Conscious Speed Dating Brisbanet

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Location in West End

About

NOTE: This page is a daughter page of: Conscious Events - Brisbane


So this event is just a little landing page for an amazing event that I co-host with my spectacular, badass friend Anna Wood. The official website for Conscious Speed Dating is at www.consciousspeeddating.net but on this page I'll give some little juicy insights into what you can expect if you sign up (the first step is to apply here) and we invite you to one of our (about monthly) speed dating events.

  • What:
    Awesome mindful speed dating event ...with a big table booked for dinner afterwards if you want to stay.
  • When:
    Approximately once a month, *usually on the last Sunday of the month from 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm ... check the (upcoming events page)
  • Where:
    The Burrow, 52 Russell St, West End QLD 4101 ... (map)
  • Cost:
    ~$45 ... after we send you an invite - since we have to set the age range for each event.
  • What to wear:
    Comfortable clothes you might wear on a date ... and bring a yoga mat and pillow/blanket if you like. ;)
  • Website:
    www.consciousspeeddating.net ... then click the apply button.



From our second event


The Venue

The "The Burrow" is a vibrant, colorful restaurant in West End that is somewhat of an icon. It can get busy, and even a little noisy, but always quirky, with live music, comedy shows, jam meetups and other wonderful hipster events on different days. We chose the burrow because it is, in fact, a very, very popular place for dates. We see people on dates there all the time! For conscious speed dating events we get the wonderful back area reserved and it's a little tight, but we fit 40 people in there and we hope the plants and the bar-like atmosphere make people feel suitably playful. If we ever take on a second venue, we might try for a super quiet place - which is what "conscious speed dating" might conjure in our head, but many people enjoy a drink to relax before the event starts.


What's Special About Conscious Speed Dating Event

If you've ever been to a normal speed dating event, it might seem a bit overwhelming. Both Anna and I went to a few of the Brisbane events as research, and she found that the conversation very rarely went deep - boring "what do you do" style questions were the standard, and there is no vetting or age checking. You only get 5 minutes per person, and then men get an abrupt bell or tap on the shoulder to move to the next person. No time to reflect, so it becomes a blur of names. Finally, in the end you have to install an app (which is odd, because you were trying to escape apps!) - to swipe on a long list of names where you probably can't remember who you did and didn't meet! Honestly, it's and interesting experience - worth trying once, but we were determined to be different.

So how are we different? Well let's do a bullet list! :

  • We start with deep breaths, intention setting and warm-up activities to help you relax.
  • Each table has fun activities you can do with your date, and suggested questions you can ask... the tables include the fan favourites: Vulnerable Sitting, Spicy Table, Play-Doh Madness, Tattoo Table, Draw My Spirit Animal, Hearts & Hurdles, Double-Date-Jenga, Limitless Question and more - you might be drawing one moment, the asking spicy questions and crushing your date's play-doh creation in the next... people often get silly-and-playful, but you're always encouraged to get venerable if it feels right.
  • You get almost 8 minutes per person.
  • We then give you one minute to close your eyes, breathe and reflect.
  • Instead of a lame app, then and there you write an appreciation card, which may or may not include your phone number, socials and/or an intention to be friends or more... and you slide it into their love pouch.

It's a formula that seems to work - we've booked out our first five events, and we have lots of great feedback, repeat visitors, and whispers of successful matches from friends who followed up on their appreciation cards.

What else can I say? The venue isn't the quiet oasis you'd expect for "conscious speed dating" - it's a little bit crazy, but nobody says no to The Burrow and we encourage you to lean into the crazy. We are always open to feedback and we're looking to expand to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, or wherever. Let us know if you'd be keen to host one! We're also looking for other venues that might host us for cheap. We hope the price is pretty reasonable - unlike other events where the host just shows up and gives you a name tag, there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scene to set-up each event. Our first event was September 2024, and we've had over 400 people apply. Sadly there aren't enough non-heterosexual people yet to have a separate gay and lesbian event - but we hope to host other events like a "Traffic Light Rave Hike" which will be a tonne of fun and all-inclusive. Woohoo!

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

    Andrew Noske


See Also


Links

Acknowledgements: A huge thanks to Anna Wood' for coming up with the idea of "Conscious Speed Dating" and then, early on, seeing how much I loved the idea and asking me to co-host with her! It's been an amazing creative process, I learned a lot from Anna, and we joke that the only disappointment is that when you host, you don't get to participate - you just watch people having fun. Also a huge thanks to our friends who supported our first event, and those who have been angels (helpers) at our events - helping us set up, pack down and make people feel comfortable. Crystal, Jen, Abraham, Heather, Kate, Kevin, and others - you guys rock. Finally thanks to the staff of The Burrow especially the generous and incredible co-owner Allan and best-bartender-ever Daniel for helping get it set up!