Please Note: This review is based ONLY on ONE speed-dating event. However, I wanted to provide my personal feedback for anyone who may be considering trying one such event. I went after finding a Living Social deal, was highly skeptical, had read mixed reviews. however, my experience was quite positive. The location was nice, the event was extremely well-organized, and I thought it was a good deal after the coupon. Who shows up at these things is a crapshoot, but fortunately, my event was just about even between men and women and I think I met about a dozen men. Looks like I am going to have at least one date as a result. After the event , you get an email within two days (I got it less than 24 hours later) allowing you to make a mini-profile, select those you were interested in and see "mutual matches" and exchange emails through that platform with anyone from the event. Again, I find the whole thing very well organized and I had a good time. My only complaint, like others, is that the event DOES start about 30 minutes after it says (at 7:30) so people who arrive on time or a little "late" end up awkwardly sitting around the bar not sure what to do. Fortunately, I struck up an interesting convo with one of the other ladies attending and enjoyed that. However, I suggest arriving at 7:20 to check in, get a quick drink, and jump ride into the dating! read more

I have tried a few events from Pros in the City and have always been disappointed. Events are not organized well, and communication is poor. Its Mis-leading marketing, events are marketed as crowded and we need more people, but its false advertising. Try it for yourself, then come back and offer an honest review about this company, its false advertising and poor customer service. read more

New Year's Eve party full of actors and props to get the party started with that said I meet an awesome guy but hes not me right but me right not /if we with a fluke smoke and mirrors for their New Year's Eve party beware read more

The Web site: "We need more men for this one!" The event: "Yeah, we have too many men, we're waiting for ten more women to show up!" What you see is NOT what you get, and if the site says "we need more...", don't believe it! read more

This organization is poorly run and their events show that mismanagement. It was a waste of time and I would not suggest any event (especially the speed dating) to anyone. There was no age limit on the event and they did not make that clear from the start. Why should I spend $30 to go speed dating with men my fathers age? That seems inappropriate. I have been trying to reach them and discuss my concerns and they have not answered emails or voicemails. I almost walked out 5 minutes after I walked in but I decided to stick it out with my friend and I feel like I wasted two hours of my evening at this poorly planned and executed event. There was no effort from the staff to make it a welcoming environment at all and the bar was not conducive to conversations and meeting people. Overall, this was an awful setup for an event, poorly run, poorly organized, and would not recommend it to anyone. read more

Restaurant owner, where event was to be held, informed me the event was cancelled hours beforehand. I know of 5 others who showed up. No attempt was made to inform the participants of the cancellation. This was supposedly a sold-out event. Now, 3 days later, there has been no response from the company. It appears I may have lost my $30. read more

I attended the NYE Passport to the World Gala that Professionals in the City hosted. This was by FAR the worst decision I have made. - incredibly long lines at the bars; I spent minimum 20 minutes in line at each bar, so basically 80% of my time was spent waiting in line - we paid $100/person for "name brand" open bar but rail liquor (ex: bowman's $6/handle vodka) was served - every room was half-empty except the main room - in several of the rooms, the lights turned off and on every few minutes; i assume this is because the rooms did not have light dimmers to provide "mood lighting" UPDATE: I received an automated e-mail asking for my feedback on the event, to which I responded with similar comments to my yelp review. I asked for a partial refund of my purchase price and I promptly received this e-mail in response (I cannot make this stuff up): "Dear Jennie- My supervisor approved the $99 refund. He said that he noticed that you had posted online negative feedback about us. He authorized me to issue the $99 refund to your credit card today if you agree to immediately delete any feedback you posted about us and you agree to keep strictly confidential from this point forward any complaints that you have about us as well as the existence of this agreement. I hope this meets your satisfaction. We are truly sorry that you did not enjoy the event. Thanks!" How many other negative yelp reviews have been taken down because of this kind of "hush money"? Looks to me like these yelp reviews may be biased. read more

