Speed date, ovvero quando la velocità aiuta: “Pull A Fast One”

Speed is of the essence if you want to join with London's latest dating craze. Catrin, Nikki,Tora,Winkie (yes, Winkie): I dated them all. on the same night. For three minutes each. That's the point of speed dating. You don't have to waste an entire evening on one wrong date. It works like this: get an equal number of men and women in a bar and set up a series of 'mini-dates'. If both daters tick the 'yes' box on their card, a day or two later they receive each other's email details. If either ticks 'no', that's the end of the story.
The latest addition to the dating market is Speed Dater. It works on a similar basis to 40datesanight: a minimum of 15 men and women meet for three minutes each. Our guinea pig, Simon, reckons it's worth a go. "I'd do this again, though more out of fun than anything serious. The crowd's fairly young, made up of young professionals. The first three minutes were a bit nerve-racking, but after that it was fun. Three minutes might seem short, but first impressions are the key - and with some people it felt too long, believe me. And anyway, everyone mixes and chats afterwards. At the end of the day, it's a great way of boosting your confidence in talking to strangers - it certainly helps you hone your chatting up skills! And where else would you meet 8 girls in one night?".

Article from Time Out, 27 November 2002.