Anyone actually met someone through a Meetup group?

[OneMorePinotBlush]

About to get back into dating in my mid-40s after a marriage breakdown.
I have been reading numerous threads here nd elsewhere about OLD and it appears rather disheartening.. Whilst I'm open to giving the apps a go, mainly out of curiosity as have never done the whole online dating thing, I keep seeing hobby and meetup groups being mentioned as an alternative to OLD.

So just curious, are there any success stories from these?

Um...well, I did end up on two dates from Meetup groups. One howled at me over dinner because I apparently brought out his animal side and the other was probably mid 60s (15 years older) and while a nice guy, it wouldn't have worked out..I went back to the joy of Tinder

A divorced friend of mine has had quite a lot of male interest from a meet up group but she's very attractive and had no trouble meeting men anyway.

The one she goes to is very women heavy so lots of attractive women fighting over mediocre men.

But she has met quite a lot of nice women🙂

I've only ever joined meet up hobby groups for the hobby, not as an alternative to OLD. The male interest I got was a bonus and a confidence boost but no spark from me beyond platonic friendship. So no different to OLD in that respect. They're less likely to be weirdos because you're getting to know them in person from the get-go. It's harder to tell a load of porkies about yourself in real life, unlike the nonsense trotted out on a profile screen on OLD, imho.

I am not saying it in the wrong way, but the male attention I received from meetup groups (book, movie club) is borderline creepy. I like the concept, and I'd like to make friends through hobbies. However, some older men assume single women attend meetups purely to find a relationship. I felt that I could not have a normal conversation that was only about the book and movie. One divorced guy told me bluntly that he goes to meetups because there is a steady stream of females to pick up. Another guy would target a girl, offer to buy her a drink and then ask her to go to his hotel 😱. I complained, but the organiser, who is a single male, conveniently ignored me. There are decent guys, but like OLD, you need to stand firm and go through many desperate and sometimes arrogant men first.

Gosh doesn't sound too promising then!! I'm a bit scared of the apps as it's being repeatedly said they are full of creeps and men in relationships.

My social circles are quite small and even though I am lucky to have some very good friends, there's just no chance of meeting anyone through them. It's the same with work, and to be honest I'd rather not get involved with anyone through work anyway even if it was an option.

I have signed up for one meetup social now and joined a couple of groups, but really just to make new friends and to meet new people to hang out with rather than to find a relationship!

I met my bf though a meetup group, it's been 2 years now and still v happy :)
Before that I'd been asked on a couple of dates by guys I met there, but no idea if they were looking for a relationship or just sex.
I've never wanted to use OLD so meetup was my alternative. I've met some good friends through it as well.

I can recommend activity/sporty holidays at the shoulder seasons - when it’s cheaper, more singles, less family oriented those times of year. Organically over lunch and social activities you meet sailors, tennis players and so on.

The sailors might invite you to join them - it could be just on a dingy, but it might even be a yacht 😁

I tried meet-up groups and had a great time but didn’t date anyone. The groups I joined didn’t seem to have the same people there twice so I wouldn’t have been able to build up a real friendship or get to know someone - but I’m sure not all groups are like that. The main benefit to me was that I think I needed to practise talking to complete strangers as I’d spent ten years only really meeting school mums and talking my exh. I met dp on match a few months later and felt more confident than if I hadn’t done the meetups

My best friend is now married to the man she met on Meetup 5 years ago, and another friend recently got engaged to a man she met on there.

I'm in several Meetup groups but never met anyone I'd want to date 😂 But to be fair, that's not why I joined 👍🏻

@REM2 this isn't a dating site! You don't search threads for women looking for boyfriends and then offer yourself to them.

I joined a meet up group to do things (board games). Met my DH at the first one. I wasn't even looking for a relationship!
I'd been groped on my last OLD date and was utterly fed up with it all.
Joined the meet up in Jan 2022, married Oct 2023. All good!

In London, meet-ups see to be heavily female and the only males were far and few between and mainly 20s or 60s. I think it is worth trying the ones you think you will enjoy but I think the likelihood of finding a relationship is low. Sports clubs seem to attract more single males but it is difficult to know which one to join!

Me!

And I made lots of friends too.

Although I was a member of 4 groups for about 10 years in total, and didn't meet my DH straight away.