Introduction

This comprehensive Fanciful guide contains everything you need to know to run a successful speed dating event using Fanciful. Reproduction and sharing of this guide is strictly controlled and protected by copyright.

Take the time to read and digest it and you will avoid many of the pitfalls which can cause an event to go wrong.

Although there’s a lot to read here, it’s important to remember that running a speed dating event is a straightforward and logical process. Learn the steps ahead of time, know what to do when things don’t go to plan, and you’ll deliver the best possible experience for those taking part.

With every event you run you’ll become more competent and soon creating great running events will become second nature. You can do this!

The speed dating process

If the correct procedure is followed it’s possible to run high-quality speed dating events consistently. Follow each of these ten steps and you will run a good event every time.

The process

1. Pre-event preparation
2. Room setup
3. Welcome and registration
4. Seating guests
5. Event explanation & start
6. Start first half
7. The break
8. Start the second half
9. Closing procedure
10. Final explanation and feedback

1- Pre-event preparation

This guide assumes you have already attracted a crowd to your event and have a guestlist full of people waiting for you in your Fanciful account. See our other guides on marketing your event.

If you’re organising a heterosexual event, we assume you have a balanced (or almost balanced) group of male and female attendees on your guest list. Also, that your venue is suitable, booked and waiting for your big day. We have a guide on venue selection too!

A few weeks before your event you will need to source some essential props to run your event. Many of these items can be made at home with a computer and a printer, others can be purchased via Amazon. You will need:

• Table numbers
• Scorecards or papers
• Pencils or pens
• Name labels
• Optional welcome signage and branded t-shirts
• End of date bell

Table numbers

You will need to create or purchase table numbers to mark each table or date location in your venue. Table numbers highlight the order in which your male clients will move between the various dates in the room and are essential equipment.

Some organisers simply purchase a pack of restaurant-style plastic table numbers from Amazon or a catering supplier and some favour making their own. You can hand-make these or make a branded version on your computer and print them out. Some are laminated and folded, and others have them bespoke made with their logo. Folks on Etsy can make these for you too. Whichever way you choose to go, you will need numbers to mark the date positions at your event.

Fanciful offers free Word and Canva templates for these which you can customise and print yourself as a Fanciful user. You may choose to have these professionally printed or simply print them at home and laminate them to make them durable.

You will need table numbers equalling the maximum number of dates at your event. For example, if you have 10 men and 10 women attending you will have 10 dates at your event. A practical maximum number of speed dates is 20 so we would advise creating table numbers 1 to 20 ahead of your event.

Scorecards & Pencils

Although optional, many Fanciful event creators like to give their clients a scorecard to record who they have met at their event. Again, we provide customisable templates for these, but you can easily design your own.

Your customers can of course login to their Fanciful account and enter their Yes or No preferences directly into the website if they prefer. Some of your clients will prefer to make a few notes on paper to assist them in remembering everyone they meet. We’d recommend having at least a few on hand if you don’t wish to issue one to everyone.

Some organisers like to have pens designed featuring their brand for advertising purposes. Others simply purchase bulk boxes of plain pens or pencils the choice is yours.

Name labels or badges

Name labels or name badges are optional, and their use depends on your preference. Some organisers feel name badges make their event appear more professional, others think issuing name badges will make guests feel self-conscious. The choice is yours.

Again, we provide a Word template which can be customised for your brand. See our host resources section in your account.

Welcome signage, t-shirts and more

It’s worthwhile creating or having made a welcome sign for your event to give an air of professionalism to your event. Certain organisers like to go further and have roller stands produced to reinforce their event branding.

Again, branded t-shirts are popular with speed dating hosts but are entirely optional.

Finally, some organisers like to bring table decorations, candles and printed flyers to their events. The options are endless but from experience candles (either real or led) can make for a great-looking event for those all-important social media posts and reels.

Bell or whistle

Some hosts like to signal the end of each date by ringing a bell. A pushbutton hotel-style call bell is good for this purpose as the sound is soft but it travels well.

