Business is good at
8-minute Dating, the nation's go-to-place to
find a mate. In fact, so many homos have hooked
up through their services that they recently
hired their first gay and lesbian liaison. Now,
in an attempt to match-up the ladies, they're
holding their first event for women at Club Cafe
at the end of March.
"We've seen a lot
interest in 8minuteDating.com from the gay
community," said CEO and founder Tom Jaffe.
"I've also been hearing from the gay population
that they're looking for a way to meet people
who are interested in more than a one night
stand, which is often the focus of the bar
scene."
Working out of their Boston
office, the new liaison Jennifer Keough will
work to find creative ways to reach out to the
gay community and recruit new national event
organizers. A sweet job, she'll help organizers
promote their events and teach them how to throw
great parties.
Called "part musical bar
stools, part blind-dating," 8-Minute Dating has
evolved into a phenomenal success. As the title
suggests, people have a series of eight,
8-minute dates that are randomly arranged in a
public place. At a table, participants sit
across from each other and strike up a
conversation. There, they get a person's body
language and a peek into their behavior that
online and personal ads can't match. At the end
of eight minutes, the organizer dings a little
bell and participants check off boxes on their
dating cards indicating if the person is: (a)
good date, (b) friend, or (c) business contact.
Then off they go to their second date, randomly
arranged at another table. After the event,
people record their results online and find out
if they made a match.
Yet, despite its
growing gay market and overall success, the
organization hasn't been so lucky with
lesbians.
"We've seen a lower interest in
8-minuteDating from the lesbian community, but
we suspect that will change over time," said
Jaffe. "Once people realize how much fun our
events are, and how easy we make it to meet
people."
Hoping to show how simple it is
to get a date, David Victory, 8-Minute's Boston
event organizer planned a new promotion for 21+
lesbians on Monday, March 31.
"I kept
getting email from women saying [my events for
gay men] look great but they asked, 'When are
you doing one for women?'" he
said.
Discouraged by the dismal numbers
from the home office, Victory was admittedly
hesitant to spend his energy on an event that
failed to produce the same success as the
straight or gay men events. But, after weighing
the positive feedback from past events and
listening to the women who emailed him, he
finally gave the project a green
light.
"Basically I'm doing it because I
didn't see a reason not to. I know there are
women who hate bars and don't like the scene as
it is," he said. "I refuse to accept that it
can't be successful."
To help spread the
word, he picked up DJ Dee of Fever Productions
as a co-sponsor. Dee donated free passes to her
Fever Dances that Victory plans to distribute
during the event. Victory also received a
helping hand from transgender activist Gunner
Scott, who listed the Club Cafe event on the
Butch Dyke Boy Productions' Web site.
At
Victory's last event, 60 men showed up and
55-percent of them scored a second date,
according to final statistics. Whether or not
the ladies will do the same remains the
question. Undaunted, 8-Minute Dating claims that
its proven formula remains a person's best bet
to find love.
"Our last gay event had
over 60 participants and the post-event feedback
was overwhelmingly positive," said Jaffe. "We
want 8minuteDating.com to be known as the best
way for gay people to meet others who are
interested in a
relationship."
Register at
www.8minutedating.com. Event happens Monday,
March 31 at 7pm. Designed for lesbians 21+. At
Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston. Price:
$28.88.
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