Two Years of Socializing

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt

It started as a small group of friends in a ‘Covid pod’ and grew to one of the largest networking groups in Atlanta. It’s been two years since the first time the Socializers Club started its unique networking initiative – and it’s still going strong! David spoke to the group that started it all.

It was a time when we were all living with mask mandates, social distancing, and the occasional long-term lockdown. It was also a time when vaccines had become available, and the official rules for socializing in larger numbers were being amended. A group of friends, who had been ‘podding’ during all of the lockdowns, started to see the opportunity to break the bubble just a tiny bit to get out into the world – and that’s when Greg Barnard, Sue Duffy, Larry Hurst, Bill Rutkowski, and Roger Rutkowski got a seemingly simple, but brilliant idea: to create a socializing event for friends, while also reintroducing everyone to the Atlanta bar scene, that had been so neglected during the past couple of pandemic years.

The group enrolled another friend, Russell Youngblood, to apply his marketing talents to what was quickly becoming a well-rounded socializing concept perfect for re-adjusting to times when people could slowly get out there again safely. With Russell as the newest member of the group, the concept of Socializers Club became even more solid with a strong marketing strategy that both sought to drive attendance at the monthly meetups and positively impact the businesses during the ‘non-peak’ hours of the day. Russell states, “It was a great way to show community support and appreciation for our LGBTQ+ bars and restaurants that were still hurting after Covid.” With time, the marketing strategy also led to a media partnership with David Magazine (then Peach) Magazine. In fact, the (re)launch of David Magazine was at a Socializers event.

The group also realized that Roger Rutkowski, whose many ideas on creating fun events and themes, was the natural leader in the group. So, two years ago, at the end of June, the first Socializers Club took place and was attended by a couple of handfuls of people.

Since then, the Socializers Club has had monthly events at just about all the LGBTQ+ bars and spaces across town; there has been a dinner club, a weekend at River’s Edge, and special nights at various non-bar places throughout town. In two years, the Socializers Club has become the biggest networking group in the LGBTQ+ community, with over 3,000 Facebook followers.

So what is it about The Socializers Club that makes it so popular? For starters, it was timing. “We were all so ready just to get out and be among people,” says Roger Rutkowski, “and with this, it was fairly uncomplicated: you show up for a few hours, enough to get your social fill, and then that’s it.” Another thing that made the group stand out was its familiar vibe. As Bill Rutkowski describes it, it was friends inviting friends, who then invited their friends, so the circle expanded quickly, and whoever showed up would already know someone there. According to Bill, that sentiment persists today, even though hundreds of people attend different events, “it isn’t networking as in you walk around and hand out your business card. It really is socializing. It’s a way for you to meet up with people you to Bill, know, and then perhaps get to know some new people.” It has a unique personal touch that no other event has, ss Greg Barnard describes it, “there is something familiar and personal about it. Even if you’re new, people will welcome you. We are all connected somehow, and it just works.” For Sue Duffy, the success is also ascribed to the familiar vibes with Roger at the center, “to me, it’s about Roger. You see him at our events, and he greets and hugs everyone, ensuring everybody feels welcome.”

The changing venues also became a Socializers signifier, continuously keeping the format fresh. As the Socializers Club grew, it became more attractive for bars and venues across town to host a Socializers event. “Imagine having 150-250 people at your bar on a Wednesday or Thursday night,” Roger says, “of course, a lot of places love that, but that also means that you have to be prepared.” An important lesson learned is to give the different venues fair and timely warning so they can prepare for an influx of people eager to mingle drink in hand. The club’s success has also cemented the fact that the ‘pink dollar’ has a lot of buying power because the Socializers Club meetings have expanded to include venues and businesses beyond the LGBTQ+ community.

With solid success criteria and two years of experience, what is next for the Socializers Club? For Roger, it is a mix of reinvention and consistency, “I want to reintroduce some of our events and make them more of an annual occurrence. For instance, we just did a weekend at River’s Edge, which we will definitely do again. But we will also make sure that we keep doing something new and fresh.”

In addition to these ever-evolving events, Socializers has taken on an important cause near and dear to all of its founders’ hearts. As Larry Hurst explains, “With all of the success of Socializers Club came the urge to give back in a meaningful way. We discussed the many needs in our community and decided to support the organization Lost and Found Youth.”

The group was already involved with the workings of Lost and Found Youth as Roger Rutkowski has been a long-time board member. He states, “We felt this organization to be especially important as it addresses the immediate and ongoing needs of some of society’s most underserved and at-risk populations, LGBTQ homeless youths. We want to use our voice to call attention to their plight and support the mission of this important non-profit organization producing real results.”

On June 29, it all returns to where it all started –X Midtown – but the difference from then to now is almost unfathomable. With 3,100 members, the private socializing group is one of the most extensive socializing networks the community has ever seen, and with this group of friends behind it, there is no way but forward.

You can join Socializers Club via their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/159064572773716