After half a dozen years of successfully connecting expats and “global minds” around the world, InterNations hits another major milestone. We’ve barely blown out the candles on our birthday cake, but now we have yet another reason to celebrate. This week, we reached the 1 million member mark – a historical achievement for our social network, which went online in September 2007.
InterNations was founded as a small, Munich-based start-up six years ago, with the aim to make life abroad easier for expatriates, i.e. all those temporarily moving to another country for professional and family reasons. We support expats worldwide, in nearly 400 cities and virtually every country, by providing them with various opportunities to establish new business contacts, make local friends, and find relevant information. 
We are proud of bringing over one million mobile and global-minded people together, in an exclusive international environment and a network of trust. Our top five Local Communities, with 20,000 to 35,000 members each, are based in London (UK), our “hometown” Munich (Germany), expat hotspot Dubai (UAE), Paris (France), and business hub Singapore. The biggest shares of nationalities on our platform include expats from the US, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and France.
However, our global approach goes much further: We unite people of all nationalities, and we are active in places from Almaty (Kazakhstan) to Zaragoza (Spain).
In around 350 of our 400 communities, our InterNations Ambassadors (committed members with good connections to the foreign community) regularly organize official events. These are the perfect occasion for socializing with other expatriates in town, as well as internationally minded locals, at least once a month. From mid-October till the end of November, our InterNations Events will have the “1 Million Members” theme to honor the current occasion, e.g. at the Sky Lounge Club in Munich. 
The great success of our community depends on the fact that networking is not limited to the computer screen: mixing and mingling happens offline, which makes it easier to meet other newcomers or find people who share your interests.
Especially if you want to make new friends who share your hobbies, or meet’n’greet those working in the same field, the InterNations Activity Groups area a newly introduced feature that addresses these very needs. They help members to socialize in smaller, more specific settings, both for business and for leisure. You can attend classical concerts in NYC together, find a partner for ballroom dancing in Munich, play tennis in Hong Kong, have dinner in Melbourne, or join a Yoga group in Johannesburg – to name but a few examples.
Among the InterNations Activity Groups, the ones dedicated to our Charity Program are particularly dear to us. In a growing number of cities across the world, we cooperate with local NPOs to support various worthy causes, e.g. food security among the elderly, education for impoverished children, or aid for asylum seekers and refugees. Our members provide material donations, financial resources, their advice, their time, and effort. 
Last but not least, our website also offers all the information that expats might need to prepare their relocation or upon arrival in their new home. Our Country and City Guides include essential facts about over 130 expat destinations, and we are always adding new places and topics to our editorial content section. Moreover, online discussion groups, local forums, and address directories are additional features for sharing tips on local life abroad.
Of course, we are continually striving to the InterNations Experience for all our members. Here’s to future endeavors and the next million members!
(Photo credits: 1) & 3) InterNations, 2) Sky Lounge München)
