Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Cortez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
I am quickly noticing a trend, especially when I do speed dating events. We break up these events within certain age groups. I have tried a variety of age ranges. And one thing I continuously notice is, young women 21-35 do not have any interest in pursuing these events, yet men 21-35 are showing up in droves, hoping to meet potential mates. On the other spectrum, women 35 and older tickets are selling out, but trying to get men in that same age range to come out is a struggle, every. Single. Time. I have expanded our events to help encourage an all-age environment. We have expanded to speed friending events, where all people (singles, attached, all ages alike) are welcome. We also have singles’ game nights as well, which is an all-ages event as well. All of our dinners are open to all ages, and we have a wide range at every event.
Another issue I’m struggling with, is that it is truly difficult to get singles out from behind their screens. The Facebook page and chat rooms we create are super active, but the events we host are hit and miss. We get a lot of feedback from the members on the page, but most of the members have zero follow through. Some members will complain because of the scheduling issues, but I have expanded events through the week as well as on the weekends and we still struggle to get folks in the seats. I fear that they will never leave the “safety” of their couches/computers and try to come out and meet other people.
I am persistent; I continue to fill our calendar with events and continuously in discussion with venues that provide a safe space for all. And with every event I am hopeful that we will reach those members who truly want to make those connections.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Early 2023, I looked at how I personally was meeting new people for dating and realized something had to change. I was tired of dating apps. With the fake profiles and the “singles” who were not actually single. I knew there had to be a better way to connect the local singles together. I had originally considered bringing back speed dating, a dating experience I had tried many years ago. When I discussed it with a friend in the bar and restaurant industry, he did not think it was a feasible option. So, I decided to take a step back from that idea. A few months later, I noticed a speed dating event being posted on Facebook and I decided to go. Surprisingly, there was a good turn out that night and I had a blast. I decided that I should reconsider my decision to not pursue the idea of speed dating events. I, however, did not only want to provide the community with just speed dating events but options for other ways to connect. My goal was to help aid in providing safe environments for singles to connect to one another. Allowing a fun time to help them let their guard down, and to help those personalities shine. I also, wanted to help get people out from behind their computer and phone screens and start making those human connections again.
I developed my Facebook page, and we quickly grew to hundreds (now over a thousand) of singles. It showed that there was a market for this. I quickly filled the calendar with speed dating events and dinners out.
Our group is very eclectic with a variety of ages, although our age range does appear to be 35 and older with a few younger outliers. We have had lovely events, where some of our larger events have brought in 35-40 people,
We have grown to well over a thousand members, and I have developed relationships with many locations around town who continue to help us provide singles’ events through the town.
I continue to want to grow in our age ranges as well as our demographics. I continue to explore venues around town so that I can attract the different age ranges and I’m always open to ideas.
We recently had a Halloween party and as much as I was hoping for a very large number of guests, we had approximately half as we expected. To me that felt like a disappointment, maybe even internalizing it as a failure, because I was looking at the numbers only. All that came, made it clear we had they had a wonderful time. A few days later a member reached out to me and wanted to thank me for the lovely time she had at the party. She explained that she is neuro divergent, and a lot of events can be quite difficult for her. She stated that she can get a bit overwhelmed and in the end is unable to enjoy the event and typically will leave early. She explained that the entire event was a complete joy for her. She felt at ease, she felt accepted, and most importantly, she didn’t feel different. With that one phone conversation, I was able to take away my disappointment and realize the big picture, I was doing EXACTLY what I set out to do! I provided a safe environment for our community to grow.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
A few months ago, I decided to explore another option of speed events. I started doing Speed Friending events. These events are for everyone, not just singles. With those events I have encountered that there is another need, helping everyone make connections, not just singles. I quickly encountered participants who have relocated who do not have a large friend base. They needed connections too. With that, I decided Louisville Social Singles needed a sibling, and this is where Louisville Social Friends began. We are just starting out and are very new, but we are there to provide events for EVERYone, not just those without significant others.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When we have events, there are a lot of unexpected factors. Works schedules, weather forecasts, sick children, etc will all effect the turnout at events that you’ve taken weeks to plan. One thing I have had to unlearn is, that even though the numbers are not as I wanted, expected, or hoped for, I’m still bringing a good time to the day each and every time. When the numbers aren’t there I can get internally discouraged and want to quit, I try to remind myself of all the events that bring out the numbers, I have used that information to fill the calendar with more events like the ones that bring out the large numbers and then try to fill in with some of the more unusual events (i.e. music bingo, silent disco, digital scavenger hunt)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.louisville-social-singles-events.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisville_social_singles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1243363582938889/?mibextid=oMANbw
- Other: All our paid events are located on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/o/jennifer-cortez-18161836109