TheWalkingDead
Well-known member
I'd agreed to go to a new social event for like minded people after a friend had said they didn't want to go on their own. I'd been sent the Facebook group link and joined it, and a few people had said they were worried about turning up to something like this on their own, but were told, no, someone will welcome you and it will be ok. It was said to be a drop in/drop out sort of informal meetup.
So I met my friend and we found this place (a bar/eaterie) and walked in 10 mins after the scheduled starting time to a place that was very busy indeed. There were 3 long tables, all of which were full, and the bar was very busy. So we got some drinks and tried to figure out if this was all the social event, or just some of it. My friend said they would have walked out if on their own, I think I would have done too as we had no idea what was going on, nobody had welcomed us and there was no sign of which table the group was. Everybody was talking to each other, already had drinks and food and seemed to know each other.
Eventually from trying to match up people's pics on Facebook to the real life people there, we figured out which was the table, and went over, and had to ask was this the right group, as there was no room on the main big table we had to sit on the next table, and were sat next to two people, we were kind of jammed in and could only talk to the two people right by us, and the music was so loud I could barely make a word out they were saying or even hear what I was saying. Eventually we left after we'd had some food.
I felt deflated right away, even more so when I got back and there's a stream of messages on Facebook saying what a great evening it was and how great it was to meet everyone. That wasn't my experience, everyone already seemed to know each other, and there was no way to meet everyone, on a long table that was already full when we got there (10 minutes after the start time, I've never seen anything get going so quickly!).
The people I talked to were friendly enough, and the organisers were nice enough people once we eventually figured out who they were and said hello, but it felt like the whole objective (of taking the plunge and going to meet a variety of new people) had been totally missed, am wondering how many people might have worked up the courage to go on their own, and just left after they walked into a bar full of full tables and people who already seemed to know each other.
I don't lack confidence but I just felt there wasn't much point in being there, would have loved a quiet venue where I could hear myself think and at least hear what someone else was saying apart from the person right next to me who had to keep repeating everything 3 times. I wish people who organised these things would think about the logistics and choose a place where you can actually talk to people and be introduced to new people if that's why you've gone there, rather than walk out wondering why you went there at all
I was hoping this might be the start of going out meeting some new people but feel quite uncertain whether I will go again now... Maybe a different venue and a different event will be different...
I think I'd have been better off spending the night on here Really needed to blow of some steam and knew I would be able to do that here
So I met my friend and we found this place (a bar/eaterie) and walked in 10 mins after the scheduled starting time to a place that was very busy indeed. There were 3 long tables, all of which were full, and the bar was very busy. So we got some drinks and tried to figure out if this was all the social event, or just some of it. My friend said they would have walked out if on their own, I think I would have done too as we had no idea what was going on, nobody had welcomed us and there was no sign of which table the group was. Everybody was talking to each other, already had drinks and food and seemed to know each other.
Eventually from trying to match up people's pics on Facebook to the real life people there, we figured out which was the table, and went over, and had to ask was this the right group, as there was no room on the main big table we had to sit on the next table, and were sat next to two people, we were kind of jammed in and could only talk to the two people right by us, and the music was so loud I could barely make a word out they were saying or even hear what I was saying. Eventually we left after we'd had some food.
I felt deflated right away, even more so when I got back and there's a stream of messages on Facebook saying what a great evening it was and how great it was to meet everyone. That wasn't my experience, everyone already seemed to know each other, and there was no way to meet everyone, on a long table that was already full when we got there (10 minutes after the start time, I've never seen anything get going so quickly!).
The people I talked to were friendly enough, and the organisers were nice enough people once we eventually figured out who they were and said hello, but it felt like the whole objective (of taking the plunge and going to meet a variety of new people) had been totally missed, am wondering how many people might have worked up the courage to go on their own, and just left after they walked into a bar full of full tables and people who already seemed to know each other.
I don't lack confidence but I just felt there wasn't much point in being there, would have loved a quiet venue where I could hear myself think and at least hear what someone else was saying apart from the person right next to me who had to keep repeating everything 3 times. I wish people who organised these things would think about the logistics and choose a place where you can actually talk to people and be introduced to new people if that's why you've gone there, rather than walk out wondering why you went there at all
I was hoping this might be the start of going out meeting some new people but feel quite uncertain whether I will go again now... Maybe a different venue and a different event will be different...I think I'd have been better off spending the night on here
Really needed to blow of some steam and knew I would be able to do that here 
