Successful events, like beauty, are apparently in the eye of the beholder. And yet, like beauty we can all go some way to making that eye spy in a more favourable way. And like beauty there are some base measures by which we can judge the relative success of an event.
I have a confession. The first time I ever hosted one of our lock and key parties I was less than looking forward to it. Saturday afternoon boat party, beach party theme, 250 singles, Lock & Key. In my naïve world I could think of nothing more cheesy or sad.
With all the different events we run, I'm often asked which is the 'best' one to attend. There really is no straight answer to this but let's focus on our main events: speed dating and lock & key parties.
There's a certain irony to speed dating. Some speed dating companies, particularly those run by large multinational online dating firms, are adamant that they can match you with the love of your life - that this is the primary focus of speed dating. Given their online roots it makes a degree of sense that they should think so. But it's not entirely true.
We're throwing a pre-Christmas lock & key party on Saturday 8th of December in the stunning bar of The Malmaison Hotel in Clerkenwell and we'd love you to be there!
Sometimes people need a little convincing about the benefits of speed dating over online dating. We asked John Davis, London's most experienced dating events host to reveal his top ten reason why you should be speed dating if you're serious about meeting somebody.
We're great at getting people together. In fact 100s of couples have first dates as a result of meeting at our speed dating events and parties every year. Here's some inspiration if you're trying to think up really good ideas for what to do on your first date.
The eagle eyed amongst you might have realised we've recently overhauled the Original Dating website. On the surface the design was changed and under the skin we've introduced a number of features that make everything work that little bit better. It was perhaps touch overdue, the previous version had been largely untouched since our launch.
I was recently asked if online dating was a dying trend. This may sound ridiculous; it's difficult to get a good fix on how much the online dating industry is worth but even conservative estimates put it at around the £700,000,000 (not far short of a billion) mark in the UK alone. And usage is growing. An estimated 60% of singles have tried online dating.
Believe it or not Original Dating started running speed dating events almost 10 years ago in April 2003. We've run literally thousands of events across London since then and some might say we've got really quite good at it over the years.
Research conducted at the California Institute of Technology has found that people make speed dating decisions based on a combination of two different factors that are related to activity in two distinct parts of the brain.
I don't normally use my time off to research work related topics but I'd recently begun to wonder what the rest of the world thought about speed dating. I'd heard that many still see it as a little odd, if not sad and desperate. Where, I thought, are they getting this misinformation?
Have you heard the one about the guy who walked into a bar?
There are some men who tread their own path, who carve a way through life unique from all those around them. To you sirs, wherever you are, I salute you. I have had the privilege of meeting many of you because you are the ones who attend Speed Dating events, often alone because you are a pioneer, a trend-setter, a man amongst boys.
Halloween Dating Event 2012 - Friday 26th October 2012
OK, so we know Halloween is for small children and Americans but we like to think it's as good an excuse as any for one of our excellent parties, and you, dear reader are very much invited!
Who wouldn't want a job where you get to meet such a broad spectrum of professionals from all sorts of backgrounds?
For many of us, politics are a big deal. Some people are even defined by their politics and it becomes an important part of their personality. When it comes to speed dating, some people screen their matches based on their political ideals and affiliations - if they give a wrong answer, they don't have a chance. Is this fair?
One of the most effective aspects of speed dating is the fact that time is so limited. It is one of the reasons it appeals to so many people; you don't have to spend a great deal of time meeting a large number of new people, and if you meet one you don't like the date will be over swiftly without the awkwardness associated with a typical blind date.
Following a surge in popularity of speed dating in the early 2000s, fuelled in part by its glamorisation in popular TV shows and the media, the speed dating boom subsided and gave way to a rise in internet dating websites.
The beauty of Speed Dating London lies in its no-nonsense approach. You take an equal number of single girls and guys, put them in a room and give them a few minutes to chat with every other member of the opposite sex.
Original speed dating events in London normally begin at 7.30pm. You will need to register with our hosts and to begin with they will issue you with a score sheet. This will help you to keep track of the singles that you would like to meet again and perhaps go on a date with. After a short period of mingling, your host for the evening who will run through detailed instructions and give you your starting position if you are a guy or table for the event if you are a girl.
A London speed dating event is split into two halves, each lasting around an hour, there will be an interval at half time of about 15 minutes for speed dating London. You will have between 4 and 5 minutes with each person, after which you need to tick a box on your score sheet - "yes, I would like to meet this person again" or "no. Thanks but no thanks". Or "friend" if you'd like to get to know them platonically. Make sure that you do this after each date to keep track. Afterwards there is an opportunity for everyone to meet and mingle informally - this is often where the real action begins, so make sure you don't disappear too quickly!
After the event you simply tick who you liked on the Original Dating website and the site works about your matches automatically. If the dates you have ticked as a "yes" have reciprocated you have a match. You will be able to view the first names and message them via our site online without revealing your email address until you are ready to. You'll be having proper first dates in no time.