2- Room setup

You must ensure your venue looks its best before the start of the event. Set up tables and chairs into pairs for each date around the room. Make sure that people can move easily between positions and that there is a reasonable space between tables. It’s worth taking the time to make your venue look its best and that the layout is suitable for speed dating. Here are some points to consider.

• Ensure all tables are clean, free of empty glasses or clutter and the room is clean and tidy.
• The lighting is important so please ensure it’s not too bright/dark in the room and get the venue owner to adjust where needed.
• Tables and chairs are straight and evenly spread out where possible allowing your clients to freely move between table positions.
• The background music is playing at a level low enough to allow for easy conversation.
• If using them, candles are lit and placed in the centre of the tables. This can make a great atmosphere.
• Table numbers are positioned logically to create a table circuit that’s easy to navigate.
• Your table numbers are centrally placed on the table ensuring that everyone can easily see which table is next.
• Position your table numbers so that the highest number (eg #15) is close to the lowest (eg #1) where possible. When your guests have dated the person at the highest table number, they will need to move to table #1 so help them to easily find it.
• If there is a bar and it’s going to be open, is the bartender set up? Will they be ready to serve from your door-open time? Make sure everyone in the venue knows your timescales and expectations.
• Work your way around the tables. Will it be easy for guys to move from table to table, is there enough space between tables? Is it always obvious where to go next?
• Choose your registration/sign-in area. This should be as close to the guest entrance as possible. Any score sheets and pencils should be neatly laid out. Your bag and coat etc. should safely be put out of sight.
• Does the room look as good as it possibly can?

You should aim to have your venue set up 30 minutes ahead of your chosen arrival time.

Sign-in area

Select somewhere as close as possible to the room entrance where you have space to place your score sheets and pencils. Guests should be able to see you clearly when they first arrive, and it should be obvious it is you managing the event.

This is important as people have purchased tickets to an event. If someone is not there to greet them on arrival, explain the process and sign them in when they arrive it will not feel like a well-organised and professional occasion.

3- Welcome & registration

Sign yourself into the organiser area on Fanciful, select the event and call up the guest list for the event.

When they arrive, greet your guests warmly and professionally with eye contact and a smile.

Introduce yourself as the host and click ‘check in’ by their name on the check-in page of your Fanciful Organiser area for that event. Doing this activates post-event matching for that guest and also produces and unique ID number for each guest so it’s an essential step.

Write their name and allocated ID number on the scorecard and hand it to them with a pencil. Tell them you’ll explain the format of the event shortly and get the event started once everyone has arrived. Explain they can sit anywhere until the event begins.

Important notes:

It’s essential all your guests are checked in on the Fanciful check-in system, even if they arrive late. Without this, they will not feature on the matching system and will be unable to match or message with anyone they meet.

Avoid answering too many guest questions during the sign-in process. Your priority is to get everyone checked in as quickly as possible. Tell people you will explain how it works to the group as a whole soon.

Guests arriving alone

Guests arriving on their own, particularly girls, usually appreciate being introduced to other groups, so they don’t have to wait on their own. Do your best to be welcoming and helpful.

Late arrivals & late running events

Occasionally you will have late arrivals and be unable to begin an event. This is particularly difficult if there is a gender imbalance. If you are still waiting for several people after your start time, you must announce to the group that the event start will be delayed whilst you wait for the latecomers to arrive. Communication with guests is key at this point.

It’s not advisable to delay the start for longer than 10-15 minutes.

If someone arrives just after the event has started, sign them in, give them a scorecard and seat them where appropriate.

4- Seating guests

When you are ready to get your events started it’s a good idea to get your group seated before explaining the format. This allows you to be heard easily by the group.

