Over 250 Victorian venues will be stepping up this Friday, 8 May, to participate in the inaugural ‘Mates Day @ Your Local’, an initiative driven by the Australian Hotels Association Victoria (AHA (Vic)).
Mates Day @ Your Local aims to tackle loneliness by encouraging people to check in on their mates.
The venues will be offering incentives such as extended happy hours and two-for-one deals, entertainment, and other activities to encourage locals to make plans to catch up with their mates, centring on real conversations and bringing people together.
Matt Dawson, Deputy CEO of AHA (Vic) pointed out that pubs have long been important meeting places.
“Mates Day @ Your Local is about making sure no one’s stuck on their own when they could be having a laugh with a mate at their local,” he said.
“It’s one Friday where the whole state leans in, checks on each other, and shows that pubs aren’t just places for people to go, they’re places that bring people together.”
There is evidence to back this claim.
The Where Everybody Knows Your Name report by Peter K Jonason PhD and Robin Dunbar PhD reveals the critical role pubs play in reducing social isolation.
AHA (Vic)’s State of the Industry Report also published the results of independent polling showing that 83 per cent of Victorians label pubs as a vital component of their social lives, while the Social Connection Report by AIA Australia reveals that one third of Australians say they are lonely.
Group GM of Riverland Group, Kristin Allen, said that often all it takes is a small nudge for people to make plans, which is why their Hotel Railway and Jetty Road Brewery were offering two-for-one drinks, food specials and meat raffles.
“Hotel Railway and Jetty Road Brewery wanted to be part of Mates Day @ Your Local because it reflects what pubs do best, bringing people together and giving communities a place to connect,” Allen said.
Myles Pitt, director of Hotel Sorrento, had a similar response.
“Mates Day at our pub is more than just a drink; it’s a place to kick back, share laughs, support a good cause and feel right at home,” said Pitt, whose pub is offering live music, a charity raffle and $8 happy hour drinks.
Dawson says the day is all about bringing people together, so no-one misses out on sharing a good time with friends at their local.
“It’s one Friday where the whole state leans in, checks on each other, and shows that pubs aren’t just places for people to go, they’re places that bring people together.”
