It’s a mingle for the singles
Julian Bishop and Kim discuss the upcoming Taupō Singles evening. Photo: Dan Hutchinson
Taupō’s 35+ singles community now has a new way of match-making and it’s called meeting people face to face.
By Dan Hutchinson
Organiser of the Mix & Mingle Night for Singles 35+ Julian Bishop says “We’re calling time on ghosting, catfishing, and endless online messaging.
“This is about real people, face-to-face, with no filters, and just a fun night out where connections happen naturally.”
The event is set down for Thursday, August 21, 7pm-9.30opm at Cobb & Co Taupō, offering singles aged 35 to 65 a chance to connect “beyond the apps and algorithms” Julian says.
It has been some time since Taupō had a singles event and it won’t be the last.
The physical event is free to attend but space is limited so people are still encouraged to head online to the Speeddate.Taupo Facebook events page to register their interest and fill out a short survey or head to www.speeddate.nz.
That will help Julian tailor the event to suit the crowd.
Previous speed dating events have tended to attract more women than men and early indications are that 60% of attendees so far are women who are interested in men.
Julian says they would like to see more men coming along and the event is open to people from nearby towns as well.
There will be a “friendly, casual atmosphere”, and the evening will include light icebreakers, optional connection prompts, and opportunities to mix, mingle, and share stories with other like-minded locals.
“The event is designed to foster authentic connections, whether attendees are looking for friendship, romance, or simply a memorable night out.”
Once people have attended a physical event, they will be eligible to join a private Facebook group where they can continue to foster connections with other singles.
Julian says there are limited opportunities for a lot of people.
“Unless you're out there running or doing something sporting, there's not very many places. And that's a lot of the problem for people ... if you're not going out, then you don't build your confidence.”
He says it’s also about making friends and just connecting on some level with other people in a fun setting.
“It's not necessarily about it all happening on the night. We're more interested in the slow date. It's about making that connection, finding out that there's chemistry there.
“People are suffering from isolation a lot of the time and they have that anxiety. We're trying to say that anxiety is just excitement. It's just turned on its head.”
One of those attending is Kim, who has been in Taupō for 25 years.
She says the dating scene is quite different now and those in the 35+ age group often don’t commit as easily for various reasons.
“You know, they're too scared to commit or they've been burned in other relationships, so they're really, I don't want to say judgmental, but just really sceptical about who they're meeting, you know.
“And then you go on those apps and they're just terrible. They're just terrible. You can't trust anybody. You don't know, is he catfishing me? So, this way, it's a safer way to meet. I find it safer.”
Julian encourages people just to be themselves, and don’t try too hard to impress because that can be hard to maintain later and let the relationships happen naturally.