ARCHIVED: Using Outlook 2003 and earlier to schedule meetings and reserve rooms

• How to schedule a meeting
  • Inviting attendees
  • Reserving a room and other resources
• Revising meeting details after a meeting is scheduled

How to schedule a meeting

At Indiana University, you can use the Calendar function in Microsoft Outlook to invite attendees to a meeting, and to reserve rooms and resources (e.g., projectors or other devices your department provides within the Microsoft Exchange environment). To schedule a meeting in Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003:

1. In Outlook, from the File menu, select New, and then Meeting Request. The Untitled - Meeting window will appear.
2. Click the Scheduling tab.
3. Complete the "Meeting start time:" and "Meeting end time:" fields at the bottom of the window. You can easily change these. To view other possible days and time, use the horizontal scroll bar.

   Inviting attendees

   1. If you know the usernames of those you wish to invite, enter each username in the "All Attendees" column. Assuming they've set their permissions so you can view their calendars, the attendees' availability will appear.

      Alternatively, to search for an individual, click Add Others on the lower left, and then click Add from Address Book... (this will search the GAL [Global Address List]). As you begin to enter the person's last name in the "Type Name or Select from List:" field, possible matches will appear in the "Name" list below. Double-click the correct name, and it will appear in the "Required ->" field.

   2. Repeat either of the above processes for each individual you wish to invite.

   Reserving a room and other resources

   1. Click Add Others on the lower left, and then Add from Address Book.... In the "Type Name or Select from List:" field, enter your department or building abbreviation. Again, this searches the GAL. In the resulting list, you can view all possible rooms and resources.
   2. Double-click to select any rooms you wish. Enter multiple rooms if you wish to view their availability; you can delete them before confirming the meeting. All rooms you select will appear in the "Required - >" field. Click OK.
   3. Follow the same procedure for any other resources you wish to schedule.
   4. All individuals, rooms, and resources will be listed in the "All Attendees" list under the Scheduling tab. Verify the date and time of your meeting, and delete any rooms or resources you don't wish to use.
   
   
4. Click the Appointment tab. The attendees, including the room you chose, will be listed in the "To..." field. Complete the "Subject:" field with a title for your meeting. Enter the room building and number in the "Location:" field; this ensures that attendees will see the location on their Outlook calendars without having to click the meeting name.
5. To set a meeting reminder, select the Reminder checkbox, and make your reminder selection from the menu.
6. In the large field in the lower part of the window, you can write a message to the meeting's attendees.
7. To send the message and complete the meeting request, click Send. You should receive confirmation of the room reservation by email, as well as an acceptance or decline message from each attendee.

Revising meeting details after a meeting is scheduled

Note: Only the meeting organizer can make changes to a meeting.

If you need to change meeting plans after your meeting is scheduled, do the following:

1. Open the meeting in your Calendar and use the instructions above to make any needed adjustments (e.g., meeting time, room).
2. Under the Appointment tab, in the text field in the lower half of the screen, compose a message to attendees advising them of the changes.
3. Click Save and Close. You will be prompted to send the updated meeting to attendees. Click Yes.

The revised meeting will appear on your Calendar.