Did you make a promise to yourself that 2025 would be the year you would meet the one? Well, if you did, your chances may just have become a lot higher.
Fed up with the dating scene in Dublin, best friends,Lina Thuvander, 35, and Emma O’Neill, 36, have taken matters into their own hands and are bringing a viral New York dating event to the Emerald Isle.
Matchbox dating events may have begun in the City That Never Sleeps but it has quickly taken over tired dating apps in major cities such as London, Singapore and so much more.
Speaking to EVOKE, Lina and Emma revealed the reason behind their new venture, the process of the event from start to finish, and their hopes for the future of their Matchbox collaboration.
Although Emma is in a relationship, she has watched her friend Lina struggle through overpriced matchmaking, hopeless dating apps, and even organising hiking events to find Mr. Right, and still no luck- despite being a stunning blonde whose personality would check a lot of people’s boxes!
@sparks_matchbox Single in Dublin? Join our singles events! 💡 Sparks x Matchbox is bringing science-backed matchmaking to Dublin! 🍸 Meet your top 3 matches, enjoy great vibes, and say goodbye to swiping. ✨ Built on Stanford University research, our cutting-edge algorithms, rooted in personality insights, help you connect with someone truly compatible. This unique experience matches you based on values and personality to help you find your person. 📅 Ages 25–45 🎟️ Grab your ticket via the bio and see you at BrewDog on February 14th! #ireland #matchbox #dublinvibes #datingtok #dublintiktok #dublincity #dublin #irelandtiktok #matchboxparties #dating #dublinsingles ♬ Come Inside Of My Heart – IV Of Spades
It is tough out there and this €45 event hopes to make things a bit easier for eager heterosexual singles in the 25-45 age range who are desperate to meet someone. Explaining how the first event, which will take place in Brewdog Outpost in Grand Canal Dock, will operate, Emma said: ‘Attendees will fill out a questionnaire beforehand and receive three purposeful matches based on their answers.’
Moving away from the ’emotionally and physically draining’ traditional format of speed dating where each participant gets four minutes to speak to every person, this event aims to be more meaningful.
How it will work:
- Attendees will be given a schedule with the table numbers they have to be at for their match and the time slot, as well as three drink tokens.
- Each table will be personalised to the couple matched and include the common points they share to explain why they were paired. A set of prompt cards will also be on the table for anyone struggling to make conversation.
- Each couple will speak for twenty minutes and then break for fifteen to ‘gather their thoughts on the interaction, calm themselves down and even chat to someone else if they please.’
Emma and Lina will be working directly alongside the product team and engineers at Matchbox to organise each participant’s matches.
Some of the topics on the questionnaire include: ‘Would you like kids in the future?’ and ‘Do you see yourself settling in Ireland?’
@sparks_matchbox Welcome to Sparks! We’ve partnered with @Matchbox to make dating in Ireland fun, easy and exciting. Follow along to hear about our next event first! #Ireland, #Matchbox, #DublinVibes, #DatingTok, #DublinSingles, #DublinEvents, #IrelandDating, #IrishSingles, #SocialEventsIreland, #SparksEvents, #MatchboxIreland, #SparksxMatchbox #irish ♬ original sound – Vtshop
The ladies explained: ‘We felt these types of questions were especially important as you can meet someone amazing and then find out that they are planning on moving to Australia, and that can be really off-putting.’
When asked if looks are taken into consideration for the matches, Emma answered: ‘We won’t be asking people to send pictures of themselves as photos are not always a true reflection of a person and it can almost skew things as well.
‘We feel dating is very gamified now, some women have even said no to men because there was boxes on top of their kitchen presses in the background of their picture, it takes the overthinking out of it.’
Although they have received a hugely positive reaction from the public, Emma and Lina explained that ‘men are more reserved when it comes to actually purchasing the tickets,’ whereas the women’s tickets are sold out already!
The two women have high hopes for the future of their Matchbox collaboration and hope to organise events to match homosexual singles, older singles, and also spark up some platonic friendships.
Lina explained: ‘It’s very difficult for people who move to a new city or a new place to make a group of friends, and loneliness is such an issue in Ireland and everywhere, so we would love to try and help that by connecting people.’
If you are interested in attending the Dublin Matchbox dating event you can purchase tickets here.
To learn more about Emma and Lina’s passion project you can visit their TikTok, Instagram and website.
