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PowerPoint presentations have long been a staple of business meetings, but two women have started hosting “meet cute” events in Vancouver where the ubiquitous Microsoft presentation program is used to help people build social connections and potentially find a romantic partner.
Amy Xiao and Megan Lo have organized speed dating events where participants gather for short one-on-one discussions in a public space. They’ve also hosted dating events where people “pitch” a friend, who is also in attendance, as a potential romantic partner.
In a video posted to Xiao and Lo’s @mudflowercommunity TikTok Page, a man tells those in attendance about his friend Kristina, who is sitting on a stool beside him. His pitch features a PowerPoint presentation that includes a list of “green flags,” including that she’s “hard working.”
“She has two degrees — health sciences and nursing — and so you’ll have someone there who can take care of you,” he tells the crowd.
There is also a list of “red flags.”
“She’s a yapper,” he says.
The presentation includes her social media handles so attendees can reach out if they are interested in sparking a conversation.
Xiao said the events serve as an alternative to online dating, which can come with its own challenges.
“Meeting them in person, you get to really have a feel for … if you really connect with them, whereas it’s harder to tell over something like an app,” she said.
Lo said she wanted to get involved in such events to get out of her “comfort zone” and tackle oft-heard complaints about how difficult it is to meet new people in Vancouver.
“Through school, when you’re younger, that’s how you naturally meet people,” she said. “But after that it’s really hard to meet people organically, outside of school and work.”
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Lo noted that it’s not uncommon for friends to “drift apart” amid different work schedules, something that happened to her and Xiao before they reconnected last year.
Statistics Canada data reported last year suggests people are spending less time with friends than before. If found that in 1986, just under half of Canadians saw friends on an average day. In 2022, this dropped to just under one in five.
Xiao noted that there are a number of social events in the city — they had recently attended a book swap — and they were inspired to organize something on their own.
According to their TikTok page, the events were intended for people in their 20s and 30s, but they are looking to host events for different age ranges. They plan to hold a speed dating event on Jan. 25.
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Xiao says that they don’t know if connections have been made following their PowerPoint events since people are encouraged to reach out not at the event, but on social media.
Lo said she has heard from people who, like her, embraced the challenge of trying something new in an effort to meet people.
“We’ve gotten really good feedback and people do say that they tend to come out of their comfort zones,” she said.
“It really does take effort to try and make community and have meaningful connections so it really does take some kind of vulnerability and bravery to make that step.”