Photo by www.nefariousgirl.com

During the six days of Winter Music Conference there will be more than 400 parties held at dozens of venues and outdoor spaces throughout Miami. This is enough to drive any party person crazy. One of the best ways to maximize your party time and minimize your expense is knowing the simple science of buying your party tickets.

The Science.

(Plan your party schedule.) + (Budget x Buy/RSVP early.) =

Best Possible Outcome for Ticket Purchase

1st - Plan your party schedule.

Before you buy any party tickets, make a tentative list of events you want to attend. This should be a live working document that you start in January and add to it as you learn about more parties. Many party professionals prefer the school schedule method, using a grid with the days of the week separated into columns, allowing for several options each day in the beginning. Keep in mind that prices for Winter Music Conference events can range from completely free to a couple hundred dollars, so figuring out what you absolutely cannot miss is key. Formulate the rest of your schedule around your “don’t miss” events.

New information about parties comes out daily from January 1st right up until the start of Winter Music Conference. Three great sources to find all the parties is 1) nightlyfe.com/wmc/party 2) wmcon.com and 3)  WantTickets.

2nd – Budget.

Once you have your party schedule started you will need to decide whether to buy individual tickets (free – $200+ each), a ticket package ($200-$1,500) or a WMC Badge ($235-$400 depending on time of purchase). Let’s say that you want to attend ten different events over the course of the week, and of these events, seven are listed as being free with a WMC Badge. Depending on the price of entry to each of the seven events, it may be cheaper to just buy a badge. Ticket packages are also available for some of the chain clubs and may be a good alternative for the person looking to attend a few events at specific venues. The Opium Group, for example, that manages Mansion, Louis, Cameo and other clubs, offers an All Access, All Events package, which gets you into all Opium group WMC events and is available for $600 in addition to other packages for specific clubs.

To save money, find out if artists you really want to see are playing free events. The best way to do this is to go directly to the artist’s page and check out their tour schedule. Then, it’s just a matter of either following links or using Google to get you to a party information site where you can RSVP for events. Scion is notorious for having some of the big name performers headlining much smaller parties that are free with RSVP (and sometimes also have free alcohol). Here is an example of an RSVP page from a Scion event from last year’s WMC; they may update the site for this year’s events as we get closer to Conference, so make sure you look at the date.

Know what sells out. Bigger events like ULTRA are unlikely to sell out, and if you don’t mind parting with the extra cash to buy your tickets at the gate, this is often quicker than lining up for online ticket collection. Other events like Juicy Beach and various pool parties like those at The Shelbourne – especially the big ones like Pete Tong’s Friday pool party – usually have tickets available on the door, but are very popular so get there early to avoid disappointment and a massive line.

3rd – Buy or RSVP early.

As soon as tickets become available for party in your party schedule, buy them. Once you’ve finally got it all down and you know exactly what you’re going to be purchasing tickets for, it’s time to spend that hard-earned money. There are basically two ways to go about purchasing tickets to events: at the door and online. Most of the parties at WMC have online ticket sales available; not only will this ensure that you don’t miss out, but it will also greatly reduce the amount of time you spend in line. This is also by far the cheapest way to attend most parties at WMC.

Buying online. Because most people will make their purchases online, it’s important to remember certain key points when doing so:

• Read the fine print. There is always some kind of fine print. The most important things to look for are the refund policy for cancellation and prohibited items. You don’t want to miss the party because you had to walk back to the car to put your camera away – and risk getting your camera stolen at the same time.
• Make sure you’re old enough to attend. Buying tickets online is not a way around the bouncer at the front door or the law, so if you’re under 21 (but hopefully either over 18 or with your parents), make sure you check the age requirement prior to check-out. There is usually no refund for tickets purchased to an event you are too young to attend, but you would know that already if you read the fine print.
• If you’re picking up your tickets via will-call, make sure you take the credit card with you that you made your purchase with and your ID (which you should always have with you anyway).

• Get there early. With WMC, when something sells out, then you have to play the waiting game, and you have absolutely no guarantee of getting in. Although buying your tickets in advance doesn’t always guarantee immediate entry, most venues will give preference to ticket holders once they implement their ‘one out, one in’ policy.
• Check the prices. Some events are more expensive at the door, some are not. Do your homework.
• Get there early. Yes, it is that important.

Photo by www.nefariousgirl.com