They shuffle in hesitantly, unsure of
what to think.
Wondering eyes quickly scan the bar.
Many have been flirting with the idea for some time. Now
they're ready to exchange the idea for flesh and blood.
For most, it's their first time trying 8minuteDating.
For many, if things go well, it also will be their last.
The concept is simple: Eight dates with eight different
people, each eight minutes long. Throw in some music, free
appetizers and conversation-inducing beverages, and you've got
yourself an evening.
"It's a fun way to meet people, and you really have nothing
to lose," says 27-year-old Kevin Schaub of Boulder, a past
participant.
|
| WHAT • 8minuteDating |
| WHEN • 7 p.m. Tuesday |
| WHERE • |
Redfish New Orleans Brewhouse, 2027
13th St., Boulder |
| TICKETS • $28.88 |
| CALL • (720) 218-3116 or visit
www.8minuteDating.com |
|
The event's organizer and producer, Denise Soler, couldn't
agree more.
Last October, Soler purchased the Denver franchise of
8minuteDating, the first rapid-fire dating service of its kind
in the area, she says. The company originally got its start in
Boston in January 2001, and has since spread the love to New
York, Miami, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and other cities.
The Boulder/Denver area is a natural match for
8minuteDating, according to Forbes magazine, which just ranked
our area fifth in its "Best Cities for Singles" national
survey.
Locally, the company arranges around four or five events
each month in nightclubs and bars in the metro area. The next
8minuteDating event in Boulder will be on Tuesday at Redfish.
Other local speed-dating services — QuickDates,
SpeedDating, Denver Date-A-Thon — have sprung up in recent
months as well, filling what seems to be a pressing need in
the single community.
"I think deep down inside, (everybody's) looking for 'The
One,'" Soler says.
With that in mind, Soler set up shop in Triana, one of
Boulder's trendy nightspots, on a Tuesday night in June.
Crimson and gold candles sat lit atop blue, high-backed booths
and exposed stone and brick peeked out from the bar.
The crowd was relatively small, roughly 20 people, with
most participants between the ages of 28 and 34. Suits and
ties shared space with casual jean jackets, although, in
general, attire gravitated toward the dressy side. People
started trickling in around 7 p.m., sidling up to the bar,
cautiously checking out their counterparts of the opposite
sex.
"In a nutshell, they're very nervous," Soler says of people
when they first arrive.
But everybody who's participating in 8minuteDating gets a
name tag as they enter, so it's easy to pick out people to
start conversations with before the event even begins.
"It was totally non-threatening, and that's what I liked
about it," says Lisa Teesch-Maguire, a 26-year-old from
Boulder. "I'm always up for an adventure."
Once everyone is there, Soler gets on the microphone,
breaking the ice and explaining how the evening will progress.
After the bell rings, she explains, people will move to
their first table assignment, 8minuteDating card in hand. As
soon as each person sits down, the first name of his or her
"date" will be written down on the card, along with a
computer-generated number each is given.
No full names or phone numbers are exchanged during the
date, making it a very safe form of meeting someone, Soler
says. If participants are interested in swapping information,
they'll check a box: Friends, dating or business.
When the event is finished, Soler uses a computer program
that sorts out matches, the results of which are posted online
for people to view.
Soler has catered to more than 600 people since she started
8minuteDating and expects that number to shoot past 3,000 by
the end of the summer. Roughly 60 percent of the participants
get matched up with at least one person, she says.
Even though Schaub wasn't in that 60 percent, he thought
the format for the evening was great.
"People are there to talk to people... it takes out that
layer of uncertainty that you would normally have," he says.
"I had eight dates, all of them great."
A DJ in the front corner of Triana was laying down beats
throughout the evening, providing some background noise. Lamps
in the shape of honeybee hives cast a soft light over the
establishment.
Some people were smiling, leaning in close to one another;
others looked disinterested at times, absent-mindedly stirring
their drinks.
Mark Johnston, a 33-year-old from Boulder, says the time
frame wasn't to his liking.
"It was OK, but eight minutes is really too fast to have a
conversation with anyone," he says. "You barely get through
introductions and the bell rings."
The evening is broken up into two dating sessions, with a
20-minute intermission in between.
Soler says the first session, made up of four dates, is
usually more reserved. But by the time the second session
rolls around and the alcohol has been flowing for awhile, the
floodgates open.
"I feel like the event is just barely in my control on
dates five through eight because no one wants to get up," she
says, "which is a great sign."
The cost for the evening is $28.88. If participants aren't
interested in anyone they meet and mark nothing down on their
cards, the next 8minuteDating event is free.
"If you think of what the average date costs you, I think
it's actually pretty reasonable, considering you get eight
dates for the price of one," Teesch-Maguire says.
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