Pitch-A-Friend singles event coming to Austin to promote in-person connections

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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Calling all wingmen and wingwomen of Austin: There's a new way to boast about your single friends.

Pitch-A-Friend Austin will host its first event Wednesday evening, where people can give presentations to pitch their single friends for prospective dates. The inaugural event will be held at Central Machine Works from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, where participants have between three and five minutes to "present" their single friends and hype them up.

Jon Cooper, founder and host of Pitch-A-Friend Austin, told KXAN the idea came after he saw an Instagram video of a similar pitch-style event in Philadelphia. He connected with the hosts behind the Philadelphia event and was able to attend one in person before taking the plunge to bring the concept to Austin.

Cooper said his initial goal was to attract between 100 and 150 attendees for this initial event. Based off interest online as well as RSVPs received, they've already hit that benchmark -- several times over, even. He added he thinks these dating pitch-style events speak to a growing interest for in-person opportunities as opposed to dating apps and online connection points.

"I think there's not a lot of love from a lot of single people for dating apps these days. I think we're all kind of a little bit tired," he said. "I think this just shows that we're looking to connect offline. We're looking for opportunities to meet each other."

Among RSVPed attendees, Cooper said singles being pitched range from their early 20s into their mid-40s, with a "sweet spot" in the 27-34 age range.

"I think that's when there's a little bit of attrition and college is gone, and opportunities to connect in person, you gotta be a little more intentional with it," he said.

Beyond the pitch-a-friend event being a concentrated space for singles to connect, Cooper added the format is a great way to really celebrate the best qualities of an individual person. With friends leading the pitch, he said they know the single person, their personality and their interests best, and it avoids the potential awkwardness of someone needing to promote themselves to prospective dates.

"It kind of creates the perfect dynamic to where you have the best view of yourself shown to the outside world," Cooper said. "And that's the view that we're all trying to get out there. So to be honest, it's kind of the perfect recipe for authentic showing of what makes us great as a single person."

For those attending Wednesday's event, Cooper recommended getting there at least 30 minutes early to get a good seat. More details on the event -- including how to RSVP -- are available online. To stay connected with Pitch-A-Friend Austin on future events, check out their Instagram page.