What's speed dating like?

The question I'm asked more often than anything is 'What's speed dating like?' and 'does speed dating work?'

Whether it's from people who ring me, people curious about my job and mates wanting to know more along with 'is speed dating fun?' and 'what questions to ask when dating?'. Well, I have been a speed dating hostess for over 2 years now so here's my lowdown on speed dating. In this blog, I will try and explain exactly what speed dating is like, what it can do for you and then you can decide if speed dating is for you. After all, it's perfectly natural to be nervous about going to a speed dating event for the first time, right?

So, the ultimate goal from going speed dating is to meet someone who you fancy, they fancy you and you have a spark - that connection that brings people together. I have run many speed dating events over the years and I take great pleasure in seeing 2 people chatting, flirting and getting to know each other - it's that satisfaction which keeps me doing the job I love.

Most of us have dabbled dating apps at one time or another - Tinder, Match, POF, Bumble - they all pretty much have the same algorithms - swipe left or right, chat forever, eventually meet after weeks of chatting, either don't connect (or even worse one person does not turn up) or they look nothing like their photos (who has bunny ears in real life?). The downside of all this is that is is very tedious and time-consuming.

The joy of speed dating is that you get to date up to 15 people in one night, each for around 4 minutes each. 4 minutes isn't a long time, but it is enough for you to form a first impression, see if you fancy them in a face - to - face environment, see their mannerisms, their manners, their charm, does she smell nice, would you like to see them again....? These questions can all be processed in a matter of minutes, not weeks. People have very busy lives, time is precious so speed dating for one night can save you weeks of endless dating nights and getting nowhere. Remember, this isn't a first date, this is just an initial meeting and you have plenty of options to choose from in one night as there is more than one person vying for your attention. Instead of just dating one person for an evening, you get the pick of the bunch. This is your opportunity to flirt a little, get someone interested and make them want to see you again for a proper date, so make your questions interesting, fun and light hearted. Ask things other people don't and stand out from the crowd. At Love Speed Dating we understand this is all a little daunting, so we provide you with question cards on the tables as you move round in case you get a little tongue tied!

You have a very good chance of meeting someone at speed dating - either as a friend (which may lead to more as the ladies tend to be more cautious when ticking boxes), a date, or maybe just a friend - we can never have too many of those!

Ultimately, it really is a good night out, you will meet people you would not have normally met and there's a good chance of finding someone, however, we understand that just because you are in a room with 20 other single people means that you will find your soulmate instantly. It might take a few tries at speed dating to build your confidence and get you used to speaking to people again. Maybe you have come out of a long term relationship and lost the art of 'chatting someone up'? A lot of speed daters are in the same position as you and therefore if you do not fancy anyone on the first event, the next one is completely free..... what have you got to lose?

So, does speed dating work? For lots of people, yes it does. It may not have worked for them the first or second time, but who goes on one date and lives happily ever after? If you are serious about looking for a relationship, play the numbers game, get yourself out there, meeting single people who are also looking for a relationship and suddenly the chances of you meeting the one have greatly increased. After all, you don't meet people staying at home watching Eastenders, right? And whilst we can't guarantee you will meet Thomas Shelby, Jasper Carrott or Cat Deeley whilst speed dating in Birmingham, we are confident you will meet someone special. Give it a try - it might just change your life!

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Check out the videos on the YouTube Chanel for LoveSpeeDating