25Dates

I tried 25 dates once last year (2014). It was one of several speed dating oriented events I attended and one of my least favourite.
So you know the setup. You meet up to 25 women/​men and try to make chemistry, or get through the «date», in 3 min.
Compared to other services, I feel like the format isn’t as good. First of all, 25 dates is A LOT of dates. I guarantee you that you will remember very little about your first couple of dates by the end of the night. Unless you are super extroverted, prepare to be exhausted.
The second major issue I have is that 3 min. is barely enough time to break the ice. Let’s face it folks – the people that attend things like speed dating are probably *not* the best at making small talk, flirting, etc. If they were, would they be wasting their time and money at speed dating? NO. They would just go to a bar and pick up. Sorry but 3 min. was sometimes not enough time to sell myself or be sold.
Bonus rant: On the other hand, it was sometimes 2:59 too long. People, please. Even if you can’t stay the sight of your «date», please be courteous to make enough small talk, with a smile on that face of yours, to pass the time. Just because you are not into somebody at speed dating just not mean you should give them the silent treatment.
The unique thing about 25 is that you fill out a mini profile before the event. You can then look at the profiles of your matches – you will get any matches the next day. This is kind of cool although it may just mean that your «matches» were not matches after all. Of the 4 women I matched with, all of them wanted to make babies and lived in the 905. And one was super religious. I had to ask what the point of the event was – I could have just found out that via the profile.
Venue: like a few other speed dating events, you will be packed into a few dining areas at a restaurant and shouting to be heard.
The organizers were friendly and helpful. No problems there.
Price – try searching online for a coupon or something. If memory serves, you don’t need to pay full price. Which is totally not worth it.
Other random things I remember: there were girls there who were in their 20s and had never dated. No joke. They were literally starting their romantic lives from scratch minus the odd college hookup.
I think speed dating probably works well for a number of people but it has virtually never really worked for me. If you are the type who can easily impress right away with charm or good looks or humour, you’ll do better. But again, those of you who are naturally gifted in the extroverted arts probably don’t need this. For the rest of us, speed dating can be fun but just think of it as an interesting night out. Go in with very low expectations. Girls seems to make friends with other girls at these things. But a lot of people are super picky. I guess it is too easy to assume that something better will come along online or at the next SD event.
If you do try speed dating, I would recommend another company. Fast Life’s events are more expensive but a little more exclusive and specialized. 25 and others are too general – the only qualifier is age and the age range is too wide. mid 20-​somethings generally don’t wan to date late 30-​somethings.
Good luck!

I personally know the host in Calgary and asked him about this. He wholeheartedly denied what James said. It is irrelevant to the host if you paid full price or found a discount on Groupon, the bottom line is all matches are entered honestly and in their entirety.
He also tries Very hard to ensure that everyone has a GREAT time at the events!