Mingle Around

Great event curated by a woman who was energetic, pleasant, and involved. She did everything she could to make sure I had a good time. I would totally come to another event; it was much easier to meet people in this new city after attending an event here. I highly recommend you check the next one out!

Spending $ 60 on/​at the a Mingle Around event and only meeting three guys seemed like a big fat waste of my time and of my good eyeliner. But I’m jumping ahead.
Never been to a speed dating event? Overall, I would give the experience I had with Mingle Around three stars. Not something I would probably do again, but worth doing once. If you have done speed dating before, hopefully my review helps!
For the speed dating + meter parking + 2 drinks, expect to spend $ 50-​$ 60. The venue was nice and casual. The event said apps, which turned out to be a plate of quesadillas and some chips and guac in a corner (bummer). The seating was in a great space set up for the dates and the host was very helpful.
On to the men! Three men didn’t show up, so I only met six people. One was too drunk to figure out how to walk the tables, one was a 21 year old kid that lived with his parents and another didn’t speak English very well. Out of the three viable dudes, no one really struck a spark.
For the price, I can think of plenty of other ways to expose yourself to eligible bachelors (join a gym, a
group, co-​ed kickball, trivia team, etc). Speed dating is also a type of event I would not do again unless I had the opportunity to meet 20+ people… like I would completely reconsider a MEGA-​DATE-​A-​THON.
On another constructive criticism note, I was left at the end of the night with a weirdo at my table. Our host gave us a few minutes to finish up our notes… and we’re just sitting there staring at each other. All I wanted to do was get up and leave, but had to wait until it was socially acceptable to do so. Very uncomfortable if the last date of the night was an awkward one.

I signed up for an event that got cancelled and never received a refund. We were given the option of a refund in the cancellation email. I reached out to Jill (the organizer) several times via emails but received no response whatsoever. I then spoke to her in person but there still has been no action.
I must say this has never happened to me in the past! I am amazed at how efficient the process is in getting you to sign up for events through various channels: meetup, emails, etc but customer service is really poor after the fact. She should be following up with me instead to make sure I get the refund, but the level of apathy is staggering and this is a violation of business ethics.
Since I have a busy schedule and I do not have time to pursue this any further, I am posting this feedback to warn others to be wary of signing up for an event, in case you ever need a refund, you may never get it!

The cover combined with the parking is too expensive! An online dating site is cheaper. Also, there’s no snacks and expensive drinks. Some of the people at the events stand around and do not participate in the ice breakers. It’s a waste of time to attend an event with people who refuse to mingle.

These events are always a lot of fun! I’ve met some rather cool people at these events. I have been to other events where the ratio of men/​women suck but not with MingleAround they do a good job in that dept, also its a well organized event. I can’t wait till the next one. Keep up the good work!

I attended the speed dating event on 10÷23÷12.
Only (6) potential dates were there.
I then found out that one of them was the boyfriend of the girl who ran it.
I asked for a refund, and still have not heard back.
I will never go to another event.

I was a bit skeptical at first about a speed dating event. In my mind I found it a bit taboo. Yet because of my work scheduling i have found myself unable to be a part of a more social atmosphere my need to socialize was very much needed. And my sister had been bugging me to get out and date more!
So I finally booked myself an event with Mingle Around after Unilocal reviewing «speed dating». The venue was nice, The host Isabelle was incredibly sweet and made me feel comfortable. She explained how everything worked and all the ladies sat down and then men went in a circle, taking turns on a mini date with each of us.
At the end we gave all our possible matches and the next day i got all my information of who wanted to exchange emails which is a little bit less invasive. out of 9 gentlemen 5 responded back. Ive been on a date with two of them so far– no fireworks, but the dates were nice.
The venue (an irish bar near rush and division) was a little loud, I would have liked to have been in a more private setting (more quiet) but I was still able to hold a conversation with each guy. Also, I drove in from work and finding parking near here was difficult– i would have liked if the bar had valet parking. (But thats a different Unilocal review!)
Over all I had a wonderful time. I haven’t yet met mr. right but i met a lot of men that were incredibly nice. i look forward to going to another event with them and giving it another go.

