The problem? The lack of safe, fun, convenient places for single people to find potential partners. The solution? BerkshireFlirt, which seeks to connect Berkshire singles through events and social networking. The creative minds behind BerkshireFlirt are, not surprisingly, creative people. Julia Dixon is managing director of Berkshire Creative.
When co-owner Sarah Callaway suggested they hang out at the bar during a previously scheduled event featuring erotic readings from "Fifty Shades of Grey," their creative minds instantly saw a bigger solution: inviting a bunch of other singles to the event.
They came up with the name "BerkshireFlirt," designed a graphic, started a Facebook page and bought the website domain, all over the course of just a few days, and within just a couple of weeks the inaugural event was sold out. The Valentine's Day event itself was a huge success, offering a comfortable environment for people to meet one another on a night where they might otherwise have felt alone.
All the details are on the BerkshireFlirt's Facebook page and tickets are also available online. The formula that has worked for BerkshireFlirt for its event so far has been to ensure an equal number of tickets are sold to men and women. Beyond that, there are no other requirements; the first event in Pittsfield saw a "diverse" age range, Dixon said.
They don't assign seats or do any kind of "speed dating" type activities, but they do help start conversations by announcing questions that guests can answer with one another. Dixon said she herself had looked at online dating sites in the past but found so many of the people were from metropolitan areas quite a distance away from the Berkshires.
