Last week as part of the new entries added to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company said an upcoming feature will be added to the new Outlook for Windows app as well as Outlook on the web that will allow people to invite others to an in-person event. Today, the company offered up more info on how this new feature will work in Outlook.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated this new feature is an attempt to offer an improved hybrid meeting experience. Many companies that previously allowed their employees to work at home all the time are now slowly asking them to return to the office for at least a few days in the work week. Adding an in-person meeting invite option to Outlook is a way to help both companies and employees deal with this new hybrid working environment.
When this new feature rolls out in the new Outlook for Windows and on the web, meeting organizers will see a toggle labeled as "In-person event" that can be turned on. They can also add the option for people to attend online as a Microsoft Teams meeting if they cannot attend the in-person event.
For people who get an event to attend an in-person meeting via Outlook, they will receive three RSVP options. One will confirm the employee plans to attend in person, while another will mark their plans to attend via an online meeting.The third option will give employees a way to show they want to attend the meeting but have yet to decide whether it will be virtual or in-person.
Finally, the meeting organizer can see which employees stated they will attend the meeting with the tracking pane, and also which of the three responses they selected. Microsoft plans to roll out the new in-person meeting invite feature sometime in late March 2024.