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Dating App Experiment
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The Dating App Experiment

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The Dating App Experiment

As a single staff member of one of the Events & Adventures clubhouses, I decided to do a bit of an experiment with myself. Like a lot of people, I’m a dating app user; as a person dating in the 21st century it often feels like there aren’t many other options. As a simultaneous member of Events & Adventures, I started to compare and contrast my experiences with my online relationships and the ones I was seeing develop at Events & Adventures.

I’ve been on the classic apps like Tinder and Bumble and have tried some of the more obscure apps like Hinge and Coffee Meets Bagel. They each have different layouts and specialties that make them seem like lights at the end of a tunnel filled with fellow singles. In the end, each app seems to turn out to have a similar end: possible dates and little connection.

 

The Findings

Dating apps turned the very real and emotional experience of dating into a very numb and robotic game. I’ve found myself mindlessly swiping through people without even looking at them. The sensation of matching with someone seems to create more of an endorphin boost than an actual opportunity for a true connection.

I’ll never forget when I matched with a guy and mentioned meeting up for dinner with him pretty quickly, trying to bypass the small talk and make something out of a match that seemed promising. He agreed, we set a time and location. The next morning, he was gone. He deleted our match and seeing as that was the only form of contact I had with him, there was no way of getting in touch to see what happened.

The experience stung, but a part of me accepted it because we hadn’t even met. How could I hold this guy accountable when he was only a picture on a screen?

I’ve gone on my fair share of actual dates through these apps too. I’ve even been in short-term relationships with some of the men I’ve meet. The large majority of the time the connection I thought I had with these guys online didn’t come through in person. If we did actually have something in common, there seemed to be a pressure to put a definition on whatever we had right away, which ended up scaring one of us away. When you make dating the primary focus of any activity, there’s an expectation of trust and vulnerability almost instantly. How can you put that kind of pressure on someone you barely know?

Having heard friends express similar frustrations, I know I’m not alone in my dating app woes. I even hear us wondering aloud if there is something wrong with us because of our lack of success.

 

The Solution

Having experienced Events & Adventures for the last six months, I honestly believe it’s not us but the online dating system that’s to blame. Unlike the forced nature of online dating, Events & Adventures creates an organic environment for members to have fun being themselves.

Are you filled with random facts or a board game connoisseur? You can guarantee there’s a trivia or game night coming up with Events & Adventures. More of a sports fan? Every club has at least one viewing party or pickup game on the books. Are you a whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, or adrenaline junkie—or do you want to be? Events & Adventures has you covered there, too.

And the best part? Other people are doing all of these things with you. You’ll be able to build connections with people that have similar interests and have the opportunity to see these same people on a weekly, or even daily basis, without having to plan the get togethers yourself.

All of the romantic relationships I’ve seen develop between Events & Adventures members have come out of the weeks and months they have spent together at Events & Adventures events. When people have the chance to develop friendships, those friendships turn into trust, and that trust can very easily blossom into something more substantial like commitment and love.

Our members have the chance to cultivate relationships with each other without having to worry about defining their experiences, romantic or otherwise, because that’s not what Events & Adventures is about. Our goal is to help people live a life they love, and that definition is different for everyone.

As a self-proclaimed wallflower, I’ve really had the chance to soak up all of the wonderful benefits Events & Adventures provides its members. In a world so fueled by instant gratification, Events & Adventures slows things down and gives its members the change to enjoy their lives with friends, new and old. So why keep staring at a dating app filled with what-ifs and maybes and come have some promised fun with Events and Adventures? You never know where it might lead until you give it a try!

neon bowling event with Events & Adventures
Dallas

Neon Bowling & Pizza Party with Events & Adventures Dallas

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Since lately it has been pretty cold here in Dallas, we decided to get out of the cold and rain for a different type of indoor event — neon bowling!  What is more fun than bowling in crazy colors with your friends and eating pizza for an entertaining Saturday evening.  Bowling is a great opportunity for new and existing members to meet up, have a blast, and maybe even meet someone they make a special connection with.

