Facebook debuts standalone event discovery app

Following the success of its standalone Messenger app, Facebook has launched an event-discovery app for iOS, potentially giving ticket agencies a powerful new tool with which to connect with customers.

The Events app, which will also soon launch on Android, will recommend events popular with users’ Facebook friends and from pages they’ve ‘liked’ and display an interactive map showing nearby events. Events already has 100 million users, despite only launching on Friday.

Says the social network: “Every day, more than 100 million people use Facebook events to discover things they can do with their friends – from festivals and 5Ks [runs] to neighbourhood fairs and nightlife. With hundreds of millions of events shared on Facebook every year, the fear of missing out is becoming a thing of the past.

Events already has 100m users, despite only launching on Friday

“[Events] is a new app we designed for event seekers who are passionate about keeping up with nearby events and finding things to do with their friends. Whether you’re looking for something to attend this weekend or just wondering what’s happening in your area, Events will help get you there.”

Facebook has previously introduced in-app ticket sales from event pages – something of which Ticketmaster, Eventbrite and Ticketbud are currently taking advantage – and payment using bots.

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