A Toronto woman says she felt “catfished” after attending a Christian singles mixer, prompting questions about if these dating events will even lead to romance.
Deborah Kavungu posted a TikTok video of her and her friend laughing not because of the people at the event, but rather because the event itself felt more like a roundtable discussion.
She told Now Toronto she found out about the event because her friend saw it on Eventbrite. According to the invite, it says it’s hosted by TorontoGTASingles.
This particular event was held at a Nigerian restaurant and cost people $27 to attend.
According to Kavungu, twice the amount of women than men attended, despite the event details specifying there will be extra effort given to ensure there’s a gender ratio balance.
Kavungu and her friend were given six minutes to chat with the limited number of men and then switched at the sound of a bell. After that, there were “ice breaker” activities where the organizer asked everyone to introduce themselves and say a fun fact about themselves, one person at a time.
The organizer has a Facebook group with postings for singles events for different ethnicities and ages, such as Singles Event for Younger Women (27-42) and Older Men (40+), South Asian Singles, and 2SLGBTQ+ Singles.
Although the mixer was supposed to be Christian focused, Kavungu thought it lacked intentionality because the activities had nothing to do with the faith.
“At this point we don’t know where to meet good men. We’ve tried the apps, the singles event, and everything else,” Kavungu said.
However, there’s no standard for singles mixers as Toronto Dating Hub is a dating resource that’s been growing in popularity recently with its innovative approach to singles socializing.
Founder Andrea Lo told Now Toronto the number one priority to make a singles mixer effective is that there needs to be a balanced 50:50 ratio along with having an engaging event host.
“Icebreakers or activities help people interact, especially for introverts…[but] not everyone likes the interview style or being stuck talking to people back to back,” she said.
According to Lo, a successful mixer also entails a venue with a unique ambiance, specific criteria to attract like-minded people together, and being sensitive to people who have never come out to an event like this and are jaded from previous dating experiences.
Lo acknowledges people tend to get bored easily, so it’s important to cater the different kinds of events to their needs and what they’re looking for.
Toronto Dating Hub’s next event is a mixer for professionals in the Financial District. Lo said it was created by polls and surveys that she madefor singles to fill out to ensure the attendees are compatible and have those boxes checked too.
