With 52% of singles feeling that they are too busy to meet other singles and more than half of Americans feeling overworked, getting on trend for cuffing season and surviving the holidays can require careful navigation. The pressure alone of meeting new people and deciding where to connect is enough to cause a crisis in confidence and send the most flirtatious prospect packing which leaves many wondering: can nightlife and dating just get together already, geez!?
After living in France and being in real estate for several years, self-professed extrovert Milan Petrovice founded Hoo after pondering the ultimate resource for globe trotters like himself interested in meeting new people and seeing new places. Petrovice recalls, “I wanted to be a part of something that could be used around the world to bring people together and to help them plan the perfect night out, easily! Too often I would end up at a bar or club that really didn’t have the right vibe I wanted. So one day, I was on the beach in Dubai, and it hit me, ‘Create the app!’.”
The brand new nightlife and dating app launch took place at Parlor, a new, membership based private club in SoHo, one night before its official public release, complete with open bar, a tasting menu and DJ Select spinning ice-breaking grooves. Industry insiders explored the app, networked, and flirted over cocktails. Hoo’s who in attendance included rapper and beatboxer Rahzel, Andrea Maria of Dear Milano, and Love and Life Coach Leonardo Cavalli.
Petrovice, clad with a thick French accent was somewhat shy to speak for the first time but shyly greeted his guests and thanked his team to the excited crowd of buzzing socialites. He has been involved throughout the process of creating Hoo, “[I] am extremely excited to bring this app to the public. Hoo is so much more than simply swiping to connect. Many times users on dating apps fail to even make it past the messaging part and onto an actual date. Hoo combines socialization with dating.
“What I mean by this is that users can connect, flirt and meet other users by chatting with them or liking them through Hoo. They are able to find each other at venues nearby, browse what kinds of venues these individuals like to go to and see if they have common interests. Modern dating has changed drastically and people just don’t approach others like they used to anymore, especially asking them out for a date. Hoo helps people break the ice by sending a message to users nearby so they can get the ball rolling right away.”
According to Petrovice, the venue and vibes are everything when it comes to delighting exhibitionists thrilled with the promise of new prospects or, to the contrary, to pacify voyeurs. “With Hoo, it is not only the people that are important, but the places too. Hoo will add a new dimension to socialization by helping users find other like-minded individuals, through actual connections with people or venues, at the touch of their fingertips. You can look at a venue and see their events, specials, type of music, food…these venues take on new life through the people who frequent them.”
Thanks to research and Geo-targeting, Petrovice made some interesting discoveries, “People wanted the convenience of searching for what is close, whether in their neighborhood or traveling. Another interesting insight we found while conducting research, is that we live in a very voyeuristic and exhibitionist-like society. When translated digitally, we found that people wanted to be both at different times. Combine these two findings and our geo-targeted search capabilities and check-in features were born. Before Hoo, the thought was people wanted to be matched. What research informed, was that people wanted the tools to take their digital exploration off-line and do the matching themselves.”
Petrovice is confident Hoo will become the ultimate companion for the local and global social scene so treat yourself for Winter Solstice. Hoo also invites the same brands to mind their business with Hoo Pro which delves further into statistics about regular clientele including demographics and insight on ratings and performance. If you’re feeling social you can find Hoo on the App Store and Google Play.
