A Planner’s Guide to the Perfect Night Out
Ah, the age-old riddle — you wanna get the gang together to watch your hometown heroes trounce a bitter rival, but no one’s stepping up to plan it. Before you know it, the crew’s stuck in plan-alysis paralysis (Dinner b4? What about 🍺? Where’s the afterparty?) The wheels are spinning, but the crew’s just doing doughnuts in the parking lot. Enter you: the alpha friend with a plan. Don’t you just love when it all falls on you?
Batter up — Gametime’s here to give you some tips to knock those plans out of the park and preserve your sanity.
Prepare for Battle
If you’ve taken on the planning duties for a group, you’re going to have to do some emotional jiu-jitsu — you’ve got to be Captain of the S.S. Good Vibes during the mass text storm of the century. You’ll quickly find that some of your best friends can turn into your worst nemeses when it comes to planning a good time. Among the entries in Annoying Friends and How to Tame Them, you’ll find:
- The Sniper: No matter what you suggest, this person can’t be pleased. Mmmmm not the best time for me. I don’t like that band/team/restaurant. This person will never make a constructive suggestion but will shoot you down at every turn.
- The Meme-ster: We get it, Baby Yoda is So. Freaking. Cute. You know what isn’t? Flooding the chat with GIFs before we figure out what time to meet.
- The Phone-A-Friend: Without fail, you’ll probably have forgotten to include someone. Don’t worry, this trusty friend invited everyone else they bumped into on the street today. It won’t be too much trouble to get 5 extra tickets, will it?
When it comes to calming the complaint storm, you’re in luck! Gametime’s got the inside scoop to snag last-minute tickets to the hottest events in town. Plus, we’ve got some of the lowest fees in the game.
The Good Times Gameplan
Being the ringmaster isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be a total drag. Even with the inevitable annoyance, the name of the game is having fun … right? Here are a few tips to help you go with the flow and keep the good times rolling:
- Be a shepherd, not the commander
Micromanaging everyone will drive you (and your friends) nuts. Stay flexible and keep the end goal in mind. You want to keep the forward momentum, not force everyone to fall in line.
- Set and Setting
Pick the right event for the crew — you might have to compromise to keep everyone happy. Before you score primo seats to a metal show, ask yourself: how are these folks going to fare in the mosh pit? Gametime makes it easy to discover events the whole gang will love. Plus, we show only the best value tickets, so you don’t have to spend hours scrolling through your options.
- Appoint a Co-Captain
Every Belichick needs a Brady! Throw on your proverbial sleeveless hoodie and start delegating. This can be especially handy when you’re scoping out a venue and don’t want 6 people arguing for their preferred section. Don’t worry, Gametime’s got your back here, too — we’ve got detailed seat maps and photos for every section of the venue.
- Tech to the Rescue
After the barrage of mass text messages, you’re probably itching to go off the grid for good. On the other hand, collaborative spreadsheets and tools like Doodle can be a clever way to set limits, while still giving people a chance to contribute. The gang has finally landed on the perfect event, but now there’s another headache. Did you bring the tickets? Where do we meet? Gametime makes it easy to share — you can text or email your tickets right from your phone.
Planning can be a thankless job, and even downright painful at times. But with a few tricks and Gametime at your fingertips, planning the wildest night out can be a piece of cake.