Contributed by Info Guru Oliver VanDervoort

If you are a sports fan, you know that tailgating isn’t just when you are following someone in a car a little too close.

Tailgating is also the penultimate kind of party that generally happens at the stadium of your favorite team before, after and sometimes during the game. If you chose to throw your own tailgate party or you have been invited to someone else’s you are going to want to follow a few simple rules in order to make sure it is a success and you have a great time. Here are the top ten tips for tailgating.

10. Dress Appropriately

This seems like a no-brainer, but you should always check out the weather report before you head to the party. It might be cold in the morning but is going to warm up by the time you are out at the party or vice versa. In order to have the best time, you are going to want to be comfortable at all times.

9. Seating

Make Sure there are plenty of places to sit. Just because the party will likely be outside doesn’t mean you or your guests need to stand the whole time. Room might be limited at times but you should have at least a few chairs that can be easily packed up and packed away if you need more space or after the tailgate.

8. Timing is everything

Make sure food is ready at least an hour before the game. There might not be anything more annoying than having to shovel down your food as you race into the game. The point of tailgating is to have a good time, having food ready well before people have to leave is a must.

7. Go Buffet Style

You are simply not going to have enough time to individually serve everyone. Even if you are having mostly BBQ, you should have a buffet style setup. Employ some food warmers to make sure everyone’s meal is still nice and warm.

6. Display team spirit

Outfit the party place with lots of team colors and banners. Obviously, almost everyone who comes is going to be coming because they are about to go to their favorite team’s game. Make sure you show your team spirit with plenty of decorations.

5. Water and booze

Have plenty to drink and plenty of variety. You should bring plenty of water and soda as well a alcoholic drinks for those who wish to imbibe. It wouldn’t hurt to have one of those coolers that has a spigot so people can get their drinks quickly and move on.

4. Set up early

Arrive at the scene at least 3 hours early. If you are setting up the party, one of the best tips for tailgating is making sure you get there early enough to get a good spot. You also want to make sure you’re there before any of your guests.

3. Hang around after

Stay after the game for at least an hour. If your goal is to have a great party, or to make sure that your friend’s party is a success you should go back to the tailgate after the game and hang out a little bit longer. If the team wins, people are going to want to celebrate, if the team loses they are going to want to console themselves with friends.

2. Get the game on

Make sure people can track or watch other games. People who go to these events are generally pretty big sports fans. If you want to have a great tailgate you should make it possible for people to watch or track other games easily. With the birth of the Tablet PC, this can be even easier. Just get a couple of people to bring iPads and get some tablet stands and people can use 3G or WiFi to watch/track the games.

1. Clean up

Once the party is done, make sure you cleanup up after yourselves. This is more than just being considerate in that if you leave the area you tailgated in a mess, there is less chance you’ll be able to do it again. Just bring out a couple of plastic trash bins so everyone has an easy place to toss trash right when they’re done with it.