HurryDate is a speed dating company. They organize real-life parties in popular bars all over the country. Local singles can have up to 25 three-minute dates in the course of the evening. (They also have a standard personals site, where you can create a profile for free, and meet people there.) Of course they don’t expect you to make major life decisions concerning a person you’ve only interacted with for the length of the average commercial break. The idea is to see if there’s chemistry. This can be more efficient and painless than taking the time to correspond with someone online for possibly weeks, only to finally meet him or her in person and realize there’s no spark.
After each three- to seven-minute date, the host blows a whistle. The daters indicate on their SCOREcards(TM) whether they would like to see each person again. If you and your beloved both mark “yes,” they’ll tell you, and then you can email each other on the website. (But things stay anonymous until you’re ready to reveal more.) HurryDate is the only speed-dating company to offer online profiles, so it’s easier for participants to remember each other afterwards. You can also search for people on the website, so you can even have the chance to meet folks who haven’t attended the parties you did. Subscribers to the site receive discounts to all HurryDate parties.
The HurryDate people say that their parties “have a distinctly different feel than similarly styled events -- they attract a fun, friendly, cosmopolitan crowd of professionals and are consistently organized in a familiar format with twists of local flavor.” HurryDate has events in more than 65 cities across the United States, Canada and the UK for multiple ages, ethnicities and religions (also sexual orientations, I think).
A paid membership on the website allows you to initiate e-mail contact with other members, but everything else on HurryDate Online is free (i.e. browsing and creating profiles, sending
"drinks," replying to others' e-mails, etc.). The website actually acts a lot like a regular dating site, so you can use it perfectly well without ever attending a party. I was bummed out not to find a "Pagan" option on the religions list, since they consider themselves so cosmopolitan. The profile multiple-choice questions are thoughtful, relevant, and very thorough. Their matching method reminds me of OK Cupid, because it allows you to answer multiple-choice questions for yourself as well as for your ideal partner. There are also two essays, “you” and “what you’re looking for.” As usual, I was disappointed, and amazingly enough, still surprised, to see how few members took advantage of this opportunity to really show and sell themselves.
I like how they ask you to post a question for people to answer when they email you. It's a great icebreaker idea, and they make it very easy for you to answer them with an “answer me” link. I also like the “See how cute you look together” feature that puts your photo next to that of the person you’re reading about.
Party matches and profile matches are in separate sections.
They also have virtual HurryDate parties – a great idea for folks who are shy, live too far away from the live parties, or have kids and can’t get out.
The “SetUps” feature is pretty cool, too. After you start attending parties, the computer will have a good idea of what types of people you’re drawn to, because of who you circle “yes” for. It also gets information based on your common “yeses” with other folks of your gender. In other words, if you (Harry) and Rob both liked Hermione and Ginny, then Rob goes to another party and fancies Brunhilde, chances are that you’ll like Brunhilde too. So next time you log in, they suggest Brunhilde to you.
I interviewed S.V., a 33-year-old hetero woman in AZ. She says, "I joined HurryDate to attend the parties to meet people. I moved to AZ from KS and being recently divorced, I really didn’t know that many people here. So, I thought, 'What better way to meet lots of people in a short amount of time?' The age range was pretty broad (32-45). I was actually 32 when I attended the party, and most of the guys were around 45. I met one guy who was 50! That’s the one thing I wish they were stricter on and really followed through, to check to make sure people actually are in the age range posted for the party." She continues, "The website was very easy to use and I enjoyed emailing a few guys before having a date. I did not use the site to meet anyone else. I just used it to read about and email people I met at the party."
So how did it go? "It worked great. I actually matched up with six guys and ended up with four individual dates and (eventually) a fiancé! The first man I shared three minutes with is now my fiancé, and we are getting married June 4, 2005 in Sedona, AZ. We emailed for about two weeks and then had our first casual date. We had your traditional dinner and a movie date about two weeks later, and since then, we’ve been inseparable. We have three kids between us and are taking our time to blend the families. We are actually in the process of remodeling his house to accommodate all of us next year. I am very thankful to HurryDate for providing the venue, giving us the opportunity to meet and fall in love. My life changed because I went to that party!"
I also spoke to D.C.C., a 32-year-old hetero man in NJ. He joined Hurry Date after seeing something about speed dating on TV. "I'm a shy guy, so this helped me break out of my shell and talk to women. It gave me confidence in myself, even if I didn’t get picked." He actually met a woman on the site, not at a party, and they dated for a few months. It didn't work out, so now he's back, and going to a party next week. His advice: "Try it. You’ve got nothing to lose. Just be yourself, have a good time, enjoy yourself, don’t have any high expectations. If things happen, they happen. If they don’t, they don’t." Was there anything he didn't like about the site or the parties? "No, I liked the site very much, and liked the parties. I think it’s a great way to meet people. If you’re single, sick of the bar scene, club scene, and want to try to find somebody, I highly recommend doing this. It’s fun!"