I truly wonder if the 5 star reviews of this organization are written by employees. I give them kudos for attempting to get singles together in this decidedly anti-social city, in a variety of settings, but honestly the concept just doesn't work, especially the speed dating or "table hopping" dating ideas. There are a host of reasons why, and many would turn into sociological diatribes, so I'll hold off on my comments about that.....but on the more logistical side, I can offer a few examples of why the events (at least the speed dating or "table hopping" dating events) don't work: 1. The locations of the events: Usually in DC or Bethesda, which are difficult for the peons stuck in Northern Virginia to get to. How about some events in Northern VA, before traffic in the area becomes 100% gridlocked 24/7? And the locations in DC or Bethesda are same old, same old....Mortons in Georgetown, BlackFinn in DC or Bethesda. 2. Their endless supply of "More Men Needed for ____ Event" emails. This is deceptive. I've been to several of these events where "More Men were Needed" according to their email, and the ratio of men to women was 4:2. There were plenty of men there, and I found it hard to believe that all of them just booked their tickets the day before. I have never seen emails advising that "More Women are Needed," yet there were plenty of events where the number of men far outweighed women. This organization is in business to make money, and any "More Women Needed" e-mail would turn any potential male attendee off ("why would I want to attend a sausage festival? Shit, I can go to Bailey's for that...") and women would stay away ("Fins to the left, fins to the right, and I'm the only bait in this place.") 3. "Too much in too little time." Four minute speed dating just doesn't work. The concept sounds good on paper, but just when you are getting some interesting tidbits from someone of the opposite sex, the whistle is blown and you need to move on. And guys, if you think that woman four seats back will hang around after the event, or will be available to talk to at the end if she does hang around, think again.... 4. Wine tastings....really? Since when is Barefoot wine considered to be a fine wine? They get props for trying to come up with interesting ideas, but forget the wine tastings. The long and short is you can't force dating, especially in this high stress, constant sensory input area we live in. It has to happen the old fashioned way. Go with no expectations (just the expectation to meet a bunch of new people and engage in short, small talk conversations), and you may have a good tiime. read more

Dear Pros in the City Team, I would like to submit by feedback regarding the New Year's Eve Passport to the World Gala that I attended on Dec. 31, 2010. Based on positive reviews online, I decided to purchase a ticket to this event with the food option and convince 3 of my friends to do the same. Boy was this a mistake. This was the worst event I have ever attended and I demand four full refunds or some type of comparable consolation. It was painfully clear that you, the organizers of this event provided attendees the least amount of services and entertainment at the highest price possible in order to turn a large profit. Many people I spoke to felt ripped off, taken advantage of, extremely disappointed or all of the above. All drink lines were so absurdly long and bartenders so slow that guests opted to go upstairs to the hotel bar and spend more money than the ticket was worth for drinks served with decent customer service. The amount of alcohol i consumed at this event must have totaled all of $15 because of the time it took standing in line to get another round. To make matters worse, the one drink per person maximum was reminiscent of a parent- chaperoned high school house party. In addition, this event was falsely advertised in every aspect. However, the most prominent regard was that the event website boasted "cuisine from cultures all over the world." but all that was provided was cheap, frozen chinese food that makes any hole in the wall corner restaurant in DC with a yellow awning taste like 5 star cuisine. The word "entertainment" should be used loosely regarding the non talented Lady Gaga impersonator that tortured guests eardrums all night long. The speed dating activity was dull and poorly organized and by 1AM, my friends and I decided to forfeit the $100+ dollars we foolishly spent on this "event" and rushed to attend another party in the city. I will post this complaint multiple times to all discussion boards in an effort to save other young professionals looking for an enjoyable time on such an important night like New Years Eve from paying $100+ dollars only to be mislead, let down and treated like crap at a poorly organized and utterly horrible event such as yours. I would have given this event no stars if Yelp allowed. read more

