I think you guys have the wrong idea on speed dating! It's a huge thing in North America and Europe! I went to several speed dating events in Houston and London and Paris and I loved each of them. The whole point behind it is that you pretty much have an idea whether or not you would like to get to know a person within 3 minutes of meeting them (i.e. first impressions are essential). The great thing was there were about 20 women and 20 guys at each event - all the girls sit at a seperate table and are given a number. The guys get exactly 3 minutes at each table/woman until a bell rings and you have to switch to the next. Every person gets a sheet of paper to write notes etc on the other people they meet. At the end of it, you submit your paper with the number of the person that you would like to 1)date or 2) be friends with. If you get a "double match" the administrators give you each others email address and then it's up to you both to figure out what to do from there. It is a FANTASTIC way of meeting people without all of the BS. I always went with a mate or two and made a night out of it! Really is good fun! Of course it always begins and ends in a party so the night is a good laugh! Both the men and women for the most part are working professionals who are just sick and tired of the "bar scene" to meet people! And as such, the quality of both men and women seem to be pretty high - i.e. not just looking for a shag, but looking for a party/date/relationship etc.
I really enjoyed my speed dating evenings even if it turned out to be slim pickens, it was still a really good night out! And a GREAT way to meet people because they are looking for the same thing! Would highly recommend it for people that are new to the city where the even takes place. Everytime I'd get rellocated that was one of the first things I did was find where the speed dating was to find some people, men and women alike (let's face it, it's NOT so much a dating thing as it is a networking socialising party) with people in a similar situation out looking to have fun!...