We had a great group of 40 people for this event, evenly split among women and men and divided up over eight lanes.  In fact, we had one whole end of the alley all to ourselves!  Members arrived early and got their fantastically designed bowling shoes, giving them a chance to mingle before our lanes were ready and the pizza and sodas arrived.  Before we split up the group across our eight lanes, the pizza made its appearance and was gone in no time.

Neon Bowling is a Fun Way to Compete

Then it was time for the action.  You could hear everyone cheering each other on when it was their turn to bowl. There was both some fun and some slightly serious competition between the bowlers at our lane and the bowlers at other lanes in our group. We were all having such an amazing time bowling and mingling and getting to know the new members that were here for their very first event.  It made for a great mid-month event for the beginning of the year!  You could definitely tell that Events & Adventures Dallas was making its presence known at the bowling alley that evening.

~ Erica P, Member since July 2015

Events and Adventures Dallas Singles Poker Crawl!

October 29, 2014
Singles Poker Crawl with Events & Adventures Dallas
FW Sundance Square Poker Crawl3

Events and Adventures Dallas Poker Crawl

A poker run on a motorcycle has 5 stops where everyone gets a card to make a poker hand. A pub crawl is on foot and hits several bars. Mix them together with a group of singles and you get an Events and Adventures poker crawl! We don’t have as many people with motorcycles as with feet, so we hit Sundance Square on Saturday night. We were ready to play a game of poker and check out some of the local pubs. We started with appetizers and our first card. You really have no idea how things are going to until the third card. Then you know if you are in it or just there for the pub crawl the rest of the night. We hit some really cool places. Really nice and even a dive bar. How many people can you fit in an elevator? By our 5th stop everyone was impatient to get their card to see if they could make a hand or draw. Whew! So we all know most people cheat and trade cards right? Hmmm . .Who has the worst hand? The best hand? High card draw wins! Congrats Tanya, your very first event and you won!   FW Sundance Square Poker Crawl4

Events and Adventures Dallas Tackles Lil Ninjas Obstacle Course!

September 20, 2014
obstacle course

We checked out Lil Ninjas obstacle course and dodgeball Saturday night. This place was technically built for kids, but it was a blast! Some of the more advanced elements of this obstacle course were hard- and impossible for many!  We were the guinea pigs for glow in the dark dodgeball. Those balls never seem to stay glowing so they are changing it to black light. We wore glow necklaces and laughed about the walls attacking us when we were certain weren’t anywhere near them. A few of us made it across the unstable ladder. I was surprised I was the first! Gotta be smarter than the ropes. J The curved wall was a dream for most but a few made it up there! Since it was just us and not open to kids we were allowed us to bring beverages of intellect which made everything even funnier.  Those that didn’t want to play just came and cheered and jeered those that accepted the challenge. It was a great change from the weekend bar scene. Don’t get me wrong, I love the dancing and parties we have but it was something new, unusual and totally fun!

Trying Out Foot Golf With Events and Adventures Dallas!

August 11, 2014
Dallas Singles playing Foot Golf

I’m a big soccer fan. I watch, I play, all of it. So when I heard there is a new sport that is soccer based I was in! We played Foot Golf for the first time. I’d never even heard of it. It’s like golf but with soccer balls. We arrived at the golf course and everyone paid a nominal fee to get on the course. We had our own soccer balls (or you could rent them) got out score cards and headed to out T’s. We had 3 groups of 6. We teed off from the ladies line and aimed for the green. This a LOT harder than I thought it would be. In soccer we have to get it to another person or in the general direction of the goal. On the golf course it was way easier to aim way off from our target. Getting it into the 3 foot diameter hole was a hard!  We laughed and talked a little trash as to how everyone’s aim was at the beginning. Towards the end we were all aiming better (some better than others!) When all the groups gathered after out game we went out to recharge and decided we really like this new sport of Foot Golf!

 

Painting and Socializing With Events and Adventures Dallas!

August 5, 2014
Events and Adventures Singles at painting and wine!