Please. In the name of all that is honest, true, and pure. DO NOT waste your money at any Pros In The City events. The organizers at Pros In The City do not do anything to create an enjoyable ambiance, nor do they make any effort to live up to the themes of the events they hold. For example, the event I attended tonight was a speed dating event set up for people seeking to date singles of different ethnicities, however the crowd was not diverse AT ALL. I can't blame Pros In The City for the fact that I did not have a romantic connection with anyone there, but I can hold Pros accountable for the fact that the crowd was not diverse when the claim was that the event was an Interracial Speed Dating event. The least Pros can do is survey the ethnicity of the people who signed up. If the crowd of attendees is not diverse, the event should be cancelled or postponed because it will not live up to what people paid for. Basically, don't waste your money here. If you want to do speed dating, try thingstododc. And no, I don't work for thingstododc. I just don't want someone reading this to assume that I am over critical and can't be pleased. I did not meet anyone I was interested in at the thingstododc speed dating event either, but I still had a good time, they had an open bar, and it was cheaper. All in all - if you're looking for a good time, look elsewhere. read more

I've attended a few of their speed dating events and their New Year's gala. Their events are quite popular and the people there tend to be attractive and educated. They offer events pretty much every day. If you've never tried speed dating, I definitely recommend you try their speed dating events. I've always found them to be worthwhile. Everybody is always nice. A few guys would ask me question after question without really listening to my answers. But then there are other guys that I really hit it off with. Best of all, these events give you lots to talk about with your friends the next day! Their New Year's gala was at the Washington Hilton. Both the Hilton and the gala are huge, which makes you feel like you are a part of something big. My favorite part was going from room to room for different entertainment throughout the night. It is a lot of people, so I would not recommend it if you don't like big events, but there is plenty of space and it was a really fun way to spend New Year's Eve. It is nice that D.C. has a group like this. read more

Me and a friend went to the Christian Speed Dating in MD and it was a big big disappointment. 16 women and 10 men (1 is my friend). 5 of the men were over 45 years old! I emailed before and asked for the age group and they said under 40 years old. The worst part is that NONE of the males (except maybe one, beside my friend) were normal. My friend reported the same thing about the women, (except for 2 out of the 16, beside me). It should have been called Psych Ward Speed dating! We want our $60 back! read more

I attended one of their speed dating events and I feel like I should had given my money to the poor instead. The event failed for the following reasons: 1. Horribly organized, let me rephrase this, complete chaos. 2. Staff was not helpful, how hard is it to answer a simple question? Yes, there are over 40 people, but we are the customers aren't we? I ignored and even insulted at some point, poor customer service. 3. The place was dark and small. Not an event for speed dating, they either need to trim down the number of people they take in or simply move to a bigger place. I was pretty much rubbing shoulders with the other guys at the event, completely unacceptable. I was not impressed with their online follow up system, very poorly exeuted. The only good thing was that the ladies there were amazing, but for a speed dating organization, they need to do a lot of work or hire new people. Advice; stay away, not worth the money. read more

I've been a member of Pros in the City for several years and attended a number of events sponsored by them, including Speed Dating, Wine Tasting and overseas travel. I think they do a commendable job, and provide a real service for singles of our area; and the cost of events is generally nominal or reasonable. The speed dating events are enjoyable in their own right. You may or may not make a good connection, and may or may not meet beautiful people, but that is not the responsibility of Pros in the City. Their role is to provide the organization and location. The main complaint I have about the speed dating events is they usually do not start on time, and generally start 30 minutes late. I understand this is to give people a chance to arrive, and sometimes I can talk to someone at the bar before the event. But, I prefer to be punctual and have events start on time. Most speed dating events are on weekends, so parking is not difficult even in DC. There is plenty of on-street parking, free, near Finn and Porter for example. I have taken one (and a half) European trips with Pros in the City, and I was very pleased. The trips are very well organized, and lead by professional tour groups. The trips are as advertised, and exceeded my expectations. You can go as a single, and then mingle. I had just super times on my trips! I recommend going to the speed dating events, don't expect too much in the way of meeting a special person, and have fun talking to nice people. It sure beats whatever is on TV for fun. read more

