Now ‘speed date’ at pubs

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Would you date somebody with whom you’ve barely spent five or may be seven minutes? If you are game for it, then speed dating, a faster way to meet people which is popular in the West will be up your sleeve. What’s interesting and novel about speed dating is that it’s now being experimented at restaurants and discotheques in the capital. These places are playing cupid for those who are interested in dating a stranger.
Sahil Khanna, events executive at ai, The Love Hotel, where a similar event took place recently, says that the concept is not very new in the city. “It didn’t work earlier, but we have conceptualised in a much better way. It’s an interesting concept and it clicked well with love hungry youngsters at our very first event,” he avers.
Agrees Rajeev Rai, manager, Royal Mirage, which was a host to speed dating event in early August, says that they took up the idea because they thought youngsters would like to experiment with something new when it comes to finding a date. “Since this concept has not been adopted by many, we thought we would get a good response and we did,” he shares.
Describing the concept Sahil reveals, “It is a fun game involving 10 men and 10 women, who spend few minutes to get to know each other after which they move on to the next table. The women are seated at their respective tables and the men move around meeting every woman by turn. It is an informal way to meet and interact with each other. It helps both man and a woman decide who they want to spend the rest of the evening with or maybe go on a date later.” Sahil says their first event got a good response and they are planning to host similar events in future.
What’s even more interesting is the response of youngsters in the capital, who have no inhibitions trying this out. College students, who often visit pubs and bars with friends think that it is a good idea to find a date, even if it is for a day. “Since stags are not allowed at most discs, we go in as couples, but in reality our partners are our friends and this becomes boring. Speed dating events would at least give a chance to meet new guys. Moreover, there would be no stress of initiating a conversation with a stranger,” says Pallavi Gupta, a first year college student.
Guys think that such a concept would ease away their tension of getting thrashed by girls. “While approaching an unknown girl, I’m scared about her reaction. But in this case, when the girl is a participant in the speed dating process, you know she would be open to healthy flirting, minimising the risk,” quips Vaibhav Sehgal, another college student.
Shiva Nihlani from Infinity Entertainment, who organises speed dating events, says that the idea was suggested by his partner Madline Nueller, who is from Germany. “She said that this concept is very popular in the European countries. Since youngsters are becoming more open to new ideas, we thought why not give it a try here,” says Shiva, adding that a lot of popular cafes and pubs in the capital are open to hosting such events.