The group has been set up by long term expats Debbie Dionysius and Claire Ratcliffe and a group of their friends, with the aim of creating a series of quality social networking evenings for single expats on the island, targeting eligible professional men and women in their 30s to 50s.
“Phuket is such a transient place and so many people come and go, and many single people get trapped in their own networks,” Debbie says.
“Whether it’s guys in the real estate business ending up networking in that industry, hospitality industry going out with other hospitality people, single mothers hanging out with other parents – people don’t have the opportunity to get out of their social circle.
“There’s not enough opportunities to meet other people. There are a lot of unattached people on the island, and they always say ‘Where are all the expat single women and men?’”
“I’ve talked with both male and female friends about doing something like for about 18 months. And last weekend I decided just to do it – there’s never going to be a good time, so lets put it out there and see what type of response we get.
“We are testing the waters – we need to see if there are enough people that would support an event like this.”
The group will hold its first event this Friday (September 7) at Breeze restaurant in Cape Yamu from 7pm.
Debbie stresses the event is not a “date night” nor will there be any speed dating component.
“There won’t be any exercises to put people on the spot to present themselves as an available match. We might get to that later if people want that, but let’s start by getting people in the same place, having a few drinks, relaxing, exchanging business cards and chatting.
“We will build from there. I want the people who are supporting the event to determine what the future events will be.
“There are some really fantastic unattached people on the island, and many often think about leaving because it is so difficult to meet anybody to go out with here. There are potential partners here, but it is just so hard to find them because we move in such different circles.”
Married people are also able to attend, as long as they bring a single friend, and the age requirements are only a “rough guideline”, Debbie says.
Friday night’s event at Breeze runs from 7-9pm, and is priced at B1,000++ inclusive of wine, beer and canapés. The door prize is a dinner for two at Breeze.
RSVP before Friday morning by contacting Debbie at debbied@lagunaphuket.com or 081 892 8020. Those interested are also encouraged to click ‘like’ on the group’s Facebook page facebook.com/SingleInPhuket