Despite social media being everywhere, it’s clear that adults in America face an epidemic of loneliness. This trend comes with health risks equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Our guest today has a solution.  Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. He’s been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” On this podcast, Nick shares his simple formula for hosting low-stress social gatherings to bring people together and create connections. Nick describes the best ways to get people to show up for your parties, get your guests talking to one another without being awkward (even for introverts), and why your home is the best place to host an event.  Here’s the outline of this episode with Nick Gray: [00:00:50] Struggling to meet people in New York. [00:02:23] Nick's book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings. [00:02:29] Julian Abel of Compassionate Communities; NBT Podcasts with Julian: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health, Maintaining Social Connection in the Era of COVID-19, The Compassion Project: The Power of Hope and Human Kindness. [00:02:35] Study: Abel, Julian, et al. "Reducing emergency hospital admissions: a population health complex intervention of an enhanced model of primary care and compassionate communities." Br J Gen Pract 68.676 (2018): e803-e810. [00:04:16] Social benefits of hosting a cocktail party. [00:09:09] The NICK Formula (Name tags, Icebreakers, Cocktails only, Kick 'em out); Article: How to Host A Party. [00:11:14] How to get people to show up. [00:14:24] RSVP platforms: Mixily, Paperless Post, Partiful; Article: Evite Alternatives: List of Other Free RSVP Platforms. [00:14:56] When to hold a cocktail party. [00:18:02] Marketing your event. [00:20:26] Importance of name tags. [00:22:52] Icebreakers; Articles: Icebreaker Name Tags: Examples and How to Do It RIGHT and Icebreaker Activities for Your Next Event; Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023. [00:27:43] Why to kick people out after two hours? Article: Party Times: Start, End, & Best Times. [00:30:36] Introverts and people with social anxiety. Article: Introverts Party: See How Lee Ann Did It. [00:34:19] How to manage kids at a party; Article: How to Host a Cocktail Party with Kids: Alex in Austin. [00:37:24] Where to host a party. Article: Where to Throw a Party? Ideas and Venues for 2023 [00:42:25] Alcohol. [00:48:19] Party.Pro website; Nick's personal website. [00:48:24] NBT Forum post where we discuss our upcoming parties! [00:49:24] Article: How to Host an Event: Parties & Networking. [00:49:27] Friendship Recession.