5 Tips for Bringing Your Date to a Work Event

There’s a swanky work event coming up and the boss has made it clear that attendance is mandatory. Most of your colleagues and clients who will be attending it are married. No one expects you to fly solo, so bringing a date to the big event is imperative.

The challenge is whether or not your date is up to it. First impressions are everything, and in the work realm, who you bring as a date to an event can have lasting repercussions on your career.

Dating expert Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating, one of the world’s largest brick-and-mortar dating services with more than 60 offices nationwide, has been helping singles maneuver the dating cubicles for decades.

Falzone shares five tips for bringing a date to a work event:

*Invite your date well ahead of time to the event to ensure that your date is not only available, but that s/he has enough time to prepare for the event. Advanced planning gives your date plenty of time for getting a haircut, buying a dress, renting a tux and so on. At the very least, you should ask a week in advance.

*Make sure your date has all the details of the event. S/he will need to know whether the affair is black tie or a more casual event in order to wear the proper attire. You should also inform her/him of where and when it will take place. Is it an awards ceremony? Will there be a four course meal or simply hors d’oeuvres? Will there be dancing or is it more of a networking event? What will be expected of her/him?

*Brief your date on the “who’s who” of the event. Be sure s/he knows (and understands the importance of) the “players” at the event such as C-level executives, key clients and anyone else you need to make a good impression upon.

*Above all, choose your date carefully. If you know that s/he is extremely uncomfortable in social situations or tends to imbibe a little too much, you may want to reconsider asking her/him to accompany you to a work event.

*Don’t invite a date out of guilt. So, you really like this guy you’re dating, but you just know he would not be a good fit for the event. Listen to your instincts. You know your boss, colleagues and clients better than he does and there are times when it’s best to keep business and your personal life separate. First impressions count, especially in the corporate world.

“Who you bring as a date to a work event reflects on you. You may be dating the sweetest person on earth, but if they have trouble stopping at one glass of wine and end up getting drunk, it’s going to embarrass you and your company and at the very least, your sound judgment will be questioned,” said Falzone.

He continued, “Trust your own judgment. If you have confidence in your date and have covered all the bases by asking her/him in advance and briefing her/him about the event, you should be able to rest easy.”