Speed Dating: With a Vengeance
About Speed Dating - Pros and Cons
Speed Dating Event #1 - British Airways Stewardess
Speed Dating Event #2 - Professional Chef
Speed Dating Event #3 - International Fashion Model
The Verdict & Tips
Speed Dating in London - A Guy's Perspective
Speed Dating Event #3
The Event: 25 Dates - age category 20-27
The Venue: 134 Restaurant Bar (Richmond & Peter St, Toronto)
The Persona: International Fashion Model
Preparation
First, I expertly applied my makeup, including black eyeliner and a small amount of golden creamy glittery eyeshadow. Next, I flattened my hair with a straightening iron and left it down. Lastly, I slipped on my Joe's Jeans super-cool jean skirt, a black top, a skinny black belt, a black bag and black boots and I'm ready to go.
The Schtick
"Um... I model. Like in commercials and magazines. Uh, yeah. It's okay... not really something I want to do forever though. Sure - Paris, Milan, Tokyo. I just got back from London. Yeah, it has its perks I guess. Um, maybe the Pepsi commercial I did. It's on the air right now. What do you do?"
The Talent
As soon as I walked in I noticed a difference. First, the venue was much nicer than any of the others. Secondly, since it is an upscale restaurant and also because it's a younger age category I think it attracted different people - guys who weren't desperate but rather came with friends to check it out, meet people and have fun. There were plenty of good-looking guys with cool jobs, including a firefighter, a cop, a university professor with a doctorate, a business journalist working for a very major newspaper, and the owner of a massage clinic (score!)
Believable?
A couple of the guys were like "Um, what do you mean 'Model'? What kind of model?" which, at times, made me wonder if I was actually capable of pulling off this new persona. I ran into a few snags throughout the night. The first came when two of the people were guys that I had seen at other events (which meant that I had already told them about a different persona - but I couldn't remember which one!) I managed to keep cool and talk a little more quietly with them. Thankfully, I don't think anyone overheard me talking about my trips to London as a flight attendant.
The next snag came when a cute guy in a green soccer jersey sat down in front of me and immediately said, "Didn't you go on a couple of dates with my roommate?" Um, okay. I can handle this. Only problem is that he came with three friends! And I already had my 'date' with one of them. Tricky. So I told him the truth. It's easier that way... keeping track of all these personas was starting to get confusing anyway! The last snag hit when I met a business reporter who just happened to work for a newspaper that I had been profiled in. And he told me this after I told him I was a model. Yikes! Damage control! I had no choice but to let yet another unsuspecting victim in on my little secret.
The Verdict
Great event with much better results. If you have it, worth the $45. I had a fun time chatting with people who I felt were much more my peers then the men at the other events. I didn't get nearly as tired by the end. This came as a surprise to me because I usually enjoy socializing with older people, however the guys at this event seemed to be on the ball with good careers and an optimistic outlook on life.
Dates: 20 plus two I had seen at one of the previous events.
YES responses (from them): 18 / 90%
Interest (from me): I would consider seeing three or four of the guys again. There were certainly quite a few good-looking guys at this event - including a few who also had pretty interesting jobs.
Results: 14 of the 18 people emailed within the first two days.
Summary: Great event and great results - maybe this had something to do with the fact that it was a younger crowd. Also, my fashion model persona was a huge hit (I wonder why?) It's hard to say why this event was so much better than the others, but if I had to wager on another event, I would go for a younger crowd and choose the venue carefully.
About Speed Dating - Pros and Cons
Speed Dating Event #1 - British Airways Stewardess
Speed Dating Event #2 - Professional Chef
Speed Dating Event #3 - International Fashion Model
The Verdict & Tips
Speed Dating in London - A Guy's Perspective
Speed Dating
