Make sure your Watch Party is a Hit!
Why watch your favorite team at home by yourself when you could be spending time with all your favorite sports fans? Throwing a sports watch party is a fun way to cheer on the players you love and really get into the game. And fortunately, sports watch party planning is actually quite easy – especially if you use Potluck to handle all the details.
Watch Party Planning Basics
1. Choose Your Game
2. Sign up for Potluck
3. Invite and Delegate
4. Clean and Decorate
5. Test Your Equipment
Choose Your Game
Depending on whether your sport-of-choice is football, hockey, or something else, you’re probably already familiar with when and where your team generally plays. But when you’re watch party planning, you’ll likely want to choose an especially important game for your guests, such as a championship event or big rivalry matchup.
Sign up for Potluck
Potluck streamlines the process of party planning so that your to-do lists, group chats, and RSVP notes are all in one place. As soon as you choose which game you want to plan a party for, sign up for a Potluck membership to become the ultimate host or hostess. This makes it easy to stay on top of your watch party checklist and know who’s coming and what they’re bringing.
Your guests will find the platform easy too because there’s no app download required and they don’t have to be Potluck members to RSVP!
Invite and Delegate
For close friends and family, you might casually mention in conversation that you’re having a watch party coming up soon. However, it never hurts to have a visual reminder of the date and time so that your guests can get your party on their busy social calendars. Lots of party planners use email, text, or better yet, an online RSVP app to build the guest list.
While you’re at it, encourage your guests to commit in advance to what they’re going to bring for food or drinks. This way you won’t end up with 10 bags of chips and no salsa! For drinks, you can have guests BYOB, offer a couple kinds of local craft beer, or plan a signature cocktail without the hassle of stocking a full bar.
Party Hack #1: Finger foods are perfect for watch parties because they’re easy to grab during the game without missing exciting plays.
Clean and Decorate
Sport watch planning parties are usually informal and super chill, so don’t worry about deep-cleaning your entire house from top to bottom. But you’ll likely want to clear away some clutter from the seating area and tidy up a bit around the TV. It’s also a fun idea to decorate your viewing space with your team’s colors by picking up some streamers, balloons, and team-branded cups. Shop for supplies online or make some yourself if you’re feeling crafty!
Party Hack #2: Close the doors to rooms in your house that guests don’t need to access so that you don’t have to take time to clean them while you are busy party planning.
Test Your Equipment
Nothing ruins a sports watch party quite like technical difficulties. At least a few days before your party, test your video and audio equipment to make sure everything is working perfectly. Checking your equipment in advance will give you time to run to the electronics store or make a quick upgrade if something isn’t working right.
While you’re at it, assess your seating situation so that all of your guests will have a comfy place to watch the game when they arrive. Floor seating is totally fine too when you add some cozy cushions and pillows to the mix.
Party Hack #3: Just outside the TV viewing area, create a separate socializing space for guests who are more interested in chatting than watching the game.
Ready to plan a watch party that your friends and family will be talking about until next season? Use Potluck to make the planning process easy and stress-free.