Rande Motyl - speed dating agency

Never tried speed-dating before and had reservations about the whole concept. Frankly, it seemed a bit daunting: Say something interesting about yourself in less than four minutes and hopefully not be found lacking? Yikes. But after attending a Rande Motyl event I came away pleasantly surprised by the experience. It was well-organized, attended by a diverse group of people, and had an easy atmosphere about it. And not getting picked by folks I liked and wanted to match with actually did not sting the ego as much as I had imagined.... In fact, it was encouraging to know that I could take chances like this and come away just okay. It may not be everyone's cup of tea for making romantic connections, but it's certainly a harmless and fun/quirky way to meet new people, practice the art of making interesting small talk (or selling your self/brand), and spend a few hours on a Sunday night. Give it a try. What have you got to lose? PS: BlackBear, Your assessment of the event and its organizer Jana was unfairly harsh and illogical in some regard. Take the time to reconsider what your expectations were and how they were ill-matched with the concept of speed-dating and how much of the circumstances Jana could control. Seriously, for example, how can you expect her to enforce the promptness or qualification of the other participants?.... And taking shots at her accent and denigrating the attendees as "corporate cogs"? Man, grow up.

Warning! Before reading other reviews please bear in mind that the organizer offers a 50% discount to customers for writing positive reviews. This review was not vetted by her because I am not intending to go again. (1) The woman in charge was humourless and unfriendly, even by Czech standards. She barked out the rules in heavily-accented English which was difficult to understand at times. Her English was good enough to organize the event, but not enough to create any warmth or atmosphere. (2) It would be difficult to find a less appropriate venue. Rows of people sat facing each other across small tables in a modern cellar. There are many beautiful old pubs in Prague, but this wasn’t one of them. (3) The acoustics were bad even before people started talking. When the event got going the echoes and background noise made it very difficult to hear what the other person was saying. Other people complained about this. It would have been particularly difficult for people speaking a language they didn’t know well. (4) There was no attempt at all to create a friendly atmosphere. Events like this work best when there is some chance to mingle informally. Although there was some time to mingle, nobody did in practice – they simply kept to themselves and went home afterwards. (5) The event was disorganized. Although everyone was told to arrive early, we had to wait a while because some people had apparently chickened out at the last minute. I imagine that this usually happens, and could have been foreseen. There were more men than women, although it took a while before the organizer noticed this. (6) Most of the women weren't expats (even though this was billed as an expat event). I had gone specifically because I was tired of meeting Czech women whose main interest was practicing their English and getting free drinks. There was one English woman and one Canadian woman, plus a couple of Russians. However, the rest were seriously boring “corporate cogs”. The guys seemed much more interesting: this probably reflects the huge imbalance in the expatriate population. (7) Because of the imbalance mentioned above, I suspect that this would be a good place for expatriate women wanting to meet expatriate men.

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Response from Jana Olivova, Rande Motyl:

I am truly sorry that you did not enjoy your speed dating experience. While I am convinced that speed dating is a great way to meet people, and the overwhelming majority of people have a positive experience, it is certainly not for everyone.

In any case, I would like to address some of the concerns you raised in your review. To begin with, the 50% discount for writing a review is not intended as a bribe, but a small incentive for people to actually write something. Many people choose speed dating because they lead busy lives. So, even if they have a great experience at the event, many of them simply won't take the time to write a review. And obviously, if someone writes a negative review they don't plan to come back anyway, so it's pointless to offer them a discount.

"Disorganization"

I having trouble understanding how some people arriving late - or not at all - can be attributed to my lack of organization. I do tell people arrive at least 15 minutes before the event starts. But I don't think it's unreasonable to wait a few minutes for people who might be running a bit late. Unfortunately, it does sometimes happen that people who have registered don't show up at the event. I cannot predict the number or gender of the people who will not come. But I do try to take it into account, by ensuring that I have at least 12 pairs registered for each event. So, I can be reasonably sure of meeting the minimum of 10 (and usually there are more than that). And yes, sometimes there are more women than men, and vice versa. At your event it happened to be vice versa. Again, I cannot predict this.

