GDI’s European Conference – New Location & Conference Sessions Revealed!
As the global online dating industry matures, the conversations that matter are changing.
On Wednesday, September 16th, GDI’s London conference will bring together senior leaders, founders, investors, and product decision-makers to tackle the issues now defining the next phase of growth for dating platforms worldwide.
The conference will take place at the Harbour Hotel Richmond, a luxury five-star venue set on the banks of the River Thames. Just outside central London, Richmond offers a more relaxed, discreet setting for high-level discussion, while remaining easily accessible for international and UK delegates.
After extensive conversations with the GDI Advisory Board, we have identified six core themes that will shape this year’s agenda. Each reflects where the industry truly is in 2026 and where it is heading next.
If you would like to put forward a speaker for any of these sessions, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact: simon.corbett@iigroup.global
1. Trust & Safety Is Now a Growth Strategy
Regulation, reputation, and retention in a post-swipe world
Trust & Safety has moved far beyond compliance. What was once a legal necessity is increasingly a commercial differentiator, influencing brand trust, user retention, and long-term value.
This session explores how leading platforms are embedding safety into product design, brand positioning, and growth strategies, rather than treating it as a reactive cost centre.
Key discussion points include:
- Where Trust & Safety now sits within the organisation and why
- Whether safety features can be monetised without user backlash
- Which regulations are genuinely improving the industry rather than simply adding friction
- How Trust & Safety leaders can prove ROI to boards and investors
2. The Great Monetisation Reset
What’s replacing subscriptions and what’s quietly failing
Subscriptions are no longer the guaranteed engine of growth they once were. As user expectations evolve, dating platforms are experimenting with new revenue models, with mixed results.
This panel brings an honest, executive-level discussion about what is actually driving ARPU today, and what looks compelling in pitch decks but underperforms in reality.
Key discussion points include:
- Which monetisation levers are outperforming subscriptions right now
- Where the line sits between value creation and user resentment
- Whether boosts and microtransactions are increasing churn over time
- Which monetisation experiments were abandoned early, and why
3. AI in Dating: Product Power or Brand Risk?
Automation, authenticity, and ethical boundaries
AI is now embedded across the dating stack, from matching and moderation to messaging and fraud detection. But not all use cases deliver equal value, and some carry real brand risk.
This session separates meaningful product innovation from hype, and confronts the ethical questions the industry can no longer avoid.
Key discussion points include:
- Where AI is clearly improving outcomes today
- Whether AI should ever write messages or profiles on behalf of users
- How platforms prevent AI from undermining authenticity and emotional agency
- Which AI features regulators are likely to scrutinise next
4. Retention Is the New Growth
Designing products people actually leave… happily
User acquisition is expensive, loyalty is fragile, and churn remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. As a result, success metrics are being redefined.
This session explores how platforms are shifting away from endless engagement models towards better user outcomes, and what that means commercially.
Key discussion points include:
- What “success” really means for a dating product today
- Whether platforms are structurally incentivised to keep users single
- Which retention metrics matter most after the match
- Whether designing for off-platform success can increase long-term brand value
5. Who Dating Is Really For in 2026
Gen Z, later-life dating, and values-led platforms
The dating market is fragmenting rapidly. Different generations, life stages, and value systems demand very different experiences.
This panel looks at how platforms are adapting product design, tone of voice, and positioning to serve diverse audiences without losing scale.
Key discussion points include:
- What Gen Z expects that legacy platforms still struggle to deliver
- Why later-life dating represents one of the industry’s biggest untapped opportunities
- Whether niche platforms outperform generalists in the long term
- How culture, identity, and values are reshaping UX and brand strategy
6. M&A, Consolidation & Exit Readiness
Build, buy, partner, or sell?
Always one of the most in-demand sessions at GDI, this discussion focuses on the real state of M&A in the dating industry.
With capital more cautious and consolidation continuing, founders and executives need clarity on how to build optionality over the next two to five years.
Key discussion points include:
- What actually makes a dating business attractive to acquirers today
- When scale matters more than profitability, and when it doesn’t
- How early founders should begin preparing for an exit
- Whether partnerships are increasingly replacing outright acquisitions
