Pitch-A-Friend Okanagan attendees watch as a guest is pitched at Railside Brewing in Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Pitch-A-Friend Okanagan
February 25, 2025 - 7:00 AM
An Okanagan dating service has turned the idea of meeting the love of your life on it's head.
Pitch-A-Friend Okanagan is exactly what it sounds like and involves a powerpoint presentation and a friend who acts kind of like a wingman. Dating apps, speed dating and blind dates don't always fit the bill when you're looking for love.
“I like in person (dating). I think it's way more authentic,” Pitch-A-Friend Okanagan co-owner Donelle Pavey told iNFOnews.ca. “I love the fact that somebody's going to have someone vouching for them, too. I think that just says a lot.”
At Pitch-A-Friend events the friend of the person looking for love uses a three to five minute powerpoint presentation showcasing their friend's best traits, fun facts, hobbies, interests and what the person is looking for in a relationship. Organizers say it takes the stress of one-on-one dating off the table.
After the presentation has concluded, audience members interested in the "pitched person" are welcome to chat and get to know the one they’ve taken a liking to.
“It's different from speed dating because then you don't have that commitment of face-to-face for five minutes with somebody. You’re not committed to even being face-to-face with anybody if you don't want to be, so this kind of just leaves it open and more of a social event to mingle,” co-owner Jennifer Halvorson said.
The first event to find love was held on Valentine's Day in Kelowna at Railside Brewing and involved people aged 20 to 55. Organizers hope to hold future events across the Okanagan and in Kamloops every six to eight weeks.
READ MORE: $40 and 5 minutes to find true love speed dating in the Okanagan
Everyone who was single at the Feb. 14 event wore paper hearts on the sleeves signifying their relationship status.
“It gave everybody a little bit of confidence, like you're kind of putting your heart on your sleeve. It's right here, like ‘I'm single, I'm ready to mingle, I want to chat’,” Pavey said.
The laid back atmosphere also provides a less stressful situation to meet people. Throughout the evening, as things started to loosen up, attendees mingled and chatted with ease. With personality traits and interests displayed on a big screen, it made it east to start up a conversation.
“In this day and age where everybody's just behind a screen all the time, it was so refreshing to see people actually talk to one another. I couldn't believe the mingling that was going on. It got so loud. By the end, everyone was up and laughing and like everyone was standing because they were all at each other's tables. It was awesome to see,” Halvorson said.
The night ended with phone numbers and social media usernames exchanged.
The Pitch-A-Friend concept originally began in Philadelphia and due to its popularity spread across the U.S. before making its way to Canada with three chapters so far.
To find out more about Pitch-A-Friend Okanagan, including upcoming events, submission rules and guidelines, check out the website here.
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