Dating events and TV shows have become more prominent in recent years. From Blind Date with the late Cilla Black back in the 90s, to ITV’s Dinner Dates and even the modern-day equivalent ‘Love Island’.
Meeting new people is often hard when moving to a new country, no matter whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. Tinder, Hinge and Bumble often leave people feeling undervalued or underappreciated, and let’s face it… most are designed for ‘hookups’ and plenty of people ghost each other.
Alison Delecia, the founder of Social Butterfly Malta, explains why she has been organising singles events for people in Malta.
“Meeting other singles can be difficult, so the aim is to make it as easy and as fun as possible. I’m single myself, so I’d be going to these events if I wasn’t so busy playing cupid!”
Tickets can be bought here.
Speed Dating allows every woman who attends the chance to have a four-minute “mini-date” with every male guest and vice-versa.
The evening is powered by an app which tells each dater who they are on a date with and at what table. After each date, guests can choose either “Date, Friend or None” and are matched if they both made the same decision about one another.
Results are revealed the following day for daters to follow up in their own time.
Social Butterfly has also been running ‘singles mixers’, where for just one night, in one bar, everyone is single. It allows a more relaxed way of meeting single people without trying to find someone in a busy bar – that may ‘tickle your fancy’. Meanwhile, that person may well be in a relationship, married, engaged or just not up for dating right now.
“I love hosting these events and seeing how the guests interact with each other. I’m as excited as they are to see the matches the next day!” says Alison.
The next event is Monday 28th November for ages between 30-45. All events are at Sticky Fingers BBQ in Spinola Bay in St Julians.
Registration is open from 7pm with the mixer starting at 7:30pm sharp. Tickets can be purchased for the singles event here.
Top Speed Dating Tips from Alison Delicia…
Dating expert Alison Delicia give her top speed-dating tips
Look up from your phone – “Don’t sit there constantly playing with your phone when you’re out and about. Look up, look around you, see who’s there and if you make eye contact, smile! You never know who you might meet and where.”
Ditch the filters – “Apps like Hinge or Tinder give you so many criteria that you can filter that you might be missing out on someone special. Even adjusting your age criteria by one year either way can make a difference. And ditch the filters in your pictures too; you’re not 12 years old, you don’t need bunny ears to be cute.”
Safety is key – “Organise to meet your date somewhere public, and tell a friend where and who you’re meeting. This applies whether your first interaction was in person or online. Tell your bestie, send a screenshot of your date’s details and then go and have fun.”
Keep the date short – “Go for a coffee, rather than dinner or drinks. You’ll usually know within the first 60 seconds if you want to get to know more about a person. You can always extend the date with a second coffee or gin and tonic if it’s going well.”
Smell great, taste even better! – “Don’t focus so much on your outfit, but do wear your favourite scent and brush your teeth! Smell is a powerful aphrodisiac and basic hygiene is essential if you’re hoping for some lip action!”
Masturbate before the date – “First of all, a little self-pleasure relaxes you and relieves tension. Second, with your horniness gone, you can focus on the person you’re going on a date with. If your date then gets you hot under the collar, that’s a good sign!”
On the Date – “Don’t be afraid to talk politics, sex, religion, children, marriage and whether you prefer cats or dogs. Get in there and see what the other person is really about and what they see in their future. Wanting the same things is important, but also differing opinions don’t need to be a deal breaker.”
Red flags = Run – “Whether your date is being rude to the waiting staff (not cool) or drops a casual racist/sexist/homophobic/derogatory comment that makes you feel uncomfortable, listen to yourself; it’s probably not a one-off. Don’t go to the toilet and run out the back door. Finish your date respectfully, then leave and let them know you don’t want to see them again.”
Split the bill – “Ladies, do you feel obliged to spend more time with a guy because he bought you dinner or paid for your drinks? Guys, do you get frustrated buying all these drinks and dinners and then not getting a second date? So just stop. Split the bill. If you like someone you’ll continue chatting and see them again, simple.”
Be respectful and have fun – “Dating is hard work but it can be fun. Meeting someone and realising you don’t fancy them doesn’t need to be the end of the world. Whatever initially attracted you to that person could be the start of a beautiful friendship, rather than a romantic relationship. And who knows who that person might introduce you to…”
Tag a single friend who should check out this singles event!