I've been to a rooftop nightlife tour, a cooking class, and a couple of speed datings with Professionals in the City. My first event with this group was their rooftop tour. The weather was not ideal, but it was a fun group of people. There were about 75 of us. It was a mix of singles and couples. I met just about everybody as we moved from rooftop to rooftop, plus I discovered some new nightspots. The cooking class was a knife skills class in Arlington. There were about 12 of us. The instructor was a little crazy but not necessarily in a bad way--she is used to running a restaurant kitchen. She taught us the best ways to chop vegetables and debone a chicken. We then prepared the meal and enjoyed it together. The two speed datings I attended each got about 50 people. It was an attractive and professional crowd. Before the speed dating began, they had a brief mixer, which gave me a chance to meet some of the other women. They then seated the men across from the women, and they had the men rotate every 4 minutes or so. After the event, attendees logged on to the group's website to upload a picture and send messages to other attendees. There was no place to check your coat and the room got loud at times, but I had a lot of fun and was impressed with the quality of the crowd. Overall, this is a nice group. Their events are well run, and they get a friendly crowd. Their focus seems to be on getting people to interact and socialize with new people, and at that they do an excellent job. read more

Unfortunately I have to give it something before I can write a review and to be honest with you I wish I could give them absolutely zero stars. Three of my girlfriends and I decided to purchase the livingsocial/ groupon deal with pros in the city. We had all been talking about doing speed dating because none of us had ever tried it and thought it would be fun to do together. Let's just say there is a reason they needed to spread the word with livingsocial/ groupon. It was unorganized and a huge disappointment. They inform you to show up early, which we all did, but the event ended up starting 30 minutes late. The organizers that were running the show did not even inform anybody that it was running late and the event venue changed from the restaurant to the hotel bar lounge. We only found out because we went on a scavanger hunt to locate the people running the show. The two girls were rude and not helpful. There wasn't a sorry we had to change venues or it's running late. They were both dismissive. Secondly, there were more woman than men. Why didn't the organizers try to get some of the men that were leaving the bar to stay? Find out if they were single? The majority of the people in the bar were woman, hardly any men. If I wanted to meet new girlfriends I would have gladly signed up for the deal, but we were there to see our options for men. I will never do anything with pros in the city. Huge waste of time and money. read more

I attended a speed dating event on a Friday. At the end of the night, the coordinator said we would be able to contact anyone from the speed dating event through the website. I do not see anyplace on the website to contact the other participants. I filled out a Contact Us form on Saturday asking how to navigate to that functionality - no answer. On Monday, I called their phone number, which went straight to voicemail, and left a voicemail - no answer. Then on Tuesday, I sent another request for help on their Contact Us form - no answer. Their lack of communication has been extremely frustrating, to say the least. I now which I didn't attend the event and saved the $30 from registration, $6 for parking, $13 for a drink, and my time. read more

Going out for New Year's is a lot of work, especially in a city that is not your home. You have to dress up, pay a premium on food/drinks/cover and deal with crowds that aren't normally out on a Friday night. We were going to be in DC for the weekend to visit family and needed a place to celebrate the New Year. Being unfamiliar with the best bars and local hangouts, we decided to go with a party in a hotel. After searching the web for several options, reading various reviews and looking at what you get for your money, we decided on the Professionals in the City New Years party at the Washington Hilton. Compared to other hotel parties going on, they seemed to offer the most variety in regard to food, entertainment and had the best feedback regarding alcohol. Overall I was pleased with our selection. We got there before the party started to get our wristbands. I do recommend that. Everyone seemed to hit the food tables first. There seemed to be an Asian theme to the food with lots of appetizers and such. They even had a roasted pig. The food line was probably the longest line of the night. It was nice to get eating out of the way early. Based on menus, this party seemed to have more offerings vs. the other parties we considered. I'm not going to say the food was 5 star, but it was decent for a buffet offering. If you want fine dining, then go to a restaurant. The party had a good alcohol situation. There seemed to be plenty of bars and I never really had any long waits to refill. This was my biggest concern in an "open bar" scenario. Towards the end of the evening, they started running out of various beers, so I had to keep changing up what I was drinking. That sucked because I was eventually forced to drink Bud. They did offer a variety of beers, liquors, wine and champagne. Please note that I only drank beer this evening. In open bar scenarios, you tend to get watered down alcoholic drinks. I thought my best way to avoid this was to just drink beer. I didn't have issues waiting for beer. I can't speak to the liquor lines. I will say that my wife said the champagne didn't seem very strong at all, almost like fruit juice. For entertainment, they offered multiple rooms with different themes and music. You had salsa, karaoke, bollywood, dance, hip-hop, a speed dating room and the main room. In addition to a DJ in the main room, they had a Lady Gaga impersonator come out three times during the night. To be honest, she got better once the alcohol started to kick-in. I'd consider coming to this party again if I'm in town. read more

