[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":144},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-much-buffer-time-between-parties":3,"guide-siblings-\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-much-buffer-time-between-parties":134},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"description":112,"disclaimer":113,"draft":114,"extension":115,"faq":116,"lastReviewed":126,"meta":127,"navigation":128,"path":129,"publishedAt":126,"seo":130,"sitemap":131,"stem":132,"__hash__":133},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-much-buffer-time-between-parties.md","How much buffer time to leave between parties","Rally",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":104},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,51,54,58,76,79,83,86,89,97,101],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Add your real teardown time, the drive, your real setup time, and a\ncushion for the one thing that goes wrong. For most foam and party setups\nthat lands between 90 minutes and two hours door to door. Guessing shorter\nis how a 2pm party starts at 2:40.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"the-four-numbers-to-know","The four numbers to know",[11,20,21],{},"Buffer time is arithmetic, and the arithmetic only works with honest\ninputs:",[23,24,25,33,39,45],"ul",{},[26,27,28,32],"li",{},[29,30,31],"strong",{},"Teardown at party one."," Timed on a real day, with a tired crew and a\nclient who wants to chat. Never the best case.",[26,34,35,38],{},[29,36,37],{},"The drive."," Between the two actual addresses, at that time on a\nSaturday, towing what you tow.",[26,40,41,44],{},[29,42,43],{},"Setup at party two."," Timed the same honest way, including finding the\nwater spigot and the outlet.",[26,46,47,50],{},[29,48,49],{},"The cushion."," The wrong gate code, the locked breaker box, the\nbathroom stop. Thirty minutes covers most of it.",[11,52,53],{},"Time your crew twice this season and write the numbers down. Every setup\nyou sell should have a real setup and teardown number attached to it.",[15,55,57],{"id":56},"the-math-step-by-step","The math, step by step",[59,60,61,64,67,70,73],"ol",{},[26,62,63],{},"Party one ends at 1:00.",[26,65,66],{},"Teardown, 30 minutes. Wheels roll at 1:30.",[26,68,69],{},"Drive, 25 minutes. On site at 1:55.",[26,71,72],{},"Setup, 35 minutes. Ready at 2:30.",[26,74,75],{},"Cushion, 30 minutes. Earliest honest start for party two: 3:00.",[11,77,78],{},"That's a two-hour gap between end and start, and it assumed nothing went\nwrong twice. When a client pushes for a tighter slot, walk them through\nthese five lines. The math argues so you don't have to.",[15,80,82],{"id":81},"when-the-second-party-doesnt-fit","When the second party doesn't fit",[11,84,85],{},"You have three honest moves. Shift the time and sell the later slot.\nSplit the day with a second rig or a second crew, if the booking pays for\nit. Or pass, and offer the next open date before you hang up. Operators\nlose more money to blown doubles than to slots they turned down.",[11,87,88],{},"We built the software we needed to get through a weekend with ten or\ntwenty parties happening at once. The buffer math above is the same math\nthose weekends ran on.",[90,91,94],"rally-aside",{"label":92,"to":93},"See dispatch in Rally","\u002Ffeatures",[11,95,96],{},"Rally stores setup and teardown time per service, so back-to-back parties\nschedule honestly. The dispatch day view shows the whole day at a glance:\nearly, late, or tight.",[15,98,100],{"id":99},"the-rule-that-saves-the-summer","The rule that saves the summer",[11,102,103],{},"Sell party windows, and protect the gaps between them like they're\nbookings too. An empty 90 minutes on the schedule is what a professional\nSaturday looks like.",{"title":105,"searchDepth":106,"depth":106,"links":107},"",2,[108,109,110,111],{"id":17,"depth":106,"text":18},{"id":56,"depth":106,"text":57},{"id":81,"depth":106,"text":82},{"id":99,"depth":106,"text":100},"Add real teardown, the drive, real setup, and a cushion for the surprise. For most party setups that lands between 90 minutes and two hours door to door.","none",false,"md",[117,120,123],{"q":118,"a":119},"How long does it take to set up a foam party?","Time yourself twice and trust the slower number. Most single-cannon setups land between 20 and 45 minutes once the water source and power are confirmed. A missing outlet can double it, which is why you confirm before the day.",{"q":121,"a":122},"Can I run three parties in one day with one crew?","Only if the math says so: three windows plus two full buffers has to fit the daylight. Most operators who run three do it with a second rig, a second crew, or both.",{"q":124,"a":125},"Should I tell clients my start time includes setup?","Sell the party window, and arrive before it. If the party starts at 2, the client should see foam at 2, and your crew should have been there since 1:15. Put the arrival window in the confirmation so nobody panics at the truck in the driveway.","2026-07-12",{},true,"\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-much-buffer-time-between-parties",{"title":5,"description":112},{"loc":129},"guides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-much-buffer-time-between-parties","9jRI8ngHFuc4OAnFBJ78kGFYckK-trtEFW1vRxNFmUk",[135,138,141],{"path":136,"title":137},"\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-far-in-advance-do-people-book-parties","How far in advance do people book parties?",{"path":139,"title":140},"\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fhow-to-take-bookings-from-your-website","How to take bookings from your website (without playing phone tag)",{"path":142,"title":143},"\u002Fguides\u002Fbookings-and-scheduling\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-two-clients-want-the-same-date","What to do when two clients want the same date",1783921368100]