Frequently Asked Questions

It takes meeting a lot of people before you find someone you click with. But how do you meet them? Bars, Apps, fix-ups, dating services, online, etc. They all have disadvantages and they take time…lots of it. What fun is it to wait around for someone to talk to you in a bar or when you’re out? What fun is it to risk rejection striking up conversations with people you don’t even know are single? What about the awkwardness of asking for phone numbers? With Pre-Dating, you meet up to 12 (and sometimes more) singles in less than 2 hours. Think of it as a series of “facilitated introductions” just like when you go to a party with a good host. You circle on your interest sheet who you would like to hear from again, and if its a match you get an email with their contact info. There’s no pressure, no rejection, no embarrassment, and no games!

Pre-Dating is the largest national speed dating company with events in over 100 cities. We’ve brought people together since 2001 so we know what we’re doing.

Credible – Pre-Dating is the largest speed dating company in the world focusing on busy single professionals, with monthly events in over 100 cities in the US and Canada. Thousands of single professionals attend our events each month.

Established – Pre-Dating was founded and held its first dating event in 2001. We continually improve our service to offer the best speed dating experience possible.

Available – Pre-Dating is available by telephone 7 days a week. Sometimes you need to talk to a real person – not a machine. Our Event Coordinators have their phone numbers posted on our Web site and in emails we send you. Our National Customer Service Hotline will answer the phone as late as 10 PM (EST) during the week and until Noon on Weekends. No other speed dating company offers this level of service.

Focus on Professionals – Pre-Dating is the only national speed dating company focusing on single professionals.

Reliable – Unfortunately there are companies selling tickets to hundreds of events they don’t ever intend on running, and when you sign up they reschedule you again and again to a date you never wanted – with NO refunds. We are an honest company and don’t do business like that. Don’t gamble with your time on companies that cancel or postpone events. Since 2001 we’ve canceled very few events and make every effort to hold our events as scheduled. Pre-Dating respects your time.

Quality – We work hard to have the ideal number of people at each event and to balance genders. Ensuring a good turnout and that there are equal numbers of men and women is critical to success. Beware of companies that take people at the door, as most times they are literally praying the right number of people show up or enough show up to actually hold the event. Why take that chance with your valuable time?

Guaranteed – We are so confident you will meet someone you want to get to know better that we offer a Match Guarantee.

Successful – We have many verified engagements of people who have attended our events and many weddings. Yes, Pre-Dating speed dating works!
Success Stories | Testimonials

Patented Process – Pre-Dating is the only Speed Dating company that has been granted a Patent by the US Patent & Trademark Office to minimize the chances of you meeting the same people from a past event you’ve attended at a future event. This helps ensure we maintain one of the highest repeat customer rates in the speed dating industry. So if you attend an event and for whatever reason desire to attend again, you can register with confidence you will meet many new people!

With the incredible popularity of speed dating, many companies have tried their hand at putting on these types of events. Did you know over 90% of all speed dating companies ever started are no longer in business or holding events? There is a lot of detail and effort that goes into holding QUALITY speed dating events on a consistent basis. Don’t gamble with your time and money by trying an unknown speed dating service. Even if you don’t try us, go with a company that has been around and has proven they know how to put on successful events.

The majority of our participants are busy professionals–successful people who value their time. The reality is you, like most of our participants, have little trouble building a relationship with someone you know but simply don’t have the time to meet people in the first place! Our events solve this dilemma by helping you meet many new people in a short time and in a fun, no pressure way. Also, our participants are people who aren’t comfortable with, or just tired of, many of the traditional dating approaches. But the bottom line is that they’re people like you–interested in finding someone they’re compatible with. And they want to do it in a safe, comfortable, efficient and dignified manner. And if you are like many, wondering if attractive, intelligent, successful people actually go to dating events, we know you will be pleasantly surprised at the high quality of people who attend. Pre-Dating Events are open to all single professionals although on occasion we have special events for people desiring to meet those sharing a similar affinity, interest or background.

No, all of our events are age compatible. Most Pre-Dating sessions are designed with a 10 year or less age range which can change from month to month helping to ensure repeat Pre-Daters have an opportunity to meet new people each time. For example, one month we may have 24-34, 35-45 and the next we might have 29-39 and 45-55, etc. We’ve found that most people want to meet others that are close to their age. For those who don’t, read the next question and answer. We also have special events for people who desire to meet significantly older or younger people.

We want all participants to be comfortable with the interest and age group of attendees they are “dating.” Please choose a Pre-Dating party that is within the recommended interest group and age range that you wish to date and in which you personally fit.

Our customers tell us they are looking for other singles with intellect, ethics, and strong character. This could mean highly educated individuals like doctors or lawyers or it could simply mean people who conduct themselves in a professional manner. Pre-Dating does not discriminate and welcomes all those from various trades and professions.

Typically 6 minutes per person but depending upon attendance and other factors you may have 5 minutes or as high as 7 minutes. We’ll let you know how much time you have before we start the event.

