iDate
In short: iDate is a long-running conference series for the online dating industry, hosted by Mark Brooks, founder of the consultancy Courtland Brooks. In 2015 it was owned by Brooks and Marc Lesnick, with attendee records going back to 2004, and it ran an annual awards programme announced at its Las Vegas event.
Key facts
| Type | Events and matchmaking |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mark Brooks |
| Fact | Dating Industry Insights describes iDate as a conference series for the online dating industry hosted by Mark Brooks, founder of the consultancy Courtland Brooks [Dating Industry Insights, April 2026] |
| Owner | Mark Brooks and Marc Lesnick were the owners of the iDate Conference and Online Personals Watch, and were believed to have put both businesses up for sale [Global Dating Insights, December 2015] |
| Fact | The reported sale included a database of people who attended iDate conferences since 2004, the iDate awards concept and related domain names [Global Dating Insights, December 2015] |
| Fact | The iDate Awards were announced every year at the Las Vegas conference, with free nominations followed by a public vote [Global Dating Insights, 2015] |
| Role | Mark Brooks is listed as CEO of Courtland Brooks and a confirmed speaker at the GDI New York conference on 18 March 2026 [Global Dating Insights, 2026] |
About iDate
iDate is a conference series for the online dating industry. Dating Industry Insights describes it as hosted by Mark Brooks, who also founded the consultancy Courtland Brooks, and has called it the de facto industry gathering for operators exploring alternatives to the swipe model.
Global Dating Insights reported in December 2015 that Brooks and Marc Lesnick owned both the iDate Conference and the Online Personals Watch blog. At that time the pair were believed to have put both businesses up for sale, asking between $1 million and $8 million, according to documents shared with the publication. The reported sale package included a database of people who had attended iDate conferences since 2004, the iDate awards concept, related domain names and social media accounts. Courtland Brooks, a strategy, PR and business development consultancy created by Brooks in 2004, was also reported to be part of the sale.
The iDate Awards were announced every year at the Las Vegas conference, with nominations followed by a public vote. Global Dating Insights lists 2015 winners including Zoosk.com for best dating site, Tinder for best mobile dating app and Happn for best up and coming dating site. Global Dating Insights, a trade news publisher, states that it is part of Courtland Brooks, and Brooks was a confirmed speaker at its New York conference in March 2026. The current ownership and schedule of iDate were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
Also mentioned in
Questions about iDate
Who runs iDate?
Dating Industry Insights describes iDate as hosted by Mark Brooks, founder of Courtland Brooks. In 2015 it was co-owned by Brooks and Marc Lesnick.
What are the iDate Awards?
They were annual industry awards announced at the iDate conference in Las Vegas, chosen by free nomination followed by a public vote.
Is iDate still running?
This was not confirmed in the sources reviewed. Dating Industry Insights referred to the iDate conference series in April 2026.
What does iDate do?
iDate is a long-running conference series for the online dating industry, hosted by Mark Brooks, founder of the consultancy Courtland Brooks. In 2015 it was owned by Brooks and Marc Lesnick, with attendee records going back to 2004, and it ran an annual awards programme announced at its Las Vegas event.
Who founded iDate?
iDate was founded by Mark Brooks.
Also known as: iDate Conference, iDate conference series, Internet Dating Conference.