Boyfriend Material

In addition to Qwik Dates, Rafael Risemberg is founder of Boyfriend Material. This newer iteration of Risemberg’s original Date Bait concept includes a soul-searching component that improves participants’ chances of finding the right match.

Boyfriend Materials Versus Qwik Dates
Boyfriend Material events begin with introspection. “I come up with four questions about interests, values, lifestyle,” Risemberg says. People’s responses to these multiple-choice queries determine where they stand. Occupying the same part of the room, similarly minded attendees then assemble into a circle and launch into discussion. “It’s not a one-on-one assignment, or random,” Risemberg says. “They’re self-selected with people they have something in common with.”

Don’t expect run-of-the-mill questions, either. They change with each Boyfriend Material event.

Why Attend
Is Boyfriend Material still valid in the age of Internet dating, when potential suitors have all the screen space in the world to show their faces and bear their souls? “All I can say is, I’m still doing events,” Risemberg responds. He also says that, because most online platforms are geared toward hookups, and because those hookups are so easy to orchestrate, the gay men attending Boyfriend Material are more focused on forming deeper relationships.

And thanks to Boyfriend Material’s formatting, a person is more likely to find a good date than to meet someone with whom he has little compatibility. In fact, Risemberg mentions that two Boyfriend Material attendees not only entered a permanent relationship, but also recently opened a restaurant together.

Description
Between Qwik Dates and Boyfriend Material, Risemberg says he averages a dating event every three weeks. Like its sister, the $20 Boyfriend Material happenings are held at the Center, with participants dressed casually but neatly. Although Boyfriend Material events are not age-targeted, the question-and-answer sessions tailor-make the initial connections between singles.    
•    Email inquiries: bfmaterialny@gmail.com
•    www.bfmaterialny.com