Hosting a Speed Dating Event

Looking for a great and easy social event for your organization to host, consider hosting a speed-dating event. This is a very simple event to host and will likely become one of your organizations favorite social events.

1) Invitations

There are three options on who to invite to the event. These options are that each member of the organization can be given a certain number of invitations, the members of another organization can be invited, or it can just be an event between the members of the organization hosting the event.

2) Concept

For most organizations the purpose of this event should just be for the members of their organization to get to know each other and the members of other organizations better. In most cases it should just be for fun so people who are already in relationships should be welcome to come.

3) Refreshments

Having food and drinks at any social event is a must. For this event the ideal refreshments can be very simple, finger foods such as cookies, veggies or tortilla twisters. A simple punch will work great for the drink that is served.

4) Emergency Questions

At each location where a set of people will be seated a set of emergency questions should be placed. An emergency would be an awkward pause or if the conversation becomes uncomfortable for some reason. These can be used if it is not an emergency also, but are just some simple questions that can spark conversation.

5) Rotations

Having exactly the same number of people of each gender is not necessary. The set of extra people can simply rotate through as they please. One important decision that needs to be made before the event is how long the rotations will be, the rotations can be anywhere from two to five minutes long. Someone needs to have a bell or other noisemaker and a stop watch to time and regulate the rotations. Also only one of the people at each location will rotate, this should be predetermined along with the rotation pattern around the room and should be announced and explained at the beginning of the event.

6) After Activity

Having something to do after the speed dating can make the event complete, even if it is just hanging out or if the group that is invited to the event would like to host an after event. This can be anything and is not necessary but should be considered when planning the event.