Please remember you can customise this as you see fit but begin with something like:

“Hello and Welcome. My name is [YOURNAME] and I’m your host for tonight’s speed dating event. We’re now going to get started now so please can everyone now take a seat at one of the numbered tables around the room. Women on the inside seats, and men on the outside. Once everyone is sitting in the right place, I’ll explain how this works”

At this point, you need to ensure that you have a female and a male seated at all tables in pairs filling as many tables as possible in the room. Ensure the female is sitting on the harder-to-reach seat at each table as generally, they will not be moving around.

Ensure you have, as much as possible, filled the seats with couples and mention to anyone sitting on their own that you will come and speak to them shortly.

5- Event explanation & start

Assuming your group is now correctly seated you will need to get everyone’s attention again and deliver the event explanation as clearly as possible to the room.

“Please can I have your attention again?

You will shortly be meeting everyone for speed dates lasting four minutes. In the case of the women, you’ll stay at your table for the duration of the night. Guys, you will move around the tables in numerical order when I signal after each date - please move on quickly so you don’t hold up the people behind you.

You have a scorecard to keep track of who you’ve met tonight. When you first meet someone ask for their ID number and write it on your scorecard. Then, at the end of each date decide if your date is a YES, or a NO and perhaps make some notes to help you remember them.

You’ll enter these preferences into your account at the Fanciful website to find out who you matched with.

Speed dating is a game of two halves. At the end of the first half, we will be having a short break so you can refill your drinks.

Your first date begins now”

At this point you should begin your first 4-minute timer to time the first date. Look around your group. Notice which man is sitting at the highest table number in the room as he may need to be reminded to go to table #1 at the end of the date. Many people use their phone stopwatch as a timer as it’s easy to lose track. Four minutes isn’t long!

It’s worth making note of the number of dates you have called so you don’t lose track of how many dates your guests have taken part in. Decide at what point you will call the break and how long for.

End of date one

When time is up, signal the end of the date by ringing your bell and asking the guys to move on to the next date table in numerical order.

Some guys will be slow in doing so, they always are! Identify the slow ones, politely tap them on the shoulder and ask them to move on to keep the event moving to plan.

Check that the guy at the highest table number has moved date number one.

Despite the simplicity, some guys will manage to get lost, attempt to sit at the wrong table or move out of numerical order. It’s your job as host to watch them and ensure they all go to the right place. Usually, they get the hang of it after a couple of dates.

6- The first half

Date duration

The actual date time you give depends on the number of dates at that event. If the event has 17-20 dates give 4 minutes. 14-17 give 4.5 minutes. 10-14 dates give 5 minutes. 10 dates or less give 6 minutes. Most people use a stopwatch app to keep track.

People on their own

It’s unlikely that absolutely everyone who has booked a ticket for your event will show up and this may cause an imbalance between the number of men and women in the room. This is a very likely outcome.

Where you have an imbalance, the gender with the smaller number in attendance will have to sit some dates out. For example, where you have two fewer men than women. Each woman will have two date durations sitting by themselves.

During these dates it’s the job of the host to speak to anyone in this position during the event process and explain why they are sitting out.

7- The break

Call the break once you reached the halfway point you have earmarked.

“We’ve now reached the halfway point of tonight’s event so we’re going to have a 10-minute break. Please grab a drink and I’ll see you back here in 10 minutes for the second half.”

We strongly recommend offering only a very short break to keep the momentum going.

After 5 minutes circulate around to warn people they have 5 minutes before the 2nd half begins. It’s important to keep the event running to time.

8- The second half

When the break time is up, announce the start of the second half and ask people to return to their seats.

“We’re now going to start the second half of tonight’s event. Ladies, please can you go back to the seats where you were before and guys, please can you move around one table. As soon as everyone is seated the second half will begin.”

The second half continues like the first. Keep track of the number of dates completed on paper to ensure you know when to end the event.

It must be noted that occasionally some people will leave the event at the halftime break. There’s not a lot we can do about this but if you notice people heading for the door it’s worth trying to keep them present. Explain that if they leave, they will spoil the event format for everyone else attending.