I used my groupon for a Nuts & Bolts party in July, right when after it was expiring. The owner of the company let me use the groupon for full value anyways. About the night: The venue was nice, some downtown piano bar that I’ve never been to before. I wound up staying after the party to listen to the band upstairs. They had appetizers for us for the first hour or so and fun raffle prizes. I found it was easy to meet people, but the cliché «is it to big» got old fast. Still, I had a great time with my girlfriends and I’d go again. It was easier than speed dating.

This is a lot of fun. I went to the famous nuts and bolts party. The age range was 25 — 50. The group’s age was right in the middle, not too young, not too old. Met some nice people. The ratio of men to women was almost perfect. Would be perfect if there were more guys than girls :)

I attended a Nuts & Bolts party recently. I liked the idea of doing something more than just approaching people at a bar or speed dating. I liked having to find my «match,» and I had some good laughs. There were about 50 people there; it wasn’t too crowded and I got to meet lots of different people. I may not have left with «the one,» but I made some great friends. Definitely a great group of people to spend an evening with. It was easy and I’d go again.

I went to a Nuts & Bolts event last fall. Although my real reason for going (find my effing husband) didn’t happen, I did meet a good friend of mine! It was fun having a «5 some» w/​the tools too, HA! It was well organized also. Jill is great, and there was a good turn out.

Definitely a fun Friday night out with girlfriends. I went to their latest party at the Joynt. There was a nice mix of age ranges and the male to female ratio was pretty good. The nuts and bolt concept made for a good ice breaker.
If you go to one of their nut and bolt parties make sure to take time to actually talk to people and not just rush around finding a match to your bolt/​screw. Also register in advance — tickets for my event were $ 20 in advance and $ 30 at the door.

I have had the pleasure of attending and and helping people feel welcome at a few recent Nuts and Bolts parties for Mingle Around. Jill and the rest of the team have been a pleasure to be with and the other people I have met have been mostly receptive, fun and interesting. Mingle Around is not a «gottagetalover» social group, it is really a place where people can get together and meet others in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Jill is an excellent event planner! Even if you don’t find your significant other at one of her events, you will certainly make new friends.

I had a great time at the Nuts & Bolts mixer at Houndstooth last night. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I went by myself anyway and the people there were great! It was a lot of fun coming up with sexual innuendos for the nuts and bolts «screwing» together. The jokes were endless. The people were friendly, it was a great location, and it was generally just a cool way to meet some other single people of all ages in Chicago! I will probably go back to the next one and maybe bring some single girlfriends to try it out!

I was at the Nuts & Bolts party at Houndstooth Saloon and it was really a lot of fun. At first I thought it was a strange icebreaking technique, but it really works to get people moving around and talking. As Carolyn L. mentioned, the jokes were endless. When I was carrying the really huge bolt, the «Oh my God» reactions when I showed it to a potential match were priceless!
I’ve been to a few events with Mingle Around and I’m always the oldest person there, so I haven’t made a match. However, the «youngsters» in their 20s and 30s are always a lot of fun to talk with, and they are always very polite and friendly to the «old guy.» Jill Jackson has put together a great group of Chicago singles. I highly recommend it for anyone.

I attended her event last night at the Houndstooth Saloon in Chicago. It was a «Nuts and Bolts» event. How cool was it to see over 150 people of all colors, shapes, and sizes there! The wide variety of people there made it certain we’d all find our match! Not to mention, the laid back but super helpful owner of Mingle Around, Jill, was awesome! No pressure events are the best. I kept hearing women say «This is the most fun I’ve had in a while» and «This is the first event I’ve actually walked away with numbers!» Five stars to Mingle Around!