Is your ideal not just one but many dates all in a single evening? Well that is what you get once you enter into the world of speed dating. As its name implies, speed dating is geared towards meeting a lot of available individuals in a short amount of time.
Built on the premise that first impressions count, speed dating is a sort of structured meeting attended by singles. These singles ‘meet’ with one another for a period of time, usually only a few minutes.
Agreeing in advance to an interval of time saves everyone any possible embarrassment. No one has to suffer the discomfort of having to make up an excuse to leave. There’s no pain of knowing you’re being rejected or lied to face-to-face.
When time is up, a buzzer sounds, and each of the members switch partners and repeat the process over and over again.
Of course, having only a few minutes per date can be a limiting factor. You may want to know a little more about the person who just intrigued you a few seconds before the time limit expired.
As participants are registered, they are given an identification tag that typically lists a number and person’s first name and also a score card for recording notes and level of interest. After each round, participants jot down quick notes about the person they’ve just met before moving on.
It’s not unusual for a night of speed dating to result in meeting 15 to 20 or more new people. Of that number, it’s not uncommon to be interested in at least one, but frequently several other speed daters.
Then, usually the next day, participants log onto the speed dating company’s website where they indicate the person or persons they’d like to meet again.
When there is a match, both parties are notified and they can then use the site’s email to communicate and plan future get-togethers.
One of the main advantages of speed dating as compared to online dating is obviously, the fact that you get to meet all these new people in person rather than relying on a photo that may or may not be an accurate portrayal of the person.
You get to see how a prospective mate operates under pressure and if that person is interesting enough to hold your attention for a short time.
If you feel uncomfortable at first, or take a long time to warm up, this kind of event may not be for you. On the other hand, those who generally believe themselves a little shy at first can find it an advantage.
Knowing you have only a few minutes to impress can be turned on its head. If you have a short time to shine, you can only fail for a short time. That knowledge allows many to relax. They find they do a lot better than they expected.
Most of these events take place in major cities, where the population is large enough to attract many potential partners. If you live in a smaller town, there may not be enough to make the event a success. But then, often in such smaller towns, people know one another already.
It never hurts to have another option.