Slow Dating

There’s nothing slow about the UK’s biggest organiser of speed dating events Slow Dating…

Over the years we’ve been writing a lot about different types of dating – both online and offline. However, we haven’t often mentioned speed dating, which, if you think about it is a sort of cross between online and real life dating. Just like online dating where you only have limited resources to get to know somebody – and just like in real life you get to meet your date and figure out if there’s real chemistry there.

While there are several companies in the UK specialising in speed dating one of the more popular ones is called Slow Dating who have literally hundreds of speed dating events going on every year all across the UK. SLow Dating are pretty confident about the success rate of their events – so much so that they even give customers a guarantee that they’ll meet someone they’d like to see again in one of their events… or get the next event free.

Why consider speed dating?

Most of you probably know how it works – there’s an equal number of guys and girls in the room. The women are sitting down and the men move round the tables until everyone has met once. You get exactly four minutes with each date, which is enough for you to decide whether you’d be interested in meeting again or not. If both parties are willing to see each other again, they’ll be given each other’s contact details. Simple as that.

Or is it? I mean – it is only four minutes! Yes, it’s quite enough if you’re one of those funny and witty guys or girls who just knows immediately what to say and how to say it but for mere mortals these four minutes could prove to be excruciatingly embarrassing or tongue-tying. However, there is a way around that problem. You could prepare a list of light-hearted questions that show interest towards your date but aren’t too deep. You could talk about holidays, favourite movies or books, sports and about things you like to do. If you get asked a lot of questions, make sure you pitch in some of your own questions as well – after all, you want to find out as much as you can in those brief four minutes in order to decide whether you share any interests, likes or dislikes. Make sure you listen to what your date is saying as well, show them you care about what they have to say – even if you already know you’re not that into them. After all, speed dating is a social event and if you’re not too inclined to being social there’s not much point in going along to a speed dating event.

What to expect at a speed dating event

Speed dating can be great fun if organised properly. First of all, it’s crucial that there’s an even amount of guys and girls at each event. Also, the venues have to be chosen carefully to make you feel comfortable and secure – not just any bar will do. It’s important that the venue is reserved for the event only as you wouldn’t want to have an audience. The mood should be right, seats have to be comfy – and of course, it doesn’t hurt if there are some special offers for drinks or snacks from the bar! Slow Dating takes great pride in their customer service as they have been in the business for over a decade now.

How likely is it that you’ll meet someone you really like at a speed dating event? Well, of course, no one can ever guarantee that you’ll find true love there, just like no online dating site can ever promise you’ll get to meet the love of your life on one of their sites. You’ll do well if you keep an open mind about the whole thing – you go there to meet new people, have some fun, chat, perhaps flirt… If you happen to find love in the process, consider it a bonus. If not, you’ve still done something about it, instead of just shying away from every chance of meeting new people.

If you’re interested in more information, check out the Slow Dating website – and if it sounds like something you’d want to try, you can sign up right there.

About the Author

Aet Suvari has been reviewing and writing about the world of online dating since 2008 and the launch of Online Dating Help. A stickler for promoting ethical practices within the UK dating industry she champions the sites that get it right while highlighting those holding it back. You can follow her on Google+