Attendees, guests, calendar entries and private bookings
A booking says what it is for, how many come, who attends and which guests come from outside. Attendees get it in their SmartMy calendar, and a private booking shows to others only as Booked.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- The front desk does not know who is coming to the 3 pm meeting or how many chairs to set.
- Guests from outside wait at the gate because nobody told security.
- People forget meetings they were invited to by word of mouth.
- An interview or a disciplinary hearing shows its title to the whole office calendar.
How it works
- On the easy booking screen, fill in What for and People, and open Services, notes, guests, private for more.
- In the full booking form, add Attendees from your contacts and write Guests from Outside, one per line with name and mobile.
- Tick Private when the booking should show only as Booked to others.
- When the booking is confirmed, a calendar entry is made for the booker and every attendee, with the facility as the place.
- Attendees are told when it is cancelled and reminded before it starts, and they may check in.
- A facility manager can book for someone else: set Booked by to that person, or fill in On Behalf of.
Everything it does
On the booking
- What for (required), the booking number (BK/year/00001)
- People: expected attendees, 1 to start with
- Attendees: contacts in your organisation
- Guests from Outside: free text, one per line (name, mobile)
- Notes: anything the facility team should know
- On Behalf of: the person the booking is for; a charged booking is invoiced to them (with charging)
- Booked by and Entity; only facility managers can book in another person's name
- Rules Accepted, when the facility has terms
Calendar entry
- Made when the booking is confirmed, for the booker and the attendees, with the facility as the place
- Kept in step when the booking's time, facility, title or attendees change
- Removed when the booking is cancelled, rejected, moved out or released
- Marked private for a private booking
- No invitation email is sent: the entry appears in the SmartMy calendar
- Bookings made by other SmartMy products keep the calendar of their source instead
Private bookings
- Others see the time and Booked; the title, notes, attendees, guests and booker are hidden
- The booker, the attendees and the facility managers see everything
- The front desk of the facility sees the details on its day list, to check people in
- The same masking applies on the calendar, the Timeline, lists and clash messages
Attendees can
- Check in and check out
- Receive the reminder (24 hours before to start with) and cancellation notices
Who uses it
BookerFills in what the booking is for, the attendees and the guests.
AttendeeGets the calendar entry and reminders, and can check in.
Facility managerBooks for someone else and sees the details of private bookings.
Front deskReads who is coming and how many.
Where you use it
- Web: the easy screen under Facilities > Book a Facility and the full form (Attendees, repeat and history)
- The booking portal: What for, People and notes
- The SmartMy Facility app: What for, People, notes, guests and Private (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not seats per booking: the number of people is a note for the team and does not take seats
What you control
Settings
- Private: off to start with, per booking
- Reminder (h before): 24 on the rule set; 0 means no reminder
Notifications
- Facility Booking Reminder: to the booker and the attendees, at the rule set's reminder time, in the app and by email
- Facility Booking Cancelled: to the booker and the attendees when someone else cancels, with the reason, in the app and by email
- Each of these goes out at once. WhatsApp or SMS go instead of email where you set them up, from your message credits. App push follows once the apps are in the stores. A person can switch off email, WhatsApp or SMS for themselves, never the event; in-app notices always arrive
Works with
SmartMy VMSGuests are added with name, mobile, email and organisation. Each gets a gate pass from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after the booking.
SmartMy HRMSThe booker's department is on each booking and in the reports.
Questions
Do attendees get an email invitation?
No. They get the booking in their SmartMy calendar, a reminder before it starts and a notice if it is cancelled.Who can see a private booking?
The booker, the attendees, the facility managers and the facility's front desk. Everyone else sees only Booked.Can my assistant book a room for me?
A facility manager can book in your name. Other staff can note you in On Behalf of, but the booking stays theirs.Do outside guests get a gate pass?
With SmartMy VMS, yes. Each guest gets a pass from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after the booking.Does the calendar entry follow when the booking moves?
Yes. The time, place and attendees are kept in step, and the entry is removed when the booking is cancelled.Related features
WITH OTHER SMARTMY PRODUCTSGate passes for booking guests with SmartMy VMSWith SmartMy VMS in the same account, each outside guest listed on a booking gets a gate pass when the booking is confirmed. The pass runs from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after the booking, with the booker as host. It follows the booking when it moves and is withdrawn when the booking is cancelled.BOOKINGSMoving and cancelling bookings, with late cancellations flaggedBookers move or cancel their own bookings in a couple of taps, and every move is checked again against the rules and other bookings. A cancellation inside the free cancellation time is flagged as late and can count towards a ban.CHECK-IN AND NO-SHOWSCheck-in with the QR code on the door, and no-shows freedAsk people to check in when they arrive, by scanning the QR code on the door or tapping Check in. A booking nobody checks in to is released after the grace time, and leaving early frees the rest of the time.WORKPLACE EXTRASRoom calendars kept in step with Microsoft 365 and GoogleBookings made in SmartMy Facility appear in the room's Outlook or Google calendar, and meetings booked there reserve the room here. Built and tested against simulated services; tried with you on your own account before go-live.REPORTS AND RECORDSChange history of every booking, with override reasonsEvery change to a booking is kept with who made it and when: times, room, people, status and reasons. A manager who books outside the rules or moves others out must give a reason, and it stays on the booking.ACROSS SMARTMY FACILITYNotificationsBookers, approvers and attendees are told as soon as something changes. That is a booking confirmed, waiting, rejected or cancelled, a reminder before it starts, a waitlist slot to take, or a payment due. Messages go in the app and by email, and by WhatsApp or SMS when your organisation turns them on.
See it with your own rooms.
Tell us what you run: rooms, halls, courts, desks. We will show you a booking from request to check-out with your rules.