Connecting her single friends led her to a party venture. Samantha Loomis came from the ad sales world but she was always known for throwing great parties. It was 1996, when Samantha decided to throw her first party to help connect friends and it just so happened that Valentine’s Day was the opportune day for both couples and singles to find romance and have some fun. Each couple that attended was asked to bring a single friend so that they could play matchmaker.
With the first one a success, the next year she threw an even bigger party. “I added ice breaker games and tied the door fee to a charity,” says Samantha, “Believe it or not two marriages came out of those parties.” She has had two kids and one house addition since then and retired from advertising. Recently divorced, Samantha was having lunch with a friend who had been a guest at her past parties and she suggested Samantha throw another matchmaking party, “Maybe you’ll meet someone new and it could be a business.”
Always the entrepreneur, Sam started to think about her gatherings as a business venture and named her revamped party idea Connect Friends. She believes, “Most people meet their future significant others through friends.” Samantha discovered a huge need for these kinds of parties with so many newly divorced people in their 40s and 50s. She started with an event at a local New Canaan restaurant in November. “A friend of mine who came to the party re-connected with his high school junior prom date. They are now dating. ”
At the parties, how do you know who’s not already part of a couple, “At check-in, I distribute glow-in-the-dark bracelets to the singles. It’s a low key way of being able to spot that special someone without being too obvious.” One party goer said, “It was nice because you can hang with your couple friends all night if you want, but if a person catches your eye across the room and he or she is wearing the bracelet, you can definitely make your way over!”
The next gathering is at the Darien Social on Saturday January 25th. So how does Connect Friends charge? It’s $20 per single and $20 per couple with light appetizers and a cash bar usually starting after 8:00. Ideally people who receive the invitation will rsvp but they are also encouraged to just show up.
Samantha hopes to find social co-sponsors in other towns. “There is no charge to be a co-sponsor, I’m just looking for people who may have a single friend who is having a hard time meeting someone. I can see myself doing this all over the tri-state area and further. Who wouldn’t want to help their single friends find a date.”
Samantha will handle the rest; everything from finding a venue, to setting up the details and making it fun. She already has Connect Friends events planned in Cape Cod and New Jersey. “It’s a prequalified audience, so much better than going to a bar to try to meet someone.”
“A friend of my mother’s actually asked if I could do an event for older people so I’m looking into doing 65+ early cocktail events this summer at different clubs, for the many widows and widowers out there. The average age of attendees of the parties I am currently throwing is 46.” Getting some local press, looks like Samantha’s calendar is filling up fast.
Contact: [email protected]
VentureMom Tip
Turn a fun event that addresses a need into a business.
