By Ashley Smith
Imagine being in a room with between 30 and 50 keen members of the opposite sex and having just enough time with each one to establish whether your initial attraction can withstand three minutes of conversation.
Welcome to the world of speed dating, said to be completely devoid of outdated chat-up lines and a false personality glossed over by alcohol consumption.
And yes we're aware that the last time you used the words speed and dating in close proximity to one another, you were in a friend's hostel room at a university campus years ago sharing stories of five-second romances. Speed dating is after all pretty much like dating Porsche-style, revving from one relationship candidate to another in a sanitised and non-threatening environment.
Even the timid can stand a spin around the speed dating circuit at least once.
Tiffany Byers from SpeedDater SA, the South African version of the United Kingdom's multi-million pound dating money-spinner, says: "It's basically a whole lot of professional people looking for the same thing - to meet people outside their environment in a non-threatening, pressure-free environment and have a whole load of fun.
"People are made to feel at ease from the minute they walk through the door. It's a rejection-free way of pursuing a relationship because if you are interested in seeing somebody again and you tick them off, they will only know if you were interested if they ticked you too."
Byers said the concept of speed dating was so simple, it was not hard to see why it worked.
"Thirty to 50 men and women are brought together at an upmarket venue and given a 'heart rate card', pen and badge. The men are seated opposite the women and then the dating starts. After three minutes a bell rings and all the men move round one place and begin chatting to the next woman.
"Working on a rotational basis, each participant has three minutes to impress before moving on to the next person. After the event the participants log on to the website and tick those people they would like to see again. If there are matches, then the system automatically sends the matched pair each other's email addresses so that they may start corresponding."
If you suffer from a low self-esteem or are a bit scared of being rejected, speed dating will definitely be your cup of tea, Byers said.
"We have had a lot of calls from people who struggle to ask strangers out because of low self esteem or fear of rejection. This way you can be assured that you will not face rejection. Some people also sign up for events just get an ego boost or curiosity to find out how many people out of 20 would be interested in them. You can see after the event when you log in to the website, how many people ticked you but you will only be supplied with names and email addresses of those ticks if you ticked them as well.
"Today everything is faster - technology, ready-made microwave meals etc. It's the way of the world so why not make dating faster? We often spend a whole evening on one person including the price of dinner.
"Speed dating gives you an opportunity to spend an evening with 20 people. Three minutes is a long time if you are with somebody you are not interested in so why waste a whole evening on one person?"
She said today's world was characterised by people putting up fences around their homes and around themselves, fearing that if they opened themselves to others they would be hurt.
"In bars, people are sceptical of anyone entering their space with outdated chat-up lines and a false personality glossed over by alcohol consumption.
"Speed dating removes all of that. It puts you in a safe environment with a group of people who are interested in getting to know you. If you are between the ages of 25 and 45 you will probably be career-focused and have little time to get out there." She said speed dating was about having good fun and not necessarily meeting the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.
"Our aim is to increase your chances of meeting a match. It's a human urge to meet a companion to share your experiences with. We just give them the platform to make it happen.
SpeedDater SA is due to launch in Cape Town and Johannesburg next month.
Speed dating has led to a booming multi-million pound dating industry in the UK. The concept was dreamed up two years ago by two American entrepreneurs who saw a gap in the lucrative singles market. It was an instant success and has even featured in an episode of the hit US television comedy Sex And The City.
Byers said: "Speed dating is not a fad. It's proved hugely successful in America and London and we know it will really take off across South Africa. It is perfect for professionals.
- Anyone who wants to attend the SpeedDater launch event at Satala in Rivonia, Johannesburg, on January 6 should book on the website www.speeddater.co.za or call Byers on 082 327 8664.