I’ve developed an internal Google Workspace Add-on for managing event requests using mostly Google Calendar and automated emails. A Google Sheet is used to feed the configuration settings to the add-on.

My solution involves a Pending Events calendar, to which anyone in the organization can submit an event. All event details can be added through a form in the sidebar. Additional support requests (i.e. tech support, catering, room set up) for the event are dynamically generated based on selections in the form. Any designated approver can click on an event on the pending events calendar and approve or deny the request. An approval copies the event to the Events Calendar, emails the requester saying the event has been approved and adds that person as a guest. A denial decision also triggers an email to the requester conveying that the event request has not been approved.

This approach is especially useful for organizations heavily invested in Google Calendar as it let’s you quickly identify potential conflicts before submitting a request and keeps all needed information in one centralized location – Google Calendar. Please reach out should your school or organization be interested in a custom deployment. Moreover, this strategy could also be adapted to manage Field Trip requests.

Here is a demonstration of the workflow.