A group of us attended their New Year's Eve party at the Washington Hilton this past New Year's. We bought our tickets a few days before the party so we paid quite a bit more than people who purchased earlier. If I return next year, I will buy my ticket earlier. However, we got a group discount, so that helped some. The theme was international. When you entered, they gave you a "Passport" to get stamped in each room. I didn't actually get mine stamped, but I used it as a guide. Each room featured entertainment representing a different country. There was salsa, Bollywood, karaoke, speed dating, and some other rooms. Most singles started out the night at speed dating. Couples gravitated towards the dance lessons. I recommend the Bollywood room. They had a professional photographer taking portraits but he kept wandering away, so I never got a picture, but I did get a caricature of myself. The hotel had just been renovated, so everything was new. There were a lot of people at the party but the space is huge so it was not too crowded. The coat check line was long (next time I would park at the hotel and leave coats in the car), but otherwise we did not hit any long lines. Food and drinks were plentiful. Huge New Year's Eve hotel galas are not usually my thing but I had a lot of fun. This event had a good crowd, a nice atmosphere, and a wide range of activities. I was pleasantly surprised. I would do this again. read more

Randomly went on a pizza party + beer/wine open bar cruise for the 4th of July on one of the Potomac Riverboat Company's boats, chartered by Professionals in the City. It was just our speed - casual, relaxed, a little bootleg, and got to see the fireworks - but thankfully we didn't pay full price (we paid half price, at about $80). The pizza, while I appreciate that they got it from a local Old Town pizza place next to the doc, was a terrible deep dish version of Cici's Pizza and very dry (Bugsy's). They didn't get enough and it was gone rather quickly. They also ran out of most of their beers pretty quickly, but didn't run out of all of them...or all of the wine. They had some pretty strange choices though - beer from Israel and Portugal? Almost seemed like random new stuff to try that was donated by the companies themselves. Still, though, the Potomac Riverboat Company crew was a class act, and we still had a pretty fun time. I know that some girls who had dressed up and thought it'd be more than that (and who had paid full price) weren't too pleased at first. But come on, what do you expect - especially after you google pictures of the boat? It's not a yacht, and it's a pizza party for godsakes. All in all, good fun, and a relaxing way to see the fireworks. read more

I've attended many events run by professionals in the city. The events I've attended have included NYE gala, Happy Hours, Speed Dating, Dance Events, and Social Dinners. The events I've promoted through them have all included dance related events. Their staff is exemplary and professional. I have never experienced anything but attentive and efficient service. They company owner is often at the events himself, ensuring that quality service is maintained. The staff also put out a positive energy which just makes the event more fun. What prosinthecity offers is a creative schedule filled with over 1000 events per year of almost anything you can imagine. While some events end up being lightly attended, other ones are packed or wait listed. This group is not afraid to try new ideas and receives proposals for events constantly from the community. You should keep an eye on their calendar. You want to cook, ride horses, do your taxes, meet new people, fly a plane, dance, hula hoop, juggle...etc... this is a great place to start. read more

I attended a skeet shooting event with pros in the city and had a great time! The staff were super friendly and helpful both from pros and at the skeet shooting location. Although my shooting could use some work the instructor was very patient and offered a lot of helpful tips. The rest of the group was also very supportive and we all got along very well. I appreciated that they didnt laugh at me :) I would not have gone by myself so am very grateful that there was a way to attend such a fun event in a friendly environment with Pros in the City. If there is a level 2 I will certainly be attending. Thanks Pros. read more

PIC's Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval trip this past Feb was amazing! We met lots of new great people and couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Brazil. Amongst the parades, parties, and exotic drinks there's the gorgeous Brazilian scenery- the mountains, rain forests, and who could forget their breathtaking beaches. Everything was organized, for the price we paid we got round-trip airfare, hotel stay, a city tour and guide, and even a welcome dinner which added a unique touch. This was my first event with Pros in the City and I had such an amazing time that it will certainly NOT be my last! read more