I apologize that my English isn't up to your standards. But please try to remember that you live in the Czech Republic. I am also disappointed that you found my demeanor less than satisfactory. I have to speak loudly enough so that all 20-30 people in the room can hear me. Moreover, I have a lot to explain in a short period of time. I try to be friendly and put a bit of humor into the presentation. But the point is to make sure you understand how speed dating works, so you can get the most out of the experience. You first complain that I am "barking out orders", and then later that the event is disorganized. That seems to me somewhat of a contradiction.

It seems you were also unhappy with the arrangement in which "Rows of people sat facing each other across small tables". But that is pretty much the definition of speed dating.

"Bad acoustics"

True, that has been mentioned in few reviews before. Inevitably, once 20 – 30 people start talking at the same time, it will become loud. In my opinion it is still better than trying to talk to someone in a club or a music bar. And we do have the entire cellar reserved only for our group.

"Time to mingle"

Once again, I cannot control how people behave. Sometimes people mingle more than others. The most important thing about speed dating is that it gives you the opportunity to "break the ice" and chat with each person in the room for a few minutes. It doesn't guarantee that the conversation will continue afterward. It is up to you to follow up during the break or after the event.

"Most of the women weren't expats"

In the description of the event it clearly says, "Nationality does not matter, but you must speak English. For expats, or those wishing to meet expats." Anyway, you said yourself that four of the ten women you met were expats. To point out the obvious, that is forty percent - not bad, considering that you live in the Czech Republic. In any case, most of the men attending these events do so precisely because they want to meet Czech girls.

Last, but not least, was it really necessary for you to disparage others in the course of writing your review? You managed to insult not only me, but Czech women as a whole, and most of the remaining people at the event. These "boring corporate cogs", as you call them are often doctors, lawyers, engineers and managers, as well as a wide range of other professionals. Yet we also have our share of university students and language teachers.

I’d seen speed dating on TV and movies, and wasn’t really sure what to expect when a friend invited me to join her at a Rande Motyl event. I was pleasantly surprised by how well-run and professional the evening was. I attended one of the basic expat events. The restaurant was a good location in the center of the city, with a large room and lots of small tables. We ladies were invited to arrive earlier than the men so my friend and I sat and sipped our drinks while the men arrived. The instructions were clear—threeish minutes to chat and then decide if we wanted to meet again. We were each given an alias so that we wouldn’t have to reveal our names if we didn’t want to. The conversations I had varied between slightly uncomfortable and really enjoyable. The nice thing was in knowing that there was no obligation on my part if it wasn’t working out. Three minutes is a short time when it’s going well, but it’s a relief when it’s not. I liked the freedom of moving on—which isn’t quite what happens when you meet someone in a bar. Speed dating was a much easier, less stressful alternative than hitting the clubs. The organizers were great and had clearly thought things through and/or learned from past experience. When both people say yes to each other, you receive an email (which was waiting for me when I got home) with their email address. The men were instructed to contact the ladies (saves some frustration and confusion) and the aliases, although somewhat humorous, were helpful. I would happily do this again and have recommended it to several of my friends. It’s an appealing idea, and, I have to say, great in execution too.

Dating is something I try to avoid like moldy bread or drinking someone else's beer. It never turns out well. Part of the reason for this is the artificial form of contact -- you don't know the girl, you're in a busy place: it's more of a job interview. Speed dating should be twice as bad, I thought, because it's even more artificial: you have less than five minutes with a girl. It's like a game show. To my regret, in January I lost a bet with my sister, who is also a heavy drinker. Tired of hearing me complain about being lonely, she directed me to this speed dating service. I attended an event in February. Here's what happened. First, I was surprised that the women seemed actually glad to see me. This does not often happen. Second, I was surprised that on average the women themselves were quite beautiful and attractive. I had rather expected something that had crawled out from the Metro tunnels. Third, the price for attending is ridiculously affordable. For the price of one date, you get several. And your chances of success -- as for me -- are excellent. I'm now dating two women I met at the February event. It is casual right now, but it has certainly cured my loneliness. The answer was very simple and I'm surprised I didn't try this sooner. I hope this has been a helpful review! If these women tire of me, I will gladly come back in April!

