Can you really spend 3 minutes with someone and know if they’re the one? Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the concept of speed dating is to have a ton of mini-conversations to see if there is any interest to then have a real date.
I have to admit my very first experience with Speed Dating was not the greatest. It was years ago when I lived in DC. I had never tried it so I really didn’t understand how it worked or what to expect. I remember walking in and scanning the room. All the women were young and beautiful and the men much older and not so attractive. Ok, that was my initial first impression. I sat at my table, and the men rotated every few minutes when a bell rang. I purposefully had my back to the table behind me, so I would not pay attention to see the next guy in line. Overall I was disappointed in the age range, everyone was much older. But what I was even more disappointed about was where most of them lived. Many of the attendees drove 1-2 hours away for the event. I remember thinking, “I don’t want to date anyone who is not local!”
If I think back, I did have a good time. I walked away with some hilarious stories and felt more confident in talking to men that I did not know. But my expectations where way too high walking into the event.
Since that experience years ago, I have done Speed Dating a few times. And I have enjoyed every experience. I went out a few times with one guy and also made some business connections. But again for me, it always gets back to practicing my skills of talking to complete strangers.
This past Valentine’s Day, I attended a Speed Dating event hosted by Hurry Date and Bo-Concept. 100 singles met outdoors on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. Hurry Date is a nationwide company who holds speed dating events on a regular basis. But this one was extra special. Bo-Concept provided their extremely long, 2.2 ton red leather couch for the event. See the photos below! It was a little cold, but a lot of fun! Afterwards, I went out for drinks with some close friends to further celebrate the holiday.
So I do recommend trying out Speed Dating overall, just keep the following things in mind:
- Arrive with no expectations, except to have a good time and to meet people.
- Keep in mind, this is a great way to get your feet-wet when having conversations with people you do not know. It will be a helpful to make you more comfortable for any future real date. See it as training wheels, especially if you are shy.
- Make sure to ask the company who is putting on the event, what the age range is going to be.
- Ask how many mini-dates will you have for the event. I recommend a minimum of ten for a paid event to be worth it.
- Find out the process of how the company provides the information to people that have a mutual interest. Make sure your information is kept private unless you provide permission to give out your personal information.
- Let the guy ask the first question. But if they seem shy, offer to ask the first one.
- Be creative with the few minutes you have. Maybe not start with the typical questions: “Where are you from? What do you do? And where do you live?” After about 3 mini-dates, you are already bored with answering or asking these questions. Why not ask him: “What do you like to do for fun?” or “Where is the last place he traveled?”
So get out there and have some fun! Below is a list of Speed Dating companies, check them out, attend an event and let me know how it went!
Fast Life
Hurry Date
Speed Date
8 Minute Dating
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