Speed dating in TT

Speed dating is a popular part of the dating culture in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe, and three friends have decided to introduce it to Trinidad and Tobago.

Georgia Lanser, Monica Joseph and Gizender Singh have collaborated to create the organisation Speed Dating TT.

Speed dating involves a series of timed dates with different people. Joseph, who studied in Italy, said when she returned home upon completion of her studies, she, like some of her friends, had difficulty finding a guy and meeting new people.

She said although there have been local events and groups targeted to specific things like running or dance classes, people who were not interested in those things were left out.

“In Trinidad, we don’t have a dating culture and we wanted to foster that. In Trinidad it’s about seeing someone I might like and thinking ‘who do I know that knows that person’…It’s all about a mutual link.”

Speed Dating TT creates a forum for people of different ages to mingle in a closed and relaxed setting, and its goal is to create a place for people to talk to others they wouldn’t have spoken to before.

The group hosted an event on September 20 at Drink Lounge & Bistro in Woodbrook, at which 13 dates took place, each four minutes long with 30 seconds to move on to the next date. This event targeted people between the ages of 24 and 34. With candle lit tables and rose boxes catered by True Events, the mood was set for a night full of conversation. Question cards, provided by the hosts, were used to guide the conversation along. The room was filled with laughter and smiles and at the end of it a number of participants said they were interested in one or more of their ‘dates’.

One participant told Sunday Newsday: “It was interesting, fun and exciting…I didn’t know what to expect so you need to be open to the idea of the whole thing, but I’m glad that I came.”

Speed Dating TT hosted another event on September 27 for people from ages 35 to 45.