Buffer times
Overview
Buffer times let you reserve extra time before and after a meeting room booking — for example, to set up equipment, arrange catering, or clear up afterwards. The room is blocked for the full window (setup + meeting + teardown), so no one else can book it during your buffer periods.
Admins create buffer time presets in Company Settings, each with a name and a predefined setup and teardown duration. When booking a room, users simply select a preset from the booking drawer — the setup and teardown times are applied as a pair.
Buffer times are optional and can be added to any room booking. Attendees only see the actual meeting time on their calendar invite — the buffer periods are only visible to the organiser, facilities staff, and vendors.
Setting up buffer time presets (Admins)
Before users can add buffer times to their bookings, an admin needs to create buffer time presets in Company Settings.
Go to Company Settings → Meeting Settings → Buffer Times
Click Create Buffer Time
Give the preset a name (e.g. "Standard Setup", "Catering Prep", or "Workshop Cleardown")
Set the setup time (how long before the meeting) and the teardown time (how long after the meeting) — these are saved together as a pair
Save the preset
You can create multiple presets for different scenarios — for example, a "Quick Prep" preset with 10 minutes setup and 10 minutes teardown, and a "Catering Event" preset with 60 minutes setup and 30 minutes teardown.
Each preset can be enabled or disabled. Disabled presets are hidden from the booking drawer but not deleted, so you can reactivate them later without re-creating them. This is useful for seasonal or event-specific buffers that are only needed at certain times.
Adding buffer times to a new booking
Open the booking drawer and select a room
Set your meeting start and end times as normal
In the booking drawer, select a buffer time preset from the available options (these are configured by your admin)
Submit the booking
The selected preset's setup and teardown times are applied automatically. For example, if you select "Standard Setup" (15-minute setup, 15-minute teardown) on a 10:00–11:00 meeting, the room is blocked from 09:45 to 11:15.
Adding buffer times to an existing booking
Open the booking you want to edit
Select a different buffer time preset, or remove the buffer entirely
Save the booking
If the new buffer would overlap with an adjacent booking, you'll be shown a conflict warning before saving.
What attendees see
Attendees receive a calendar invite showing only the actual meeting start and end times. They do not see the buffer periods — so a 10:00–11:00 meeting with 15 minutes of setup shows as 10:00–11:00 on their calendar, not 09:45–11:15.
What facilities staff and vendors see
Facilities staff and vendors can see the full buffered window — including when setup starts and when teardown ends. This ensures they know exactly when they have access to the room for preparation and clearing up, and when services such as catering need to be delivered.
Buffer times on the Calendar view
On the Calendar view, bookings with buffer times appear as a single block with the setup and teardown periods visually distinguished from the core meeting. You can drag and drop buffered bookings to a different time or room, and the buffer periods move with the meeting automatically.
Buffer times on the floor map
The floor map displays the full buffered window when viewing room availability. This ensures the room shows as unavailable during setup and teardown periods, not just during the meeting itself.
Conflict handling
The system prevents double-bookings during buffer periods. If you try to create a booking where the buffer window overlaps with another booking (or another booking's buffer), you'll receive a conflict warning before submitting.
When editing a booking's time, the system recognises that the buffer windows belong to the booking you're editing and won't flag a false conflict against itself.
Rescheduling and cancelling
Rescheduling — when you move a meeting to a different time, the buffer periods move with it automatically. No need to re-enter them.
Cancelling — when you cancel a meeting with buffer times, the full buffered window is released, including the setup and teardown periods. The room becomes available immediately.
Approval workflows
Bookings with buffer times follow the same approval workflows as standard bookings. If the room requires approval, a booking request is raised as normal and the approver can see the full buffered window.
Working hours
Buffer times must fall within the building's configured working hours. If adding a setup time would push the start before working hours begin, or a teardown would extend past the end, you'll be prompted to adjust the times.
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace calendar integration
For organisations using Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace calendar sync, buffer times are fully supported. Buffer events are synchronised correctly, and auto-release works as expected — if the room sensor detects no occupancy, the booking (including its buffers) is released to free up the room.
Tips
Create presets that match your common scenarios — a short buffer for standard meetings and a longer one for events with catering
Disable presets you don't need right now rather than deleting them — you can re-enable them later
Keep preset names short and descriptive so users can quickly identify the right one in the booking drawer
Buffer times work with room group bookings — all rooms in the group are blocked for the full buffered window
When booking on behalf of another user, buffer times work the same way — the booking is attributed to the intended user, not the person making the booking
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