I was helping a friend move to D.C., and I decided to stay through the week. She was trying to get used to her transition from a long-term relationship, and we learned on Yelp about this group and its speed dating events. We thought, why not. So we got in our best get up and decided to go in, game on. It wasn't at all what we expected. We thought it would be filled with some jaded, nervous people in a stuffy place. Instead the bar was actually pretty cool and the atmosphere was really laid back. I could even hear some of the people talking, and it was actually really fun to meet people. I met some great people that night, including some that I will get together with again when I go back to visit. Thanks Yelp! read more

Horrendous for several reasons - let me start with the more important points first. I just attended a seated speed dating event with them on Saturday (3 days ago), and they messed up my entry into the dating system somehow, so I can't contact anyone I met at the event. The dating system - according to them - closes within 48 hours, so there's little chance I'll ever be able to contact anyone from the event. Unfortunately for me, there might've been some good connections at this event, not because they created a positive ambiance or anything. I emailed them 3 times, and I called 3 times - mostly because I'm upset with the whole situation. No response. The phone number listed goes to a Google Voice number and automatic voicemail, the email functionality on their website doesn't seem to work. They basically don't care, are incompetent, or both. ... the event itself was a disaster - they didn't have anyone's registration information - they spent 5 minutes asking questions as if it was an interrogation. There was a point where I thought maybe I really was at the wrong event or something. Hotel guests decided to turn our group into entertainment and watch us and listen in very closely. Feeling nosy tonight huh - I wish I had said that to some of them. There were guys that were not signed up to the event that were hovering. My guess is that they heard about the event, didn't want to pay to attend and were hoping to pick up a girl or something of the sort. Most of them left when they realized how ridiculous the whole idea was (I hope). The event itself was disorganized - sometimes we didn't know which direction to go to. The hosts seemed disinterested and/or incompetent. The lights were turned up so bright, it felt like a long interrogation session - no ambiance whatsoever. There was much more, but honestly I'm just angry at the loss of a potential connection more than anything else (as you can probably tell). Someone needs to come up with a competing solution in the DC area. read more

I had an awesome time at this event, lots of beautiful and successful people all cutting loose and having a great time. Met some gorgeous girls and love how friendly and down to earth everyone was. Allot of these types of events tend to have weird people but the crowd here was very classy/attractive and down to earth. Was very refreshing after living in L.A for so long! Looking forward to attending some more events in 2011. Cheers! Aaron. read more

I have tried a couple of their events (Groupon--at least I did not pay full price!) and they can never get genders even close to balanced. Men have outnumbered women by 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 at both events I attended. That might be good for women (see caveat below), but definitely not good for guys. And this is after they make a false plea of "more men needed, sold out for women!" How does that translate to a 3-to-1 ratio of men to women?! Events never start on time because they are always waiting for people to show up. I guess people sign up and then think better of it -- wish I had! Be warned that people never fit the bill of whatever subgroup they are trying to pitch, like "fit and active" or "Professionals with graduate degrees in their 30s and 40s". They even say you don't have to fit the description, so long as your interested in dating somebody who does. Guess what happens?! Nobody actually fits the description. So, if you want a poorly organized and poorly attended event with mismatched numbers of men and women who don't fit the description of the event, this may be just your thing! read more

I attended a speed dating event last night at the Fin and Porter restaurant and I must say it was the worst experience I have ever had! Do not support this organization. They are just out to get your money! First off, the event was scheduled from 7pm - 9pm and the host did not show up till 8pm!! Then when she arrived she said we could not get a refund, only a credit to our account! There was only 2 men!! and like 20 + ladies sitting at tables by themselves. How is this a speed dating event if only 2 men are there for 20 + ladies?? This is an outrage! So then I get an email saying they are sorry and that they can not account for no shows! BS!!! She knows good and well that only 2 men signed up to began with! You should of cancelled the event and refunded peoples money when you saw that the numbers were not balanced. Not just try to make a quick buck and steal peoples money! Why would I want to use a CREDIT to come back again and be scammed??? Ripe off!!!!!!!! read more

