 37 per cent of people found their best friend at school. Over 2000 Brits were surveyed for the study and 67 per cent said that trust was the most important value for pals to share.
Forbes
22-06-2025
- General
- Forbes
5 Ways To Increase Happiness With Small Talk
Small talk contributes to happiness and wellbeing You may dislike small talk, or you may wonder how to make small talk less awkward when you're in mix-and-mingle situations. But small talk is bigger than you might think. Surprising new data suggests that having brief exchanges or superficial conversations can contribute to your happiness and wellbeing. Loneliness is at epidemic levels today, with 50% of people reporting they are lonely. In addition, large proportions of people say they don't have enough friends or don't have friends at all. Importantly, loneliness and a lack of friends are both associated with negative outcomes emotionally, cognitively and physically. With this reality, small talk is a great strategy to feel more connected with those around you. How to Make Small Talk So how to make small talk? And how can you build both your skills and your comfort with small talk? One way to make small talk effectively is to be ready when the opportunity presents itself. People report that small talk is most likely to occur at social events (69% expect small talk here), waiting in line (64%), at work (63%), shopping (49%), at restaurants (39%), at coffee shops (31%), at salons or spas (28%), in elevators (25%), during air travel (24%), during rideshare or taxi drives (23%), at gyms or fitness venues (17%) or on trains or buses (12%). This is according to a survey by Preply. Watch for opportunities no matter where you are, and lean in when you see moments to engage with others. Another surefire way to get better at small talk is to have a range of topics you can bring up. According to the Preply data, the most common topics were the weather (62% of people), work (38%), family (29%), social situations (28%), sports (23%), living situations (20%) and traffic (14%). But you'll also want to exercise caution, because while these are the most popular topics for small talk, the issues that people most want to avoid talking about are sports, current events and family. Another primary way to make small talk effectively is to use nonverbals. Lean forward, make eye contact and smile as you're making brief conversation. These are effective ways to demonstrate engagement, according to a study in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Another way to get better at small talk is to start with it. From there, be ready to shift to more substantive discussion when you can. In a substantive conversation, there is more meaningful information exchanged, and this allows you to learn more about someone and build a relationship. A deeper conversation can be about any topic, the key is that you're exchanging more than just trivial information. For example, if you're chatting with a colleague after a meeting, you may start with the weather, and then get into a more consequential topic such as how their project is going or how they are working through a stressful project. Research in in Psychological Science found that while small talk is better than not talking, substantive conversations are better than small talk for happiness. So, if it's appropriate to move the conversation to deeper levels, there will be payoffs for doing so. You can consider a number of questions to deepen a friendship and to get people talking about something that's more substantive and create strong bonds. These include questions about the future, accomplishments, regrets, relationships, memories or humorous situations. Another way to get better at small talk is to engage in it more often. In fact, 39% of people engage in small talk on a daily basis, according to Preply data. You can also be confident that if you reach out to others, they are likely to welcome your conversation starters. We tend to think others don't want to make small talk, but this is a myth. Instead, research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that most people welcomed interaction and felt positively about having engaged with strangers. Proof that Small Talk Has Big Benefits There is proof that small talk is a good thing. For research purposes, it's defined as polite conversation focused on trivial, unimportant topics and non-controversial topics. It's talk that that doesn't deepen a relationship, and in which you walk away from the exchange without really knowing any more about a person. One study asked people to have casual exchanges with a barista when they were buying coffee. In these cases, people reported greater levels of happiness and wellbeing, even based on the brief conversations they had. This was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. In another study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, people were asked to interact with strangers on the subway. This too resulted in greater levels of happiness and wellbeing. Make small talk effectively by looking for opportunities and being intentional about it. The more you engage, the easier it will be and the more it will contribute to your happiness and wellbeing
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The Independent
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Rod Stewart details why his friendship with Trump has ended
Rod Stewart has renounced his friendship with Donald Trump, stating that Trump became a different person after becoming president. Stewart and Trump had a long-standing relationship, owning properties near each other in Palm Beach, Florida, and attending social events. Stewart cited Trump's continued sale of arms to Israelis as one of the reasons he can no longer count the US president as a friend. The singer's comments come after a public falling out between Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Stewart also discussed his upcoming performance at Glastonbury Festival, where he will play the Legend's Slot on the Pyramid Stage.
