Dating Agencies in Times of Crisis

In times of financial crisis, and not only, in a world in which time is slipping through our fingers like sand, and our schedules and agendas are full, wondering whether there is still room for dating should not sound odd.

Christine Leșcu, 16.01.2013, 12:40

The answer, however, is definitely yes, now maybe more than ever, if we look how well matrimonial sites and agencies are doing. Moreover, in 2010, when the crisis was in full swing, a new system was successfully introduced in Romania, that of speed-dating. Simona State, the founder of the first such agency in Romania, tells us what speed-dating is.

Simona State: “These are dates set between an equal number of men and women, for them to engage in short, 7-minute conversations, to decide whether they want to meet again, whether they like each other and want to exchange contact data through us. It sounds difficult, if you haven’t tried it, but scientific research has proven that it takes only 30 seconds to get an impression of the person in front of you. Also, you don’t need more than 7 minutes to decide if you want to see that person again. So, what matters is to see whether you want to meet again and continue talking. It’s not the point where one can start a relationship yet.”

Actually, Simona State does not believe that her firm is a dating agency, but just an offline social networking environment. People get to know each other, have fun together, become friends and, maybe, even fall in love. Besides the over 100 relationships registered, her firm’s speed-dates also resulted in one marriage. The average age of the clients is 35, though people from various age brackets participate. Meetings are held in two coffee shops in the elegant old center of Bucharest, and for those who go there, the speed of the date is no peculiarity, because they are all busy people. Simona State tells us more about her clients.

Simona State: “Some of them are shy, but most of my clients are people who are very active from a professional point of view, and they decide it’s easer and more effective to find somebody through us. We organize the dates after we’ve first filtered them based on certain standards and criteria. They come at a certain hour and meet new people in a very short time. The busy ones save a lot of time this way.”

Moreover, agencies specializing in corporate dating have been established recently. Their clients are employees of multinational corporations, people who have common habits and aspirations. Despite their busy schedules, people appreciate the direct contact provided by speed-dating, instead of the virtual one.

Simona State: “We bring people together. This is our main goal. We apply certain criteria to be able to bring them together and find minimal compatibility. But we only organize face-to-face dates in the real world, not in the virtual environment. We don’t use chat rooms or online dating. For many years online dating on certain sites was a common practice in Romania. Now people have started to feel the need to meet face to face, given that they spend a lot of time on Facebook, either at work, or at home. People need real contact, authentic communication. And this is where we come in, to facilitate genuine interaction.”

Despite the novelty of speed-dating, the companies that adopted this concept do not feel the financial crisis at all. And this is also valid for classical dating agencies. Daniela Bogdan, the manager of a dating agency, believes that, despite failures, people continue to look for the right person.

Simona State: “Few people find the right person at the very first attempt. Many need to try a second or third relationship; actually, these relationships help them get to know human nature better. That’s how we evolve. Many couples separate, so each individual needs to start anew and that’s where a dating agency comes in, to help them meet the right people. Quite frequently life doesn’t offer too many chances to some people. And everybody knows that the daily routine — work, work, work — does not give one the chance to meet a lot of people.”

Although the Internet is very useful in the sense that people can fill in the registration form online and can also access the others’ profiles on line, Daniela Bogdan encourages face-to-face dates.

Daniela Bogdan: “We want to help people meet face to face, because ‘one look is worth a thousand words’. We organize a date after both people have seen each other’s profiles and say they are interested in each other. This way the chance of success is very high. They have practically chosen each other. It’s easier to pick someone whose picture you liked at first sight and whose words about himself or herself, about his or her aspirations are to your liking.”

Although the Internet facilitates the choice of a person that you consider appropriate for you, it cannot replace face-to-face encounters and intimacy.