The Scenario: Eleven Fans, Four Stages, Ten Headliners — and One Airbnb with a 10pm Quiet Policy
CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium draws 80,000 people a night. Lindsey's group drew 11 — five from Nashville, two driving in from Memphis, and four flying from various cities — all connected by a shared love of country music and a group text thread that had been planning this trip since the previous October.
The logistical puzzle:
- Four overlapping performance stages meant the group would inevitably split for some sets — coordination needed to be real-time
- The group Airbnb (a 4-bedroom off Demonbreun St) cost $3,200 for 4 nights, paid upfront by Lindsey on her credit card
- Some attendees also had tickets to an exclusive Wednesday night invite-only show at Bluebird Cafe (not all 11 had passes)
- Shuttle vs. rideshare vs. walking needed a group decision based on which stage each person was prioritizing
- One attendee had a family constraint that might require an early Friday departure — needed to be flagged before the itinerary was finalized
- Post-festival, the group wanted to do a Sunday morning breakfast at Loveless Cafe (15 miles from downtown) — polling required
Part 2 — Turning Four Days of Chaos into a Group Itinerary
Availability Collection Before Committing to the Airbnb
Lindsey's first move was collecting arrival and departure windows from all eleven attendees before putting down the Airbnb deposit. This surfaced the Friday early-departure issue, which meant one attendee would only be in the house for 2.5 nights — adjusting their cost share before any money moved.
Availability windows collected before the deposit. The Friday early-departure was surfaced in the overlap view and handled in the expense split — not discovered on checkout day.
Each person submitting their window with priority flags. The Memphis drivers had flexibility on arrival time; the weekend flyers did not. That distinction shaped the Thursday night plan.
Polls to Resolve the Hard Questions
Should the group do Sunday's Loveless Cafe breakfast or sleep in and catch a late brunch near the stadium? Does everyone want to stay together for the Friday headliner or split to catch sets on different stages? How should shuttle costs be split — equally, or only among riders? Three polls. All resolved within 12 hours.
The Sunday brunch poll. Eight of eleven voted for Loveless within an hour; the morning plan was locked before anyone fell asleep Thursday night.
A Day-by-Day Itinerary With Set Times and Meetup Points
The itinerary was where the coordination got real. Lindsey built it set-by-set for Wednesday through Sunday, with specific notes about which stage, what time, and where the group planned to reconvene between sets. "Meet at the Crawford Johnson scoreboard after Carly Pearce" was more useful than "let's find each other."
The full 4-day itinerary. Performance slots, meetup points, restaurant reservations, and the Sunday Loveless run all in one place. The group accessed it on their phones throughout the festival without needing cell service to call each other.
Airbnb Cost Split and Shared Expenses
The $3,200 Airbnb was just the beginning. Shared Ubers, the Thursday night dinner at Party Fowl, Sunday's Loveless tab ($14/person for a biscuit plate is absolutely worth it), and the group bar tab at Ole Red on Broadway all needed to land somewhere. SquadPlan tracked it all.
The full expense view after Day 3. Airbnb, dinners, grouped rideshares, and the Friday night bar run — all logged and apportioned. Lindsey's $3,200 fronted for the Airbnb showed as a balance due from 10 people, with 6 already settled by Friday morning.
The final settle-up view on Sunday. Five people in the group had never used Venmo before (this is Nashville, it happens). The SquadPlan balance screen was clear enough that they figured it out without help.
The Photo Timeline — 847 Moments Within 4 Days
Every person with a camera was a contributor. By Sunday evening, 847 photos had been uploaded to the event — from the Wednesday night Bluebird show, the Thursday stadium opening, the Friday rain delay (everyone sheltering under the Broadway overhang with $12 beers), and the Sunday Loveless spread.
847 photos, 11 contributors, 4 days. The timeline view is chronological by upload — scrolling through it on the flight home is approximately 60% of the reason the trip was worth doing.
Zero missed headliners. One minor iPhone-loss incident (recovered — left in the Airbnb bathroom). One unanimous vote to do this again next year, registered as a poll within 20 minutes of arriving at Nashville airport on Sunday.