Ever went on a date and felt it was a waste of time and money? Or you have exhausted your dating pool and want to meet new people?  Don’t you just hate having long, awkward first dates? If your answer to all three questions is yes, speed dating may be an excellent option to try.

As the name suggests, speed dating is an event for singles to meet a large number of people in a short time with a view of finding someone that they like. It’s a matchmaking process where you get to meet many single, potential partners in a short time with the aim of finding a match.

How Speed Dating Works

Speed dating can be fun because everyone at the event is open-minded and wants to meet new people. The organizers are responsible for fixing the time and venue of the event. On arrival, the hosts will welcome you, help you sign in and give you a badge that matches a table in the hall. The ladies will remain seated while the men rotate every 4-5 minutes between the tables. If you find someone you like during the mini-dates, you can mark down their name so the organizers can connect you with them after the event.

When you go to a speed dating event, you won’t have the luxury of time with your dates, so you need to make good use of the limited time you have. The events are designed to help you meet new people and decide if you like them. If you don’t, you won’t have to endure an hour like you would during a typical date. But if you do like them, you get to go home with the feeling of wanting more which can help you anticipate meeting them on real dates in future.

Who Goes on Speed Dating?

Are you’re unsure if speed dating is for you? Here are some hints to help:

• You want to meet new people, but you don’t know how and where
• You’re tired of having multiples dates with people who just want to kill time
• You’re a busy person with little time for your social life
• You want to meet new people, but too shy to try the anonymous online dating method

Advantages and disadvantages of speed dating

Just before you register for a speed dating event, you may want to know the pros and cons involved so you won’t be surprised when you attend an event.

Advantages

Physical meeting

One of the downsides of online dating is that you can only know people through their profiles. You’re essentially at their mercy because they fill in the information they want you to know without the opportunity to form your opinion about them. Speed dating fixes this problem as you can now tell a liar from a truth-speaker and be more satisfied if you’re a match with a prospective date.

Softer rejection

Anyone who has ever been turned down by a prospective date will readily appreciate this point. With speed dating, they don’t have to experience the rejection in person which shields you from such awkward moments. The event organizers will connect people if there’s a mutual attraction based on the lists everyone gives them.

Time and money saving

Meeting several prospective dates can be time and money consuming. You don’t have to feel sad about this because speed dating helps compress many hours of full-time first dates and expenses into a few hours in exchange for a small fee.

Less pressure

First dates can exert pressure on both parties to live up to each other’s expectations. Speed dating lowers this pressure because everyone is aware that you’re all in the same boat and there are several prospective dates to meet.

Disadvantages

Exhausting

You may quickly feel drained and tired of the event since you have to meet a relatively large number of people. Asking the same set of questions about 20 times in a single event can take the fun out of it and give a regimented feel. If you’re an outgoing and confident person, you probably don’t need to worry about this.

Insufficient time

It’s called speed dating, so it should be fast, right? The problem arises when you have to meet someone else when you haven’t even finished introductions with your current date. If you’re lucky to get past that stage, you may still not be able to ask critical questions before the time elapses.

Uneven ratio

There may be an uneven number of men and women at the speed dating event. This makes the dating pool smaller which lowers your chance of finding a match. Some organizers implement a cap on the number of men and women that can register, so you may want to be sure about it before you register for the event.

No vetting process

Speed dating feels like going on a blind date because you don’t have information about the dating pool. Since a date will last for only a few minutes, some background information of the dating pool could have helped in making the most of time.

Meet regulars

If you attend several speed dating events, there’s a chance you might meet some people from the previous events. If you find yourself in this situation, you may need to expand the geographical scope of events you attend to meet new people.

Speed Dating Tips

If you have signed up for a speed dating event already, here are some quick tips you may find helpful:

1. Prepare a list of interesting questions that go beyond knowing who your dates are. Ask questions that will help spark lively conversations and build connection with your potential partners like “What’s your most embarrassing experience as a child?”

2. Wear something that makes you feel good and at ease. Instead of wearing formal clothing, go for something casual.

3. Go easy with your expectations. If you go to the event with the mindset of meeting your “type” of people, you may end up not finding a match; so be open-minded. 

4. Speed dating can quickly feel like a job interview. Don’t make your dates formal; aim to have fun.