In The Press

Unwind Magazine, May 01, 2011

Put your love life in the fast lane by Mali Krantz

Michael Karlan, founder of Professionals in the City, moved from New York to DC without knowing a soul. It was difficult for him to meet people naturally, so he would go to bars and clubs after work to meet other young people.

“I met women that way, but it was a lot of work,” he said. “It was really inefficient.”

So in 1999 Karlan founded Professionals in the City to host events where DC singles could meet. “The events were successful,” he said. “But people are coming out under the pretense to meet someone. At speed dating you meet 20, 30 people in a night which is just unheard of anywhere else.”

The speed dating events were so successful that Karlan now hosts speed dating in and around DC seven nights a week, and events specifically for twenty somethings at least two nights a week,

“Even for people in school, you already know the [people] you know and it’s great to meet a whole new batch of people very quickly.”

But at a school like the University of Maryland with over 25,000 undergrads and a strong presence of Greek life, would students be willing to give speed dating a chance?

“If I didn’t have anything else to do and someone asked me to go speed dating, I would,” said sophomore government and politics major Brittany Walsh. “But I would want to go just to say I went speed dating, not to actually find someone. I don’t know if I’d be able to take it seriously.”

Sophomore criminology and criminal justice major Nicole Riccio has no interest. “I would just be way too awkward,” she said.

Most events charge around $30 and are held in bars that require participants to be at least 21. For a list of upcoming events visit prosinthecity.com. You can also browse events coming up in other cities such New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles.