Good advice from Donston! Trying to compete with another guy just makes you both look silly, and the girl will loose interest in both of you. Gaming the whole event will give you social proof and so called "preselection". If you charm people and become popular, the girl will notice you. Eventually you will find an opportunity to talk to her and isolate her from your competitors. Note that this in an
indirect approach as opposed to your friends'
direct approaches. Always prefer indirect if you can.
Here is a good video about how to handle competition/alpha males:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-a1jXgAsQI