I was at one of their events. Despite the claim that the made by saying tickets to women are sold out, it appeared most people attending were male. And not a single attractive women was there. But here, too many attractive girls have made reviews about DC Professionals!!! Something is not honest here. Waste of money and time. Find your date in a university, at work, at a gym, at a bar and you wont feel like being part of a loser society! I also wonder if those ppl given 5 star to DC professionals are being honest. Too much BS. read more

I went to the Halloween Speed dating at K Street lounge. A friend had gone to a previous event and loved it, so I wanted to try it out. The email sent to me said to be sure to arrive at 7, because the speed dating was going to start at 7.20 and if you weren't there you wouldn't get a refund. So I showed up at 6.55pm. When I got to the door (on a VERY cold night: the Saturday before Halloween) there were half a dozen people there. Whoever was running the event wouldn't let us inside until exactly 7. Even though we were all in costume and not dressed for the cold weather. I could understand not letting us into the speed dating area, but they wouldn't even let us inside the foyer of K Street lounge. So the night was not off to a great start. We went inside (much warmer in there!) and were told we could get drinks and mingle until speed dating started. I didn't have a watch on, so I'm not sure if speed dating started on time. During the speed dating portion of the evening, there was time for 20 meet-ups. I was only able to talk to 17 men because there were more women there than men. For the most part the guys were my age, but 2 that I spoke with were over 50. I was disappointed that I wasted 5 of my time slots on 'no one' or guys that were out of my desired age range. I didn't get to meet everyone that showed up for speed dating. After speed dating, we were told that we needed to move off of the couches because they had to set up for the after party. The staff was a little pushy, but I guess they were in a hurry. Then they opened the doors for the costume party. i wasn't drinking that night, but I overheard one guy's shock at the price of his drink; it was expensive even for DC standards. I doubted some of the negative reviews on here, but now I believe them. I think a lot of the 5 star reviews must be from staffers trying to boost the ratings. Definitely wouldn't recommend this to friends. Waste of time and money. read more

Pros in the City travel is horrendous. There is a lot of bait and switch. Even in the COVID-19 problems with travel, they refuse to give you a refund. read more

To be fair, this review is only based on their "Embassy of Barbados Hosts A Caribbean Night with Warm and Welcoming Festivities" event, I'll update if (a pretty big if) I attend any others. The whole event was poorly planned and executed. It's as though a couple of people got together one afternoon and tried to put together a party for that night. The "DJ" was a guy with a laptop and a couple of tiny speakers - needless to say, no one was dancing. The "bartender" was a poor girl forced to pour shot-glass sized wine for the hungry and hot crowd while constantly running out of beverages. The food didn't arrive until well past 8, and resulted in a mad-dash to the buffet. Even though we were near the front of the line, it still took 30 minutes to get through. When we finally made it, we were handed tiny appetizer-sized plates and told if we wanted more, we'd have to wait through the line again. The food was mediocre at best. There was absolutely no ambiance - it was pretty much a bunch of annoyed people packed into a slightly small, too hot (couldn't someone have opened a window??), relatively empty space. I've been to $5 house parties that have far surpassed this in quality. Even at a discounted price, my friends and I were really disappointed. If I had paid the full amount ($60), I'd be pissed. read more

I am giving them 5 stars because of the variety and number of events they offer and b/c my brother is now happily engaged to a girl he met at one of their speed dating events 3 years ago. Who knew speed dating really worked?? I am not sure how I feel about speed dating, but this seems to be the one org that offers this kind of event regularly. I myself and still too weirded out to try it. I wanted to get out and try some new things so I went to some events and I have to say I've enjoyed all of them. Because a lot of people come to the events alone, they want to get to know you and strike up conversation. I still have a group of friends I met at a scavenger hunt from years ago. The events I have been to are: a cooking class, which I still remember well because we made the best white gaspacho and had some amazing fruit salad and basque cake. I also went on a trip to Oktoberfest in Germany and had the time of my life, and I am sure the beer helped! I also tried their New Year's bash, but I am not really a fan of hotel parties. But they did draw a large crowd and had an open bar with food and all that for a good price. Also it's one of the few organizations where you can show up with out your friends and considering that DC is transitory, I think a group like this is necessary. read more