It sometimes convinces them to stay on and it makes your life much easier as the host.

9- Closing procedure

During the final date collect up all the table numbers and put them away.

10- Final explanation

When you’ve reached the end of the final date blow ring your bell three times. Ensure you have the attention of the group and deliver the closing script.

“That was the last date of tonight’s speed dating event, I hope you had a great experience and met some people you want to see again. I’m now going to explain how you will find out who you matched with.

Any time from now on you can log in to Fanciful to enter your preferences on the people you met this evening.

You’ll see a list of everyone, under My Events. Simply select them as either a yes or a no and save each choice.

Please make your selections before 5 pm tomorrow as this is the time we will publish your mutual matches and you’ll be able to message them via the app.

You’ll get a yes match with anyone that you tick yes to, and they tick you as a yes back We’ll send you an email tomorrow which explains everything in detail.

Thanks again for coming tonight and please stick around for a few drinks at the bar. If you have any questions, I**‘ll be around for a while to help.**

Thanks!”

End and feedback

After the event it’s normal for guests to have a few questions. You’ll want to remain venue for a while to speak to your guests.

It’s worth asking for event feedback at this point. You can learn a lot from your client’s experiences.

Guidance Notes

Responsibilities of the host

• We all want to give clients the best possible experience at our events, so ensure your events are professionally organised and everyone leaves feeling they have attended something worthwhile that they will recommend to their friends.
• It’s the responsibility of the host to ensure events run properly and efficiently. Everyone attending should fully understand the event process and have a great time during the event. They should leave the event knowing exactly how the matching system will work and what happens next.

Guest possessions

• You may be asked if there’s a cloakroom. If there is not one available under no circumstances offer to look after coats and bags etc. The best response is something along the lines of ‘There’s not a cloakroom here but I leave my things XXX and we’ve got the room hired privately’.

You do not want to be held responsible if valuables go missing.

Host Dress code

• Hosts should be well presented and dressed smart casual. For men, smart jeans or trousers are acceptable with an ironed shirt. A jacket/blazer with this is preferred. For women, smart jeans or trousers or skirt with a top are acceptable. Leather shoes, or smart trainers are preferred.
• Shorts, t-shirts/vests and polo shirts, sportswear, hats, ripped jeans or hoodies or anything over casual are not acceptable.
• The aim is for a smart/stylish look from but not overly formal.

Timekeeping

• Hosts should arrive on time at the event venue, no later than 30 minutes before the start time. Lateness is not acceptable.
• Event timekeeping is extremely important to maintain the professionalism of the events we organise. You must keep a close eye on the length of time allocated to each date by setting a timer or otherwise noting the start time of each date. Do not rely on memory.
• Also, keep track of the date number you are on by noting each on paper whenever you start a new date.

Addressing the group

• As obvious as it may sound it is essential you get everyone’s attention when you plan to address the group. Under no circumstances start your explanation with any participants still speaking as this will result in part of the group not hearing the message. Communication is one of the most important factors in running a successful event.

Complaints

• Should you receive a complaint do your best to placate the client and be courteous. Take full details of the complaint down for action the following day.

Professionalism

• Hosts should never get drunk, ask clients for contact or social media details or in any way act unprofessionally during or after an event.
• Smoking breaks during the individual speed dates or breaks are acceptable provided they do no delay or impact upon the running of the event.

And finally

• Whist most events go well, with the best will in the world some events do not. Some people will not show up, sales may be slow, and issues will arise. Simply try your best to remain calm and do your best to portray a good impression and keep everyone happy!

P.S. A note on personality.

This is YOUR event. YOU are the host and people must view you as such. Try to balance authority with humour. There should be no question that YOU are in charge.

We encourage you to be engaging, fun and adaptable in your own way. Your events should be consistent and professional, and if the points and suggestions made above are adhered to – they will be!

Good luck and, above all ENJOY!

Copyright: Realtime Synergy Limited 2023.