The official world record for the biggest speed date was broken in Brussels on Tuesday 14 February, as a packed crowd convened at the Brussels Tour & Taxis venue on Valentine's Day for the largest speed dating event ever.
The previous world record – which stood at 964 – was set in Dublin (Ireland) four years ago. Now, a new world record was set in Brussels after officials present counted 1,363 people taking part, the organisation announced.
"It was a great evening," Sebastien Rulmont, a participant who came all the way from Ghent, told The Brussels Times. "It was my first time and I did not know what to expect. Sometimes you click with a person, sometimes you don't, but it is always nice to meet new people. And breaking the world record is just the cherry on top."
Credit: The Brussels Times
Participants were colour-coded based on their interest group and dates were picked in advance based on people's sexual orientation and age. People speaking Dutch, French and English were all mixed together.
Throughout the evening, women remained seated at one table and every four minutes, a new partner sat down in front of them for a fresh speed date. Over the course of the evening, participants got to know 12 or 13 possible matches.
At the end of the event, all participants received an email link with the names of all the participants, allowing people to indicate who they would like to see again. If the "like" is returned, participants will be notified on Wednesday so they can exchange contact information.