Paint the top 3 inches or so blue.  Then paint this white in circular motions, that darker blue and blend in green like this. (Ding!) You are concentrating too hard! Breathe. Take of drink of whatever you have. Breathe again. Mix in a little white. Ok, in this corner star with the tan. Break time, let it dry a few minutes, grab a snack, refill your beverage and socialize. This is really going to be a painting when I’m done!  During our break we check out each other’s paintings and steal ideas of how to make our a little bit better. We all know who the real artists are. We laugh about how this blank canvas we were given is turning into an actual painting. By the end of our 2 hour session we all have a real painting we did without numbers or special paint. Some will hang in their home; others given to family as gifts (Mom’s like home made gifts no matter how old we are) and others will be regaled to hang in the laundry room or closet where only the artist sees it and thinks I made that!

The Dallas Aquarium with Single Friends

August 4, 2014
Dallas singles at the Aquarium

The Dallas Aquarium with single friends is a great way to spend a most muggy summer day.  We had a great time and the Aquarium here has lots of animals too. No whales, seals or dolphins but they make up for it by having quite a few different types of animals too.  We all talked about if you could have any pet what it would be. Who wants big scary pets and who wants amphibians.  Many people you’d never guess what their interests are.  It’s interesting to learn more about my new friends.   We had a great day. Next month we are going to the Zoo to check out their animals and feed some too!

Spending A Sunday Afternoon on the Water Kayaking!

July 17, 2014
Cooling off on the Lake with Events and Adventures

There’s no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with Events and Adventures Dallas on the water! We went out to Lake Ray Hubbard and spent the afternoon with our favorite Kayak instructor. We call him Kayak Dave. After we had our lifejackets, boats and general instruction Kayak Dave took us to a minimum wake bay on the edge of Lake Ray Hubbard. He did a really nice job of making sure everyone knew how to paddle for more motion, less work. He pointed out wildlife and taught us cool stuff about the lake we had a leisurely paddle with the wind to the end of the bay then we headed back. Against the wind was bit more challenging so we stopped at a sand bar half way for a break.  Jade talked enough smack that she was helped out of the boat via flipping by one of the guys before she got out on her own.  I know that payback will be fun to watch. After everyone cooled off in the lake and rehydrated we headed back to the launch area where just about everyone said they would be sore tomorrow. After an early dinner and discussion as to just how outrageous Jade’s retribution is going to be we all headed home for a late nap or early night. Great way to spend any afternoon in Texas!

He Pops The Question…..Another Happy Couple!

December 6, 2013
sky diving

I love these kinds of stories! Will joined E&A last February. On our Cinco de Mayo dinner cruise Marcia brought her friend Lenea as a guest. Will and Linda immediately hit it off. Lenea joined the group shortly thereafter and she and Will have been inseparable. They are even joining us on the New York trip this week! A little bird told me this trip was going to be something to remember forever and Lenea’s smile said it all. A formal engagement was coming. Well, that little bird wanted there to be a surprise for Lenea. This past Saturday Will and Lenea had a few friends over for a wine party. I was one of the lucky guests. When Will was thanking everyone for coming he dropped to one knee, whipped out a beautiful ring and asked Lenea to marry him. She of course said Yes! Congrats you two! We look forward to your nuptials next fall!

Jacque Event Manager Dallas

We Do The Coolest Things!

December 3, 2013
indoor sky diving

Last week an indoor skydiving facility opened here in DFW. There’s only a dozen around the world so we were thrilled to try it out. It’s the floating sensation like the free fall in skydiving, but it’s only a few feet off the ground and there’s a guy standing there making sure you are floating right and having a blast. The whole surface area and wind speed physics thing is amazing. A guy stands next to you while you are floating on air! They adjust the air speed for each person’s weight and skill level. We got to watch experienced jumpers and they do all kinds of tricks and spins. I had the best time! We had a few hesitant members come watch instead of jump and they are all going to try it next time. It’s not at all scary like jumping out of a plane. It’s awesome! After we grabbed lunch and we dished on how we felt we and the tricks we want to learn when we do it again. I am definitely hooked on indoor skydiving.

Jacque Event Manager Dallas