
Room to Imagine’s acrylic pouring workshop is among the multitude of date ideas that Date Out has to offer Officially launched in June 2018, Date Out is available as a mobile app for download from Google Play and iTunes. The marketplace platform is also accessible as a website from a mobile or desktop browser. Currently, Date Out provides a mixture of services and experiences across a number of categories depending on one’s preferences. Book a session for two via the app to make your own candles and fragrances under “Workshops”, or purchase and have customised gifts such as rubber stamps, handcrafted clay dishes and jewellery delivered to your significant other under the “Personalised Gifts” category. There is also a “Near Me” function that provides a Google Maps view of nearby activities and services available on the platform. About 70 businesses, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, are now listed on Date Out. “We screen our vendors very carefully by meeting them first, individually, before trying out what they have to offer,” shares Khong, who has personally tried her hand at everything on Date Out from an acrylic pouring art workshop to bungee jumping at Sentosa. “It was sweaty palms from the start to end for me [during the activity], but at the end of the day, I felt that it brought my partner and me closer,” describes Khong of the latter activity. “I didn’t want to do it at first, but had to eventually convince myself that it was for the business [Date Out]. After that I found myself thinking: Wow, [my partner and I] achieved something together that we both thought we would never be able to,” she laughs. Khong says she and Ang are also planning to roll out what they call “surprise dates”, the platform’s equivalent of omakase (a Japanese meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef). “We realise that people in their 20s to 30s are generally very adventurous, but they are also very busy. We let them choose the amount they want to spend on the date, their preferences — whether they are sporty or just feel like going on a more relaxed date and chill — and we’ll put together something special for them,” elaborates Khong. “This kind of ‘feel good’ things are very important in a relationship. You might not remember the exact details [of an experience], but you can easily remember the feeling you get from activities you’ve participated in together.” Now that Khong has found a new love, she has all the more reason to use Date Out herself. “We’ve tried out a lot of things together [on Date Out]. Now, the only time I ever spend on Google is when I’m doing work,” she chuckles.