This shouldn’t happen. We value your time and if there are a lot of last minute cancellations or a blizzard or whatever, we work very hard to contact everyone with as much advanced notice as possible. For this reason it’s important to check your email and voice mail messages on event day just in case something has changed. Our Attendance Guarantee: If for whatever reason we had 5 or fewer pairings or 5 or fewer of one gender we will make it up by providing you with an EVENT CREDIT to a future event. We know how critical attendance is to the success of speed dating events and your experience at our events. That’s why we have an attendance guarantee. By having minimum turnout standards, you’re guaranteed to meet enough people to give you a good chance of getting one or more participants wanting to hear from you again. Our goal is to hold the events we schedule and are very careful about scheduling events to ensure they are successful.

Each event takes about an hour and a half to two hours depending on turnout and whether food is served.

Remember, you’re not on a date, you’re on a “Pre-Date!” Pre-Dating Speed Dating is a great way to see if you’d be interested in a full date or just more conversation later. Sometimes 6 minutes is way too long, if you know what we mean. But in 6 minutes most people can tell if there’s physical chemistry, if they like the way someone speaks, if the person is mature and intelligent, and if they want to know more. At which point they’d select YES on their Match Sheet that they would like to hear from that person again!

You’ll see that once you start the event everything just flows. One tip, think about what you’d want to know before going on a date with the person. Some people ask harmless easy questions like “What hobbies do you have” or “What area of town do you live in” and others ask tough questions like “When is the last time you lied to someone”. The possibilities are endless but relax and try not to be too serious, just have fun. Another tip, try to avoid the more mundane questions like “what do you do” and “where are you from” as this can be repetitive. While obvious, it’s surprising how many people make the mistake of talking about an ex, or focuses almost the entire speed-date on themself and what they do, etc. Try to stand out and differentiate yourself from the others in a positive way. Tasteful humor and a light-hearted demeanor go a long way. And if you are sitting across from someone you’re not attracted to, please remember that they still have a story to tell.

Good question and a valid concern especially since many people return to participate in our events. After all, it is as they say a “numbers game” and Pre-Dating helps even the odds so to speak. We are the only speed dating company that has been granted a Patent for a process to help ensure that anyone who has attended our events in the past will meet new people every time they attend. It’s unique and we’re really excited about how it enhances your event experience. If you are a returning attendee read about our Standby List process.

It’s your call. Many people come directly from work so you’ll see business casual, or if it’s a later event people might be dressed more for evening. Be comfortable, look good, and smile!

When you arrive at a Pre-Dating event we give you a Match Sheet where you will select throughout the evening who you would like to hear from again. After the event, you will be notified by email when your match results are ready. You can of course choose when to communicate and what personal information you would like to exchange with those you meet.

You will receive your initial Match Notification Email within 24-48 hours. If you don’t get an email within two days please contact us since EVERY Participant will be sent a Match Email from us. You may also view your match results by logging into your Pre-Dating account.

It can happen but over two-thirds of our Participants get at least one person who would like to hear from them again (some get quite a few!) and some events have even had 100% of the participants get match results! Our advice is if you’re not completely sure, just say Yes because you never know…give them another chance and they may surprise you. When you attend, you are also covered by our Pre-Dating Match Guarantee which says, if you don’t get picked by at least one participant who wants to hear from you again, the next event is FREE…just our way of helping out as we’ve found that it sometimes takes more than one event to make a special connection! If asked, your friendly Event Coordinator will be happy to give you some suggestions on how to improve your match rate, just ask.

Yes, your email will simply state that there were no matches for you. If this happens, don’t sweat it. Remember, it takes two to tango as they say. Everyone has a preference, including you! The email will instruct you on how to take advantage of our Match Guarantee.

We encourage both parties to contact each other. Remember, you already know the other person is interested in hearing from you again!

Why not try one more time? Sometimes people go on vacation or don’t check their email every day so give it a few days. We encourage everyone to please be courteous and reply to event participants even if you change your mind and don’t want to hear from them again.

Each event is priced differently but most events offer an additional discount when you register early. Specific interest events may charge more. The investment amount is clearly shown when you register and varies slightly from city to city. If you pay by credit card, you will see the amount and Pre-Dating Speed Dating on your credit card statement.

Certainly, we accept checks online and in the mail. After filling out the registration form and proceeding to the secure server, you will have the choice to select credit card or online check. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover. There is also a way you can fax or mail your registration.

As many as you want, but we lose customers all the time because they find a lasting match through one of our events!

Please see our Cancellation Policy for details.

That’s the simple part. Don’t be shut out, simply click on your city and then click on the Register link for the event you want to attend now before the event fills up! If the event you want to register is full, be sure to join the Waiting List as spots often open up as the event date approaches.

We’re sorry! To ensure the best possible experience, each event has a maximum capacity and our system is programmed with this information. When one gender fills up, it may temporarily pause event registrations for that gender to allow the other gender to “catch up” so the event stays gender-balanced. When an event completely fills up, the system does not permit any additional registrations for that event (obviously there’s only so many seats/tables at venues where events are held). However, we often add people from that event’s Waiting List so we encourage you to sign up for that. The Waiting List link will be shown only when the session you’re interested in is full.

Yes! Sign up with two or three! However, each person needs to register separately using their own email address, so that matches made from the event can be emailed to them directly and confidentially.

An event may be in the works but isn’t listed on the Web site yet. Join Our Mailing List so you’ll be the first to know about new events. You might even consider coordinating events in your area. It’s part-time, fun, you’re helping people, you’re meeting tons of singles, and you can make some great money. Interested? Become A Coordinator.