I tried many of their recreational activities and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they don't have as many these days, as they've specialized on speed dating. I've gone to many of those too, and they're surprisingly fun. Caveat: I haven't been to one for a couple of years, so this might not be up to date. I did attend at least 10 before then though, plus a few at their competitors'. PitC's are the best I've gone to. They're held in restaurants or bars, and typically had 20 people of each gender. You get to sit down, which is not always true with their competitors. You rotate through and get 4 minutes with each. Of course, that's not enough time to learn much, but you can see if there's an initial attraction worthy of a real date. You get a piece of paper to take notes, but there's almost no time to do so. Word of advice: do it anyway as you go along, because you'll forget who's who by the end. Afterward you connect a Web site where you can e-mail other attendees without revealing your actual e-mail address. You can upload your picture and write some text, but often not all attendees do, which is why those notes are important. I long ago lost track, but I probably met 150-200 women, went on a real date with about 10%, and had one go past a few dates into a 4-month relationship. Not a great average, but speed dating is the shotgun strategy: a lot of shots spread wide, and maybe one will hit. People with more charisma would probably do better than me. :-) It's a lot more efficient than trying to meet people individually in bars or other places, and it's pretty cheap. read more

Different events and venues vary, try the large speeddating events at K St Lounge. One is coming up 8/6 for 20's/30s. I've met some great people at these events. They also have various ones w/themes (bring a friend, 20 questions, profile match, etc) but the one 8/6 is general (but age specific). read more

I have been completely underwhelmed, unimpressed and disappointed by Professionals in the City. I have sent multiple emails and made phone calls to inquire about a trip and have found them to be very slow to respond, if they respond at all. The last time I called and left a message that I wanted to sign up for a trip but had some questions, they never called back in 2 weeks, despite 3 messages. By the time someone did call back the price of the trip had inceased almost $500, so needless to say I was no longer interested. In the past two weeks and friend and I have both called and emailed to inquire about another trip and we still have yet to hear from anyone. Does anyone REALLY work at this company?? read more

This is not a bad place to meet someone. My friends and I have been to some of the events. The organizers are helpful and friendly. One turn off: They often say "More men needed." But at the actual event the men outnumber of the women. I don't know whey they do this other than to make the women feel like they have a lot to choose from. It's a bit weird because you have a bunch of guys staring at their Iphones while they wait to meet to meet the next woman in the rotation. read more

I have been to two speen dating events with Pros in the City and they have both been HORRIBLE. I went to one and there were 8 women and 3 men. Then we were told that only 4 men total signed up- we should have been notified of the off ratio or the event should have been cancelled. The women did get credit for another event. I should have gave it back. I decided to do another event and I asked how many people of each sex signed up. While they couldn't give me an exact answer (not sure why) I was told that past events at that location had 20-25 people. I get there 20 minutes into the event and there are 3 men and me. Mind you that the event said more men needed and that it was sold out to women up to the day before the event. I am dissappointed with my expereinces and I do not recommend them. read more

I've only had good experiences with this group. I mostly attend the embassy functions and the staff members have been nice enough to introduce me to people who they think I might get along with and to facilitate communication. I don't attend events on a regular basis as I'm no longer living in DC, but whenever I make a trip in, I always check the calender for something fun to do! read more

Don't waste your money. The organizer don't do anything besides reserving the bar or restaurant for the speed dating and just whistle or make any other type of noise when is time to change tables (you'll get what I mean, if you attend the events). They have no control over the attendees, and their events are quite cheap and not worth the money. Note 1: If you see "more men needed" in their events, they are full of BS. Personal experience has been that the event turned out to be a sausage fest. Every single time... why don't I learn from my mistakes. Note 2: Expect quite a big range in age in the events; "25 to 35" indicates that they expect this age range but not necessarily means that's the age of the attendees. It will be more like 35 - 50. Yeah, seriously.... wrinkles don't lie.... and random conversation on retirement doesn't help. Note 3: I see quite some good looking girls reviewing this company, this sure wasn't my experience attending 2 of their events. Where did they go? The ones attending.... I guess they were women. read more