The Social Gaming Group, the tech-focused competitive socialising company, is cementing its partnership with BrewDog with a new events-led initiative designed to bring ‘Social Fitness’ to UK hospitality.
The first-of-its-kind programme of social gaming-led experiences will launch at BrewDog Waterloo on the 29th of January, and be rolled out across selected BrewDog venues. The programme features expert talks from Brewdog’s Fran Docx (Strategy and Creative Director), Kian Bakhtiari (Founder, The People) and Vanessa Stewart (Commercial Partnerships Manager at Netball England), along with Dr. Pardis Shafafi, Anthropologist and Marketing Director of The Social Gaming Group. There will also be a social fitness-themed darts quiz, shuffleboard, and beer pong, showcasing the new BrewDog non-alcoholic beer ‘Mello’.
Smaller Social Fitness events, with TSGG-hosted shuffleboard and darts tournaments for competitive play and connection, will be held at BrewDog venues around the UK in subsequent weeks. Co-hosted by local wellness partners, the events will spotlight the importance of socialising as part of a healthy lifestyle and play as a central component of this.
The experiences are designed to mirror the appeal of modern fitness communities while remaining rooted in sociability and fun to reflect The Social Gaming Group’s philosophy of ‘Purposeful Play.’
The initiative marks the first step in The Social Gaming Group’s emerging ‘social fitness’ movement, which champions healthier social habits through accessible, activity-led experiences. In a social climate shaped by changing drinking habits and increasing awareness of mental wellbeing, activity-led socialising offers an alternative that is inclusive, restorative and commercially relevant for venues.
The ‘social fitness’ movement points to a broader cultural shift, particularly among Gen Z audiences, as social habits evolve away from late-night drinking and towards experiences that offer structure, community and wellbeing. By integrating social gaming into established hospitality settings, the campaign demonstrates how pubs and bars can evolve to meet new expectations without losing their role as community spaces.
Dr. Pardis Shafafi, Marketing Director of The Social Gaming Group, said: “As fitness takes on a more prominent role in younger adults’ lives, it’s easy to assume workouts are replacing nights out. Our experience of activity-led socialising suggests something else entirely – people still overwhelmingly want to spend time together, they’re simply more intentional in how they go about it. We’re seeing that being social matters, and activity-led experiences make these important connections easier to build and sustain.
“Our already strong partnership with BrewDog allows us to bring that thinking into hospitality at scale, creating experiences that feel natural, sociable and most importantly, fun.”
Chris Webb, managing director at BrewDog Bars, said: “Our venues have always been about bringing people together, and this campaign is a natural evolution of that.
BrewDog Waterloo is the perfect setting to kick off this initiative. As Europe’s largest multi-use social venue of its kind, it’s built for connection at every pace, from relaxed daytime meet-ups to play-led experiences and high-energy evenings, giving people more ways to socialise on their own terms.
“By working with The Social Gaming Group, we’re building on what we do best, creating spaces where socialising feels active, welcoming and relevant to how people live now, whether that’s after a workout, during the day, or as an alternative to the usual evening plans.”
