The Garden Suites Hotel near Koreatown in LA was unusually busy on the afternoon of the 28th last month.
A long line of cars went around the hotel as guests tried to enter the parking lot, and hotel staff quickly came out, rather surprised, to control the traffic congestion.
This unusual scene happened because many attendees arrived at the same time for an event at the hotel.
That event was the “Couple Matching Event – Love Encounter.”
It was Couple.net’s second global matchmaking event, following the one held in New York on May 24.
While 80 people participated in the New York event, 100 people participated in the LA one, making it the biggest Korean matchmaking event in North America.
For many local Korean American singles, it was something they never thought would really happen.
Couple.net is the international brand of Sunoo, a matchmaking company from Korea.
In Korea, Sunoo is well known as the first matchmaking company, with 34 years of history and a strong reputation.
To extend its service globally, Sunoo has chosen to use the name Couple.net for the overseas market.
“Love Encounter” marks the beginning of Couple.net’s global matchmaking service and aims to help Korean singles around the world find a partner.
WoongJin said, “I stayed in the U.S. for over three months to prepare the event. I have been helping Korean American singles for over 20 years. It is unfortunate to see many of them desperately wanting to get married yet realistically, dating opportunities are so rare to come by for them.”
Parents who worked hard to build a life from nothing are now putting their last hopes into their children's marriage.
About 60% of the participants were 1.5-generation Korean Americans who aren't fluent in speaking Korean.
Still, they joined not only because they wanted to, but also because of their parents' wishes.
One participant's father, in his mid-80s, even sent his son to the event with organic honey and fruit.
This story shows how much the father cares for his only son, a lawyer who hasn’t married yet, and his hope for this event.
The LA event was promoted through local social media and Couple.net members, and all 100 spots filled quickly.
The meeting followed a speed dating format.
Speed dating is a group-style event where people meet one-on-one in rotation—a format first introduced by Sunoo 34 years ago.
Participants met with eight people in rotation then exchanged their contact or social media info with the ones they were interested in.
In a regular matchmaking service, it can cost $3,300 to $10,000 a year to meet eight people—not including dating costs—so this format is much more cost-effective.
99 of the 100 registered guests attended—only one man missed it because his flight from Texas was canceled.
At each table, 10 people—five men and five women—sat next to each other then turned their chairs to face each other and conversed with each other for 15 minuets. Afterwards, male participants moved to the next seat in rotation.
With only two short breaks, meeting eight people over three hours was a challenging process that required focus.
Even so, the participants stayed focused and seemed eager to make the most of every moment.
Still, it's hard to remember all eight people you met clearly.
Sometimes, someone from another table might also catch your attention.
The speed dating event took these odds into consideration as well.
Participants had one week to check each other's profiles on Couple.net and could send or receive dating requests freely but exchanging contact info was limited to three times.
Combining offline and online events helped increase the chances of finding a match.
K-Matching has globalized its matchmaking service by combining Sunoo’s advanced technology with its speed dating method.
After the success of this event, Couple.net is planning a bigger event in LA next year for 1,000 singles that is not exclusive to Korean Americans.
The global tour began in New York and LA and will go on to Sydney (July 26), Tokyo (September 27), and Toronto (October 25), then return to New York and LA next year.
In Korea, Couple.net holds weekly speed dating events at its cafe in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul.
CEO of Couple.net by Sunoo, the matchmakers.
ceo@couple.net
이메일로 신청하여 주셔도 됩니다 : cs@sunoo.com
