Do you dread being dateless on Valentine’s Day? Fear not, say the Professional Matchmakers at Executive Search Dating, Vancouver’s premier dating service for busy professionals.

“Dating is one of those rare activities where you get better results when you are having fun doing it” says Paddi Rice, President and Founder of Executive Search Dating “So avoiding the pressure of Valentine’s Day and turning into a fun night is a good way to ready yourself for dating happiness.”

Here are Executive Search Dating’s Top 7 Valentine’s Day dating do’s and don’ts for Vancouver Singles:

Do:

1. Chill out: if you don’t have anyone special in your life at the moment, use it as a chance to connect with some other singles friends for something fun.  Who knows, you may even run into one of Executive Search Dating’s professional cupids!

2. Ski Cupid: hit the slopes on Valentine’s Day evening for an outdoor adventure. Cypress Mountain night skiing is a Vancouver winter classic.

3. Love thy Canucks: kick the Valentine’s Day blues by watching our beloved Vancouver Canucks, who play the day before (February 13th against The Phoenix Coyotes) and the day after (February 15th against the Colorado Avalanche) Valentine’s Day. Watching hockey (whether you are a fan or not) is one of THE best ways to meet new people in Vancouver!

4. Be Proactive: repeating the same dating tactics and expecting a different result won’t work. This year, try something new; visit a new neighbourhood, say hi to some new people, or join a professional dating service to meet some high quality, compatible singles!

Don’t:

5. Rush it: just because its Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you need to hit the fast forward button on a budding romance… getting to know each other at a pace that feels natural is more important than feeling compelled to make the earth move on Valentine’s Day.

6. Lead someone on: having dinner with a friend of the opposite sex can be a nice antidote to the stress of Valentine’s Day, but be sure that he or she knows its only as friends if you suspect they may want more.

7. Be depressed: after all, Valentine’s Day is the unofficial start to the spring dating season, the BEST time of the year to meet someone new!

Executive Search Dating, Vancouver’s premier dating service for singles and professionals, is getting Vancouver singles ready for Valentine’s Day: the most exciting AND dreaded day of the year!

“Valentines day can be great if you have someone special in your life, but it can also be stressful if you’re single” says Paddi Rice, President and Owner of Executive Search Dating. “With all the pressure surrounding the big day, it’s not fun to find yourself dateless on February 14th. But stay positive; the arrival of Valentine’s Day means spring is right around the corner, THE best time of the year to meet someone new!”

Here are Executive Search Dating’s Top 7 Valentine’s Day Dating Myths:

1. It means everything: the world won’t come to an end if you are dateless on Valentine’s Day. Lose the blues, meet-up with a few friends and use it as a chance to meet some new people.

2. It means nothing: if you do have someone special in your life, make an effort to show them how much you care. Yes, it’s a ‘Hallmark Holiday’, but leaving your sweetheart alone on Valentine’s Day will send the wrong message.

3. You have to celebrate it on February 14th: pick another day around that time and make it your own personal Valentine’s Day. It’ll be much less crowded and less expensive too!

4. It has to be dinner, chocolates and flowers: be unconventional; catch some live music, hit a museum or go ice skating at Robson Square. Creativity always trumps convention.

5. The earth has to move on Valentine’s Day: the best dating moments are ones that come naturally. Don’t feel pressured to do or say anything on Valentine’s Day that you wouldn’t do or say on any other date night.

6. You need to spend lots of money: in the dating world: meaning matters more than money. The best gifts are thoughtful ones, not necessarily expensive ones.

7. If I’m single on Valentine’s Day, I’ll be single all year: actually, Valentine’s Day is NOT the best time to meet someone new. But spring is, and it’s just around the corner!

Executive Search Dating (www.ExecutiveSearchDating.com), voted Vancouver’s ‘Best Dating Service’ in the 2011 Georgia Straight Best of Vancouver awards, is a professional matchmaking service founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2004 by Paddi Rice. Modeled after the Executive Search recruiting industry, Executive Search Dating matches their client base both with existing clients AND with headhunts who are proactively sought out and carefully screened specifically for them.

Executive Search Dating is a Dating Headhunter. We are NOT an online dating service. Our clients, in fact, are typically busy singles and professionals who have grown tired of online dating and the bar scene; or who are looking for better quality, “relationship minded” matches.

Here are some important ways in which Executive Search Dating differs from online dating:

1. Careful screening: we meet and carefully screen all matches for you.  Our 5 point screening process, in fact, is the best in the industry.
2. Personalized matchmaking: our professional matchmakers meet and interview each and every one of our clients and hand select compatible matches for them. This ensures higher quality matches for you.
3. Proactive matchmaking: we are a Dating Headhunter, which means that you have access to our database of thousands of high quality Vancouver singles, AND headhunts that we proactively find and carefully screen just for you.
4. Making dating easy (and fun!): once we select your match, we also handle all the date arrangements including reservations at one of our many partner restaurants. You just need to show up on your date and have fun!
5. Fine tuning: after your dates you provide us with confidential post-date feedback, including a match rating for your date, which we (and you) use to continuously fine tune your matching criteria. Its a fun AND intelligent way to date.

With the Christmas season now in full swing, many singles are asking themselves: ‘What should I get for my special someone?’

