An event for singles, called “Happy Hour”, was held on 23 June 2009 at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel.
Kicking off with a buffet spread, the event, organized by Tic Tac Toe, a social development organization, was attended by 200-odd invitees, comprising young working professionals. A slew of bingo and card games broke the ice among the tables, as hosts Bryan Lim and Wendy Loo armed themselves well with quips and jokes to keep the floor entertained. Laughs erupted as Lim jokingly chastised one male participant for leaving his female game partner behind while he bounded up the stage to collect his prize. Contact cards were also distributed for participants to give to fellow participant whom they were interested in getting to know better.
Gifted performer, Linusled, delivered a few light numbers on the piano as getting-to-know-you sessions were underway. For the conversationally-challenged, there were even talking tips and topics projected on-screen. The ballroom was also transformed into a salsa dance floor as instructors from JJ Studio took the crowd through a salsa crash course. Naturally, some had to be cajoled to get on their feet, but by the end of the session, most were enjoying themselves. Said Tic Tac Toe’s program manager, Jeremy Choy, “The program is planned in such a way where there is purposeful interaction throughout the night.”
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| PHOTOS: Gabriel Seow |
The trickiest part of preparing the event, however, was not in planning the program but rather, ensuring that the gender ratio was balanced, according to Choy as “… girls usually outnumber guys at events like this by a large margin.”
Happy Hour’s format of a buffet-cum-games and ballroom setting was a first for Tic Tac Toe. Participant Karen Tay says, “It’s a good way for people to network and socialize but in future it would be better if wine or other alcoholic drinks were served, as that might be helpful in calming some nerves.”
