Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 25th 2007, 2:50pm By buffalorising

Kate Resetarits of 8minuteDating fame is at it again, but this time she's targeting UB Alumni. Started in February of '03, Resetarits always holds her events at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, 76 Pearl, Thursday, September 27, downtown.

Her success rate with the Buffalo arm of this national chain is so high that CEO Tom Jaffee has called to ask, "How do you do it?" Resetarits says that there are a lot of like-minded singles looking to meet, and that is often her basis for organizing 8minute events.

"We've held a lot of events with specific groups in mind—single parents, Sabres fans, and now UB. This is a first for alumni." She points out that the idea arose when her friend who works in alumni relations at UB had to 'sit' an event for her due to Resetarits sick dog. The friend suggested that a UB event would be great and that they had a huge database of alumni.

The success rate is high. Resetarits keeps her daters, between 25 and 50 separated into two age groups, but anyone is free to participate with any other attendees. According to Resetarits, ninety-nine percent of participants report that they enjoyed 8minuteDating, one-one percent meet someone they want to see again, and sixty-two percent receive a mutual match. Compare that to the bar scene.

Then there's the 8minute baby: Kara and John met May 18, got married on October 10 of the same year, and had a baby on July 27 of the following year. If that's a little too quick for you, consider Resetarits own brother who was just hanging around an 8minute event with his sister (he wants everyone to know he wasn't a participant), when he spotted the girl he would later marry. Nothing to be ashamed of there.

A lot of people are concerned about what to wear. "Whatever you would wear to Pearl Street on a first date," Resetarits advises. Split into two sessions of four dates each, with a break in between, attendees are given cards and switch to a new person to talk to every eight minutes, at the ring of a bell. They take notes about the people they talk to and then take the card home, log on to the eight minute site and vote for people in terms of friendship, dating or business. A mutual vote gets participants an email saying the other person felt the same way.

Resetarits tries to dissuade people from hooking up that evening, feeling that the voting system works much better. And to make things even nicer for the UB alums, she is offering a special discount code that will take $8 off of the usual $35 fee.

Go, meet, have fun.

UB Alumni 8minuteDating Registration and Information
Coupon code: 8MDBuffalo1