Today’s guest post is by Julie Ferman of Cupid’s Coach. Julie has been a key participant and driver of new ideas at matchmaking and online dating conferences for many years.
The third annual Matchmaker Conference over October 23-25 was a raving success. Gathered together in Weehawken, NJ at the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel were 85 of the world’s most savvy and dedicated personal matchmakers, dating coaches, and dating industry execs.
The conference is produced by Lisa Clampitt and Jerome Chasques, founders of Matchmaking Pro, the first association which brings together professional matchmakers and dating and relationship coaches. The mission of the annual Matchmaker Conference is to build a healthy, supportive community of peers, to share resources, maintain quality control, and to literally evolve and propel forward the personal matchmaking industry. The association and the conference provides the opportunity for individual matchmakers and larger companies to share resources and referrals, support one another, receive press leads, and develop national and international referral networks for both prospective client leads and referral candidates for existing clients.
The halls of the hotel were abuzz with enthusiasm, shared stories, abundant laughter and “aha†insight moments as this group of dating and relationship experts compared notes on dating coaching secrets, client challenges and success stories, business innovations, marketing strategies, and innovative ideas for client sharing and cooperative matching strategies.
The conference has been emceed each year by Julie Ferman, founder of Cupid’s Coach, a personal matchmaking and dating coaching company based in Los Angeles. A 20-year veteran of the dating industry, formerly a Great Expectations franchisee, Julie Ferman has produced many a dating industry conference and is also a regular presenter at the Internet Dating Conference in Miami. When asked what’s special and different about the Matchmaker Conference, Ferman beamed with her contagious ebullient enthusiasm. “There’s a completely different ‘vibe’ here at this conference, compared with any dating industry event I’ve ever attended or produced; when this group of matchmakers gathers, it’s literally a Love Fest. The talents and skills that might make someone a natural for personal matchmaking are very different from those that might enable success in business; matchmakers need to not only be experts at enabling relationship but also we need to learn how to survive and thrive as business owners, and this conference is all about strengthening both elements of ourselves and our businesses. It’s an honor and a true pleasure to work with Lisa and Jerome and to lead and synergize with these matchmakers from all over the world. We had speakers and attendees from Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, the U.K., Canada – amazing.â€
Highlights of the conference: Keynote speaker Rachel Greenwald, author of “Why He Didn’t Call You Back†delivered a fascinating and well received address, revealing the insights of her extensive research into what women are doing that’s working with the modern day man, and…what’s not. Also a highlight was the presentation by Joelle Apter, with GenePartner, which has developed a biological matching method, designed as a complementary service for matchmakers and online dating sites. Based on the genetic profile of the client, the GenePartner formula determines the level of genetic compatibility with the person they are interested in meeting.
Early-Bird pricing is available through November for next year’s Matchmaker Conference, same place, Weehawken, NJ. October 22-23-24, 2010. For early bird reservations visit www.matchmakerconference.com or call 877.232.8743.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I missed this conference, but keynoted at the last Matchmakers Conference. Irena, my wife is due for a baby any day now. :-)
Its interesting to compare the attendee group at this conference vs the Internet Dating Conference. iDate is predominantly male. About 70%, I’d say. Mainly marketeers. The Matchmakers Conference is over 80% female, and predominantly attended by more sales-oriented people-people. I wish the two industries would come together and learn from each other. The matchmakers need the marketing wisdom of the internet dating marketeers. The internet dating industry could use some of the many years of matchmaking wisdom that the matchmakers bring to the table. But the two industries don’t really get along so well. It’s classic case of marketers not mixing with salespeople.
Now Dave, tell me I’m completely wrong. ;-)
Curious to hear what people think they learn from each other?
Various new initiatives are in place to further bridge the gap between online dating and offline matchmakers, the Matchmaker Institute CRM system is supposedly solid and the on/offline dating software should make it easier for matchmakers to share leads.
Are you looking for a new way to meet that special someone? In the case that you are in the market for a new partner there are many options available, such as expanding your horizons with a new class, enabling you to meet a person with similar interests and therefore having something to talk about to help avoid the awkward silences that can come in those first conversations while you are establishing a sort of chemistry with each other.
Really interesting post. What percentage of people do you think, let’s say, in the next 5 to 10 years will meet online and start serious relationships or even marriage, compared to the people that are doing it now?
If you’re going to hit a reader with that much text, you need to break it up visually with images, etc.
The Matchmakers Conference is over 80% female, and predominantly attended by more sales-oriented people-people. I wish the two industries would come together and learn from each other. The matchmakers need the marketing wisdom of the internet dating marketeers. The internet dating industry could use some of the many years of matchmaking wisdom that the matchmakers bring to the table.
What exactly can matchmakers can offer the dating industry? I don’t think dating sites want to learn anything from matchmakers.
Dating site thinking: Why in the world would you actually talk to people? We buy ads on ad networks and then hope our landing page converts well enough to turn visitors into subscribers. You spend a lot of time luring people in on the phone, we have thousands of people coming to our site every day with little effort (I don’t know what conversion rate for matchmakers is). We are more efficient and we don’t like talking to people and our success rate is higher than yours and who cares if people are a credit card number we don’t need the warm-n-fuzzy inter-personal relationships you rely on to make sales. Or something like this. Curious to hear it from the matchmaker side.
An attendee said to me that they go to iDate for business and Matchmaker conference for friendships.
Great Review…should really add it here: http://www.conferencereviewer.com