Match-owned BLK, for Black singles, launches Events feature

Following Tinder’s launch of an IRL Events feature this summer, another Match Group-owned app, BLK, is doing the same.

BLK, a dating app for Black singles with more than 13 million downloads, is introducing Events in 29 American cities today after testing in Atlanta this summer.

“Black singles have always met through community,” Corinne Harris, director of brand marketing at Match Group, stated in a press release shared with Mashable. “What our community keeps telling us is that they want to meet people in person; they just don’t always know where to go. Events answers that. It takes the pressure off and puts the focus on being in the room with people who understand you.”

Mashable has also reported time and again that daters long to meet potential connections in person rather than on their phones, but they’re unsure how to do so. Dating apps are now attempting to bridge that gap themselves. In addition to Tinder Events, Bumble has hosted events in various cities this summer, and Hinge has its One More Hour initiative to encourage community events. (Hinge is also owned by Match Group.)

On BLK, 60 percent of singles surveyed last year said they prefer meeting someone in shared spaces. But a recent survey found that nearly seven in 10 feel lonely, and six in 10 don’t know where to go to meet people.

Now, BLK users in major areas like Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, and Miami will be able to use Events. They can find a nearby event, reserve a spot, invite friends, add it to their calendar, and connect with others going before, during, and after the event. Like Tinder‘s Events feature, BLK users will also be able to match with other attendees.

Since the Atlanta test began on Aug. 7, 65 percent of eligible active users engaged with the tab, according to BLK, signaling an interest in venturing offline…but using the app to help.