How to Book a Boardroom Using Microsoft Outlook

Introduction

This guide outlines the steps to book a boardroom or meeting room using Microsoft Outlook. Our organization has set up shared room calendars that employees can use to reserve spaces for meetings, presentations, or collaborative work sessions.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook

Launch the Microsoft Outlook desktop application by clinking the app icon.

Step 2: Create a New Meeting

Navigate to the Calendar view. Click 'New Meeting' or 'New Event'.

Step 3: Add Meeting Details

Fill in: Title of the meeting, Start and End time, and optionally, a description or agenda.

Step 4: Add Required Attendees

Next to the    icon, add the names or email addresses of attendees.

Step 5: Add the Boardroom or Meeting Room

Next to the    icon, click in the 'Rooms' or 'Location' field. A list of available rooms will appear. Select the appropriate boardroom. You can also start typing the name of the room you are looking for.

For example, for a list of showrooms, type “showroom”.

For a list of boardrooms, type, “boardroom”

Step 6: Check Availability

Click 'Scheduling Assistant' to view all attendees’ and room’s availability.

Alternatively, the colour and description of the meeting in the pane on the right indicates availability. Green for available and red for unavailable.

Step 7: Send the Invitation

Once all details are correct, click 'Send'. The room will receive an invite and confirm availability.

Confirmation

You’ll receive an automatic acceptance or decline from the room mailbox:

• Accepted: Room is booked successfully.
• Declined: Room is unavailable at the selected time.

Modifying or Cancelling a Booking

1. Open your calendar and double-click on the meeting.
2. To change time or details, edit and click 'Send Update'.
3. To cancel, click 'Cancel Meeting' and then 'Send Cancellation'.

Best Practices

• Always check the Scheduling Assistant to prevent conflicts.
• Keep meeting titles descriptive and professional.
• Cancel bookings promptly if no longer needed to free the space.