The key in successful gifting, as in dating, is this: meaning always wins out over money. Here are some gift ideas to help you win the heart of someone special, and some to avoid:

1. Best: for the traveller in your life - try a travel guide or photo book of someplace you know the person wants to travel to some day.
2. Worst: an all expense paid weekend away to someplace the person doesn’t want to go to!
3. Best: for the sports enthusiast – try a sports accessory that you know they need, a portable water flask, a good workout shirt or a heart rate monitor are often must-haves for the wanna-be athlete.
4. Worst: a fad diet book or a book on ‘how to get sculpted abs in 10 days’.
5. Best: for the culture lover – make or buy and nice card with a personalized message; include 2 tickets to a cultural or music event that you know they’d love to attend.
6. Worst: a piece of tacky art.

Christmas is a GREAT time to meet some new people. It also comes complete with the year’s best “secret” to meeting someone special. In this CBC interview we reveal what it is:

http://www.executivesearchdating.com/media_centre/audio/e_cbc3.html

Executive Search Dating, the Vancouver dating service for singles and professionals, wants to help Vancouver singles meet their special someone this holiday season. “The holidays can be a great time to meet someone new,” says Paddi Rice, President and Matchmaker-in-Chief of Executive Search Dating.

“The holiday season is THE ‘perfect storm’ of good tidings for local singles,” Says Rice. “Firstly, its peak season for parties of every shape and size; plus everyone is in a friendly mood and open to meeting new people.”

Here are Executive Search Dating’s top 5 ways to meet someone special this holiday season:

1.  More Santa less Scrooge: holi-dating success begins with a positive attitude. Be jolly, and practice saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to new people. It’s the best approach line of the year!

2.  Carve out some time for yourself: don’t fill up your holiday calendar with just family and work events; make some time to attend events where you are likely to meet some NEW people too.

3.  Join in all the reindeer games: Christmas parties tend to bring out a wider variety of singles than you might otherwise meet. Tag along to a friends Christmas event and ask them to introduce you to some interesting and well connected people.

4.  Be the Christmas party you wish to attend: invite some friends to your place, and ask them to bring some single friends… house parties are one of THE best ways to meet new people in Vancouver.

5.  Meet in December, date in January: making new connections in December is fun, but trying to arrange a date can be challenging. Plan your first date in January, which will give you both something to be excited about after the holiday season is over.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/executive-search-datings-top-5-ways-to-meet-someone-special-this-holiday-season-1591718.htm

What to do if there isn’t someone to snuggle with this Holiday season? Here are some proven tips to heat up your holiday dating life this Christmas season:

http://www.executivesearchdating.com/24.html

At this time of remembrance, here are 10 dating tips to never forget in your quest for a meaningful relationship:

1. Be yourself: the first step in connecting with someone is showing the truest version of yourself.
2. Take the pressure off: dating is the one activity where relaxation, and not pressure, will yield better results.
3. Leave the checklist at home: a key element of relaxing is not worrying about your dating checklist on a first date.  Remember, a first date is primarily a first step towards a second or third date, which is a much better time to talk about deeper issues.
4. Smile: a simple smile is one of the most powerful ways to generate interest and attraction in a partner. Everyone wants to be with someone who is positive.
5. Be considerate: treat your date, and all those around you, with genuine respect and consideration. It is in fact these attributes which lead to a more lasting connection than pure physical chemistry alone.
6. Don’t judge a book by its cover: although initial chemistry is one element of compatibility, remember that true chemistry doesn’t always show itself on a first date.  In fact, chemistry that develops slowly and over time can be the kind that lasts forever.
7. Listen actively: talking about yourself all night is no fun, particularly for the other person.  Be interested in them and it will most likely be reciprocated.
8. Rome was not built on one date: unless you are absolutely sure that you have no connection with someone on a first date, always aim to meet someone for a second date which are typically less pressure and more fun.
9. Don’t burn bridges: even if you don’t connect romantically with someone, be considerate and respectful.  Remember, if you leave a positive impression your date may know someone who’s perfect for you.
10. Never lose hope: in dating and in life, success goes to those who persist.  Be positive and look at dating as a chance to meet new people; don’t worry too much about chemistry and other things that you can’t control.

The dating world has changed in the past 10 years. In some ways for the better. In some ways not so much. A common concern we hear from singles today is this: there are ways to meet people casually these days (ie. online dating and the bar scene); but it can be challenging to meet singles who are looking for a RELATIONSHIP, not just a casual encounter.

Here’s our take:

• There are just as many quality, relationship ready singles in Vancouver as there ever were.  Professional matchmaking services such as Executive Search Dating, in fact, have never been busier.
• Virtually all singles, men and women, reach a stage where they are ‘relationship ready’ but it doesn’t necessarily happen at the same time.
• If you are ‘relationship ready’, realize that not all singles who you meet (particularly online or in bars) are looking for something long term.
• The key is that you and the person you are dating are on the same page: ie. either both wanting something casual or both looking for something long term. After you’ve been on a few dates and if you feel things are going well, be open to discussing this with your partner if required.
• Although often overlooked as a match criteria, relationship readiness is in fact one of the most ESSENTIAL components of a successful match and lasting relationship.