Trying to get the stags in gear to book something can be like trying to herd a group of kittens down an escalator whilst blindfolded - or a 'f****** nightmare' as some people might put it.
Whenever you suggest something, they either don't reply, someone doesn't like one of your ideas, or somebody leaves the group never to be seen again... helpful!
Don't you fret! We've seen it all before, and we know a few surefire tips to get all the lads engaged and pumped up for that big weekend away - check them out below.
5 ways to get the stags in gear
- Dish Out Some Forfeits
- Get a Price Range
- Don't Try to Please Everybody
- Set the Tone
- Take the Hassle Out of Planning
1. Dish Out Some Forfeits
It goes without saying, the first port of call when arranging a stag do is getting a list of people off the groom and setting up the Whatsapp group where you can throw out ideas and people can ignore them at will.
A great way to get the guys to respond to your suggestions is to set a time limit (1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, half a day - whatever), and if someone doesn't respond within that window, they will be forced to do a forfeit on the stag - dealer's choice!
2. Get a Price Range
One of the first questions you're going to want to find out is how much people are willing to/can afford to spend. This will save a lot of back and forth, and you can go off and sort something which will work with their budget straight away.
3. Don't Try to Please Everybody
No matter what you suggest, somebody in your group is bound to have an issue with it. Rather than letting everyone have a say, speak to the groom about what he wants to do and maybe one or two of his closest friends, and then just tell the rest of the group what's happening. They can like it or lump it. This weekend's about the groom, after all, not them!
4. Set the Tone
If you go into it with a negative, can't-be-arsed attitude, then nobody is going to get pumped up for it. Psyche yourself up, generate some excitement and transmit that throughout the group. Not only will this get everyone raring and ready to go, but they'll be more inclined to engage with it and book.
5. Take the Hassle Out of Planning
Back in the day, long before StagWeb existed (pre-2002), the best man would spend the majority of the months leading up to the stag chasing everyone up for money, awkwardly asking some of the groom's mates he didn't know that well to cough up a huge chunk of change. Now, thankfully, you won't need to worry about that as each stag pays us directly and we even send them regular reminders, so you won't need to prod them into action.
What are you waiting for? The stags definitely won't sort themselves out. Put the above into action and get that big weekend booked in a flash!