I was pleasently surprised. The place was really nice, the people interesting and the atmosphere relaxed. I have a busy life and demanding career, speed dating I can fit in my schedule. It would take me long time to meet so many new people. The 3 minutes (well I think it was a bit more) are quite enough to to sense if there is some spark. I can only recomend it to everyone who is fed up with the online dating and does not like to waste time. It reallly is quite effective way to meet someone. Of course if it will lead to something more permanent only time will tell. Keeping my fingers crossed. :)

Hi, I am Ciro from Italy and I live in Praha only just few months. When i arrived here i didn't know very much people , so I checked events and people would like to meet other people. I though why not girls are looking a man!!! I founded a event organise here in Praha very often in English for expats, so I wrote to organisator and I want to the event for my first time.. It was funny to speak with many girls... but it's impossible you like every person and girls but you have to find right person or girls.. Now i go very often to this event , because i founded very good friends there ...and i think if you don't find a relationship you can find very good friends here, especially if you are expat in Praha. open mind and heart also every time.... by Ciro

I did not know much about speed dating, a friend of mine just told me that she heard about it somewhere. I googled it: invented in the U.S., quite popular and effective, and it even appeared in my favorite Sex and the City series – yeah, I remembered that one. Well, since we were both recently dumped, we decided to give it a try. To arrange everything is so easy, you do it all online – choose the term, book it, and pay it. In your mailbox, together with the confirmation you also receive your nickname, under which you will present yourself at the event. Those nicknames are actually quite funny – names of warrior heroes from various movies. All that seemed so fine, but when the “big day“ came, we felt so nervous. We met much earlier, for few drinks... not that it would really help, we still felt so nervous. What are we gonna ask them? What if everybody there is gonna be ugly? What if they will think we are ugly? Ah, that was so bad idea to go there! Even when we finally got to the place, where the event was to be held, we were still so reluctant to participate... We argued which one of us got this bloody idea, and almost run away. Luckily, we stayed. Once it actually started, it was all fine, and we both really enjoyed ourselves. As a girl, you just sit by the table, and men are coming to you. You have some three minutes with each of them. And it is not that hard to talk with a person for three minutes, you can ask them where are they from, how they like Prague, why they are here etc. or you even can talk about your silly nicknames, when there is really nothing on the top of your head to ask about. And we were both surprised, how nice men we met. None of the participant was ugly, stupid, unsociable or anything like that. All of them seemed quite smart and good-looking, both men and women. Before you sit by the table, you got a peace of paper, where all the nicknames of opposite sex participants are written, and a pen to make notes. I definitely recommend you to take some notes, because it may be sometimes quite difficult to remember who was who. In the middle, there was a little break, during which we went for another drinks and talked with two men for little bit longer than those three minutes. And after you talked to everybody, you are to decide who would you like to meet again. Then you indicate them on the list of nicknames, and if they also chose you, you will receive each other’s emails next day. The whole evening was very enjoyable; it is nice to get a chance to talk to about 14 single men in just about two hours. We both got some matches, I haven’t met all of them yet, but with one of them it looks like we could be good friends. And, even if I may not date any of them, I am really happy I came here, because it also makes you feel more confident about dating in general, you get to see it can be fun and quite easy, and you can become to feel more attractive. And so does think my friend.

I was pretty nervous before going to the speed dating, but all the nervousness went away with the first dating round. It is amazing how easy it is to talk to someone you have never seen before when there is a three minute deadline hanging over your head. I had no expectations, but was quite amazed how many beautiful and pleasant women attended this event. I have never been that comfortable or interested in picking up women in bars or clubs. Here it was easy. There was no need for pick up lines, which allowed me to relax and just be myself. You already know that the women are interested in dating and the three minutes is quite enough to sense if she might be also interested in you. When I looked around, I saw that everyone was smiling and laughing. I think people really enjoyed it and had a good time. From the organizational point of view, I think it was well organized. I had received a confirmation email when my payment arrived, a reminder few days before the event and the event results arrived to my Inbox the same night. Also, the place had a very good ambient, great wine and a very friendly wait staff. My only criticism would be that it was sometimes hard to hear people because the place was quite small...but well hearing people is hard in any bar or club. I've had three matches and now I am exploring where it will go. I can only recommend speed dating to everyone who is trying to find a date.