Updated: 03/22/2023
If you host a lot of free virtual events, managing registrations and sending calendar invites can quickly become an administrative nightmare. With some help with a little Apps Script we can automate most of this work. Google Forms have become so ubiquitous that it’s a logical starting point for any registration form. Likewise, Google Form submissions can trigger further automation. Google Calendar makes it easy to share event information with participants including any Google Meet or Zoom links and resources. It also makes it easy to send a message to all attendees should there be a last minute change.
Given the strengths of these two Google Workspace Apps, I propose they join forces in a Google Workspace Add-on. The main logic behind this is creating a dedicated events calendar, then populating a Google Form with events from that calendar. When an individual selects an event ( or multiple events) during the registration process it will automatically invite them to the calendar event(s).
By default, the add-on scans for events up to 9 months in the future from today’s date. This window could easily be increased or decreased as needed. Also, you may prefer just to use your own default calendar. In that case, you would need to add a search parameter (i.e. #learnwithme) or some other string of text to the title of each event that will distinguish your events from your events on offer, otherwise you may have people signing-up to join you at the dentist! Here is a video demonstration: