Soiree Society was the only Northern Ireland entrant to be recognised at the glittering London ceremony amongst very tough competition from companies all over the United Kingdom. Founder and owner Claire Hughes, a former Bank Manager from Castlecaulfield, initially set up the business as an events company for unattached people.
In April she launched the matchmaking service after identifying a gap in the market for a professional and confidential dating service for people who disliked the public face of on-line internet dating sites, the bar scene or speed dating events as a way of meeting a potential partner. Northern Ireland is such a small place and when I started my business I had a few raised eyebrows as to why a happily married person would want to get involved in the dating industry.
I soon realised there was a real stigma here associated with dating, mostly due to the perception that dating agencies were synonymous with one night stands, false profiles, people purporting to be younger or slimmer than they really were and married men pretending they were single! So I set out to build an ethical, professional and reputable service to meet the needs of those discerning clients who desire a highly customised and discreet dating service. Over the past 18 months, I have uncovered that there is such a demand in Northern Ireland for people wanting a genuine loving relationship.
At Soiree Society we do things very differently. It is an offline, confidential tailor-made service, working a little bit like how a recruitment company does to find the perfect candidate for a job vacancy.
We personally interview each full paying member on our books and only take on people who we truly believe we can match. They have the assurance that anyone we introduce them to has also been interviewed and has been authenticated. To be recognised with such a fantastic award is the icing on the cake.
