Speed Friending (because making friends as a grown-up is really really hard)

​Making friends as a grown-up is harder than anyone tells you.

​It's not that something's wrong with you. The easy ways we used to meet people just quietly fade as we get older. Good intentions - "we should hang out sometime!" - somehow never turn into actually hanging out. It happens to almost everyone, and almost nobody says it out loud.

​So we're keeping it simple. A warm room, a couple of hours, and a bunch of people who all came hoping to meet someone new. That's the whole night.

​Speed Friending is a gentle, low-pressure way to actually talk to people. Short conversations, one after another, with a few good questions on the table to get you past the small talk. When one chat winds down, you move to the next - nobody gets left standing alone, and nobody has to be "on" all evening.

​The nice part: everyone in the room came for the same reason you did. So you can stop wondering whether someone's open to a new friend. They are. We all are.

​What the evening looks like:

• ​A few rounds of short, easy conversations - you'll meet plenty of people without having to carry any one chat forever.

• ​A few questions to spark something real, so you're not stuck on "so, what do you do?"

• ​Tea, snacks, something to sip. Settle in, no rush.

• ​A little thought put into who sits where - there's a short form after you sign up, and we'll do our best to seat you near people you'd get on with.

• ​Hosted at Reimagine Co, a space that's always been about community.

​Who's it for? Anyone in London who's wished it were easier to meet people. Whether you just moved here, have lived here your whole life, or looked up one day and realized your whole social circle is your kids plus a few work friends - you're welcome here. Come on your own; most people will. Bring someone if you'd rather, though we might sit you apart so you each meet a few new faces.

​The details:

• ​Tuesday, June 23

• ​6:30 to 8:30 in the evening (come any time after 6:00 - we'll start right at 6:30)

• ​Reimagine Co, 206 Piccadilly St, London