The Speed Dating Specialists
- City Weekend
says -
Beijing singles come out of the woodwork for these monthly speed dating events aimed at maximum mixing and mingling. Six-minute dates, themed nights and after-parties make for a fun night on the town. You may not find the love of your life, but you'll have a great time.
Reviews Been there? Add a review!
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when will be next party? or it wont be?
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A friend of mine took me to a party with this group. I felt a little awkward about attending at first because I didn't really have any intense desire to begin dating. It was more of a voyeuristic curiosity. There was a good mix of people and intensities. The hosts were very good at keeping the atmosphere relaxed. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet new people outside my usual social circle. At the end of the event, everyone had a great time and I made some great new friends. A great event.
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to get into vics you pay 50rmb...maybe you talk to 5 girls, maybe you get one phone number and maybe she'll call you back. lets say, you bought a drink for three of those girls, including your own drinks, total bill for the night probably comes out to around 300rmb, at the end of the night your drunk, frustrated and 300 rmb poorer. to get into speed dating you pay 100rmb. you definitely meet 15 girls in one night, you definitely get some dates and drinks are included. next thing you know, you've got dates lined up for the week!! its amazing. try it.
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i ran speeddating while I was in Taiwan, very curious about how it goes here... could you please give a note of upcoming event... Thanks in advance!!
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This is the best event in beijing!!!! i was skeptical and totally doubtful about the finding cool people at first, but i can't be more wrong. Not only did i get one nighters, i'm almost seeing a different girl every week. Speeddating beijing changed my life! I used to hate beijing but now it's not so bad. Come try it out boys and girls... it will change your life too.
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It's Saturday night, and hope throbs in the air.
One large room. Fourteen numbered tables. Two chairs at each. For now, they are vacant.
At one end of the room, exuberant testosterone and nervous laughter as fourteen boys trade jokes with each other and furtive glances with the girls across the way.
In the far corner, fourteen girls busy themselves with conversation, pausing occasionally to glance at the eager boys across the way.
The daring venture out to midfield where the drinks await and coyly take stock of the night's options. "Is this bottle all Sprite, or will I be tipsy after a cup?" one asks with faux helplessness. Suddenly, cohesion among the males breaks down. Some attempt to retain a cool, detached persona - others fall over themselves to make little jokes and talk with the girls.
The bottle is new, one explains, I'm sure it's fine, although there's nothing wrong with getting a little tipsy tonight, he finishes. She titters, he is encouraged.
But Allison and Pilar put their collective foot down before the co-ed mingling spirals out of control. Boys in one corner, girls in the other, we are told. Businessmen, lawyers, students, teachers - all are equal before the Speed Dating Specialists of Beijing, and soon the gender divide is once again firmly established.
I am here on a whim; a favor to an old friend, a chance to meet new friends. Neither romance nor a hook-up is on my agenda; just a pleasant evening in the company of interesting people. I watch with interest as the night takes shape. The genders are assembled, the numbers assigned. Girls stay at their appointed tables, while the boys rotate every six minutes.
The lovely Pilar and Allison complement each other brilliantly: one sugar, the other spice. Their charismatic insouciance sets the tone for the evening and subtly keeps the party moving at a lively pace. Water bottles magically appear at the side of the nervously dry-mouthed dater while stronger drinks arrive to loosen the most reticent tongue.
The atmosphere is pleasant and personal, yet endowed with professional flair. At the end of each six minute round, the dynamic duo snap into action to prevent unnecessary lingering. Pilar entices the recalcitrant with honeyed tones, promising fresh possibilities at the next table. Meanwhile, like an attractively tough drill sergeant, Allison brings the stick where the carrot fails to move, persuading the wayward with orders that brook no disobedience. Together, the dynamic duo are the engine that drives the evening.
Awkward silences are nowhere to be found in this crowd; conversations flow freely, punctuated often by laughter and giggles.
I flow from table to table; from the warm smile to the perky laugh. I haven't made any love connections, but I've found interesting conversations and future friends.
One girl offers me a bag of chocolate as soon as I sit. Presumably, this is her litmus test: don't like Toblerone, you go home alone. I offer my apologies. Her smile falters.
Another round, another table. This time, I conduct the conversation entirely in Mandarin to see whether or not charm gets lost in translation. It does not.
By the fourteenth and final table, my life story has become a well-rehearsed soundbite, all polished lines and practiced jokes. Everyone else seems as energetic as they were at the start, but my enthusiasm is flagging considerably. I came to find friends, and I've found thirteen. What difference could one more possibly make?
I am late in sitting down. "Hurry up," Allison scolds. "That's one minute you've already lost!" I answer her with a distracted smile. Discreetly, I glance at my watch and think about all that I have left to accomplish this weekend - draft a speech, perform research, pick up a visiting friend - responsibilities, errands, obligations.
And then I look up into the eyes of my fourteenth date, and all is forgotten. We laugh and we flirt, and not once do our eyes leave each other. It’s surprisingly difficult to say goodbye when Allison calls time.
The rest of the evening is a blur. I review my speed-dating sheet and find her name. I choose her.
As I make my goodbyes and prepare to leave, I hear her voice cut through the din. Let's stay in touch. I find myself exchanging contact information. Surely this violates some unwritten speed-dating commandment: ‘Thou shalt not date the amazing woman at table fourteen without the go-ahead from the hosts.’
Two days later, I receive an email from the Specialists. Congratulations, it says. She chose you.
I haven’t stopped smiling since. I wasn't looking for an angel, but an angel found me. And whether this is but a beautiful vacation memory or the story we tell our grandkids, one fact is indisputable.
We owe it all to the Speed Dating Specialists of Beijing.
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Sounds like people can make some new cool friends from here, never heard of it before, how come?