Urban dating sites and online dating with singles’ events

January 19th, 2009

Urban dating sites have picked up in popularity in recent years, as more and more busy professionals decided they wanted to go out and socialise, yet meet suitable singles at the same time. Even if you live in a really big city and are incredibly outgoing and sociable, you might still struggle to find eligible singles. On the other hand, with a whole city around you full of exciting places to go out to, do you really want to spend all your time at home in front of a computer?

The sites below offer options for people who live in and around cities. Some are companies that offer singles’ events to get you out of the house, while others are just predisposed to a more fast paced environment.

This sites covered in this post are (full reviews below):

1. Speed Dater – UK’s most popular speed dating company
2. GrapevineSocial - UK wine/beer/champagne tasting singles’ parties
3. UrbanSocial – UK-wide speed dating and singles’ events
4. MakeFriendsOnline – a friendly dating and friendship site where members hold regular free events
5. SingleSolution – UK-wide online and speed dating for professionals
6. Lovestruck.com – trendy free dating site for professionals, organise events
7. Metrodate.com – big 100% free international online dating site. Lists events all over the world
8. SlowDating – speed dating in over 25 UK cities
9. MySingleFriend – the UK’s most chic dating site for professional singles
10. GorgeousDating and TopDreamDates – two quirky London sites for professionals

Reviews

• GrapevineSocial is not really an online dating site. More of an events company that holds singles’ wine tasting, champagne sampling and beer tasting events around the UK. It’s like speed dating only not quite as fast-paced and the wine tasting theme makes it a fun night out of its own accord. The age range for the events is mid-20s to late 30s and apparently you don’t have to be a wine expert to attend – these events are more about having fun and meeting people than showing off your knowledge of booze.
• Speed Dater

  This is the largest company of its kind in the UK, organising massive singles’ parties, speed dating events,lock and key parties, dinner parties and even holidays. Their events, while not quite as ultra-stylish as the more exclusive companies around, are known for being down to earth and generally a good laugh. Importantly, they are also large and plentiful enough to fit in with just about anyone’s location and schedule. The company also offers specialised dating events for those interested in meeting people of a particular religion or ethnicity, as well as professionals and graduates. Age ranges vary with some events available for older daters too. They have an online dating site as well, at Speed Dater Online where you can speak to people likely to go to their events and get a feel for what you should expect (think of it as “try before you buy” )

• UrbanSocial is the online dating / speed dating offering from the same company as GrapevineSocial. Some of the wine tasting events from the above are listed here, as well as speed dating and singles’ parties all over the UK. They cover a broader age range than their sister site with older daters catered for.
• MakeFriendsOnline is a simple to use, friendly dating and socialising site where you can meet people for just about any purpose. From friendship through to casual dating and serious relationships, the site caters for everyone. Events are generally organised by the members themselves and include anything from pub meets to parties. They are generally free. Events can sometimes have 100s of people participating, but some are more intimate.

• Lovestruck.com is an ultra chic urban dating site for trendy professionals. They cover a selection of major cities all over the world (with many more coming soon). Many of their sites are 100% free to use, while their London flagship site is currently offering a free trial. They organise funky singles’ events in some very cool places, which I understand are free for members.

• SingleSolution are a UK online dating / speed dating network that holds weekly events for varied age groups that cover people in their 20s-60s (although events for some age groups are more common than others). They also operate as an online dating site for professionals looking for serious relationships. They market themselves as catering for “intelligent people with a sense of fun” and their event attendees are said to be professionals from a variety of industries. Most are graduates and many own their own business. SingleSolution offer both singles’ parties and more traditional speed dating events. They also offer Asian dating events.
• Metrodate.com is a 100% free international dating site that covers just about every major city in the world and an impressive assortment of languages. They offer city guides and list singles’ events all over the world, although these aren’t necessarily free. Unlike many dating event companies that favour heterosexual events, this site does cater for people of all sexual preferences.
• The ironically named SlowDating offers speed dating events in 25 cities in the UK (more choice than most if not all other companies) for people in their 20s and 30s who want to find serious relationships. Their ticket prices are competitively low and there is a nice variety of venues. If your area isn’t covered, you can register your interest to participate in an event near you when it happens. They also offer online dating services on their site, although apparently the people who use their online dating offering are not always quite as high calibre as those who go to their events.
• MySingleFriend
  An increasingly popular and pretty fabulous UK dating site. It doesn’t market itself as an exclusively urban site, though the majority of its members live in and around cities. As far as I know, they don’t run any events, but what they lack in that department, they make up for by having some of the most attractive, stylish singles to be found anywhere in the UK. This is where the people go who would never try online dating. The pace is often quick, as this is a site for relatively young (and young at heart) daters in their 20s to early 40s who are generally fun, culturally-minded and very very cool. Expect metrosexual men and glamorous ladies galore. To sign up, you will need a friend to write your profile for you (this is the concept that got the site its name).
• Here’s a largely undiscovered secret. If you’re looking for exclusive, stylish London dating, give GorgeousDating and TopDreamDates a go. Run by dating guru Lorraine Addams, these quirky sites may look clunky, but the clientele (professional, attractive, occasionally wealthy or very wealthy) and personal advice from the guru herself more than make up for it. Registered members post suggestions for dream dates, taking the pressure off and allowing for a fun, social atmosphere. People looking for serious relationships hang out here too and there are personal introduction services to help them find love. There are also occasional singles’ events in trendy central London venues, available for an additional fee.

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4. New singles’ event for creatives in London
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