Another speed-dating venue to consider this Valentine’s Day is NYCgayDATE. It is organized by TheMENEvent, the brainchild of master marketer Hugh Hysell.
How it Started
TheMENEvent got its start in the Times Square Social, a no-cover after-work event that now attracts 500 attendees regularly. The concept was born at a lunchtime meeting in 2004, Hysell says, when he and Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins were analyzing the diminished LGBT presence in historically gay Times Square.
The professional networking event is “a really fun atmosphere for people to meet each other, and we never interrupt with speeches or performances or remarks,” Hysell says of the Times Square Social. “We let the energy create itself, and encourage it. It’s a chatty event, not a stand-and-model type of thing.”
NYCgayDATE Speed Dating
In 2009 Hysell went to work applying that casual openness to the arena of speed dating. Although more structured, the vibe is just as good as Times Square Social. “We hold our events at a restaurant or bar, not necessarily because alcohol helps lubricate things, but because they provide atmospheres where people are comfortable.”
The difference? NYCgayDATE events are far more structured than the Times Square Social. Pairings last between six and eight minutes, for example. The extra time, Hysell says, “allows people to be supportive and to shine, and to see if there’s a spark of chemistry.”
What to Expect
All NYCgayDATE events are themed. Meetings are always organized by age range, and participants are further filtered according to professional affiliations or personal interests.
Mingling periods allow participants to make introductions across groups. Hysell also is now working on an event that intentionally pairs those younger and older men who are interested in the generation gap.
NYCgayDATE has welcomed audiences as big as 35 or so. More important, “There have been a number of matches. Even the men who complain that they never meet anybody are in some really wonderful, supportive relationships, and that’s really cool.”
Description
• Phone number: 212-840-3335
• http://themenevent.com/nycgaydate.htm
How it Started
TheMENEvent got its start in the Times Square Social, a no-cover after-work event that now attracts 500 attendees regularly. The concept was born at a lunchtime meeting in 2004, Hysell says, when he and Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins were analyzing the diminished LGBT presence in historically gay Times Square.
The professional networking event is “a really fun atmosphere for people to meet each other, and we never interrupt with speeches or performances or remarks,” Hysell says of the Times Square Social. “We let the energy create itself, and encourage it. It’s a chatty event, not a stand-and-model type of thing.”
NYCgayDATE Speed Dating
In 2009 Hysell went to work applying that casual openness to the arena of speed dating. Although more structured, the vibe is just as good as Times Square Social. “We hold our events at a restaurant or bar, not necessarily because alcohol helps lubricate things, but because they provide atmospheres where people are comfortable.”
The difference? NYCgayDATE events are far more structured than the Times Square Social. Pairings last between six and eight minutes, for example. The extra time, Hysell says, “allows people to be supportive and to shine, and to see if there’s a spark of chemistry.”
What to Expect
All NYCgayDATE events are themed. Meetings are always organized by age range, and participants are further filtered according to professional affiliations or personal interests.
Mingling periods allow participants to make introductions across groups. Hysell also is now working on an event that intentionally pairs those younger and older men who are interested in the generation gap.
NYCgayDATE has welcomed audiences as big as 35 or so. More important, “There have been a number of matches. Even the men who complain that they never meet anybody are in some really wonderful, supportive relationships, and that’s really cool.”
Description
• Phone number: 212-840-3335
• http://themenevent.com/nycgaydate.htm
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