Snapchat takes aim at Partiful with new event-planning features

Snapchat announced on Thursday that it’s launching “Snapchat Plans,” a suite of features for creating, sharing, and managing real-world events with friends. The new event-planning features allow users to send and receive invitations and track details like the time, location, and attendees, all in one place.

Snapchat says the new features can be used to organize everything from birthday celebrations and sporting events to study sessions and weekend hangouts.

With Snapchat Plans, the social network is looking to take on Partiful, a popular event planning and digital invitation platform, as young users turn to dedicated apps to organize get-togethers rather than relying on group chats or social media. Snapchat isn’t the only tech company taking on Partiful and other invitation apps, as Apple launched an app called Invites last year that lets users create custom invitations for any occasion.

Snapchat users can create an event, called a “Snapchat Plan,” by adding a title, choosing a date and time, and inviting up to 200 friends. Invitations are then delivered directly within a one-on-one chat with each invited friend. Guests can then RSVP with “Going,” “Maybe,” or “Can’t Go.”

Image Credits:Snapchat

The app is also adding a new “My Plans” section on users’ profiles that lets them quickly browse all of their current, upcoming, and past Snapchat Plans. Additionally, once users click on a friend’s profile, they will see the events they share with them.

Once a Snapchat Plan is created, hosts can see who’s attending, invite more friends, and update event details as needed. Guests can view the full guest list, change their RSVP at any time, and get a reminder one hour before the event starts.

Although Snapchat has been a significant player in the social media space over the past decade, the company is now expanding its focus beyond how people communicate online to also help shape how they get together in the real world. This follows the broader trend that sees Gen Z looking for more in-person connections.

“No more missed get-togethers because of buried messages, lost details, or forgetting to create an invitation,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Snapchat Plans make it easier to organize these special in-person moments with your friends.”

Snapchat Plans are private and invite-only, the company says.

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Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.

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