The Lobby Blog
Thoughts on meeting rooms, office operations, and building software that doesn't suck.
Google Workspace Room Resources: The IT Manager's Setup and Hygiene Checklist
A vendor-neutral checklist for IT managers setting up (or cleaning up) meeting room resources in Google Workspace. Naming, metadata, permissions, auto-accept, time zones, and the quarterly audit that keeps everything honest.
How to Release a Meeting Room Automatically (in M365, Google Calendar, and the Bit That Actually Works)
Most teams assume Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace can automatically release a room when nobody shows up. They cannot, not really. Here is what each platform actually does, what you need on top, and the four-step rollout that gets you to a reliable auto-release without buying a new platform.
How to Reduce Meeting Room No-Shows: The 2026 Playbook
A no-show is not carelessness. It is friction. Cancelling a room is harder than booking one, so people do not bother. Here is the eight-step playbook for fixing that, in the order you should actually do it, with the specific M365 and Google Workspace settings that matter.
The Real Cost of a Ghost Meeting: A Calculator for Office Managers
A back-of-the-envelope calculator for the cost of unused meeting room bookings, with three sample offices, a 60-second worksheet, and a 30-second version your CFO will read.
Type /book in Slack. Get a meeting room.
We just shipped Slack integration for Lobby. Type /book in any channel, get back rooms that are actually free, and drop the meeting into your Google Calendar or Microsoft 365 in one tap. Without ever leaving Slack.
Meeting Room Etiquette: A Practical Guide for Hybrid Offices
A short, modern set of meeting room manners, written for offices where half the team is in the room and half is on a screen. Covers booking, joining, talking, and leaving rooms in better shape than you found them.
Why Your Meeting Rooms Show "Free" When They're Not (and 7 Things That Cause It)
Your room display says "Available" but the room is full. Seven reasons this happens (recurring meetings without a room, calendar permissions, auto-accept, time zones, stale state, declined invites, no auto-release), and how to fix each in fifteen minutes.
Securing Your Meeting Room Displays: A Sysadmin's Checklist
The security review your meeting-room display rollout is going to face, and how to pass it the first time. Network segmentation, MDM, OAuth scopes, firmware, GDPR for booking data, and a one-page InfoSec answer sheet.
How to Set Up an Android Tablet as a Meeting Room Display
Three ways to turn an Android tablet into an unattended meeting room display — Chrome fullscreen, Fully Kiosk Browser with scheduled screen on/off, and Android Enterprise device-owner mode — plus the settings most setup guides skip.
How to Set Up an iPad as a Meeting Room Display
Three ways to turn an iPad into an unattended meeting room display — Safari + Guided Access, Single App Mode via Apple Configurator, or a dedicated kiosk app — plus the part most guides skip: scheduling the screen off overnight on a platform that doesn't really want you to.
Microsoft 365 Room Mailboxes: The IT Manager's Setup and Hygiene Checklist
A vendor-neutral checklist for IT managers setting up (or cleaning up) meeting room mailboxes in Microsoft 365. Naming, calendar processing, Places metadata, time zones, working hours and the quarterly audit that keeps Outlook honest.
Meeting Room Design Trends Shaping 2026 (and What to Actually Steal)
A grounded look at what's actually changing in meeting room design this year. Meeting equity, smaller huddle spaces, acoustic-first thinking, and the trends worth ignoring.
What Makes a Great Meeting Room? 9 Things World-Class Offices Get Right
A field guide to the small, repeatable details that separate a meeting room people actively avoid from one they want to book. Layout, lighting, sound, screens, scheduling and the human bits in between.
Archie Alternatives in 2026: When You Just Need Meeting Room Displays
Archie is one of the most complete workplace platforms with publicly-listed pricing. If you don't need the full platform (just room displays), here's how Archie compares to Joan, Robin, Envoy and Lobby.
The Office Manager's Guide to Setting Up an Efficient Meeting Room
A practical, no-fluff playbook for office managers who want meeting rooms that actually work. Covering layout, technology, booking, acoustics and the small habits that make the biggest difference.
Envoy Alternatives in 2026: For Teams Who Mostly Need Meeting Rooms
Envoy is a category leader in visitor management. But if your real problem is meeting rooms, you're shopping in the wrong aisle. Here's a fair look at Envoy and the room-booking alternatives that may serve you better.
Robin Alternatives in 2026: Options for Teams Under 150
Robin is a Gartner-recognised workplace platform built for organisations with 150+ hybrid employees. If that's not you, here's a fair look at the alternatives: Joan, Envoy, Archie and Lobby.
How to Set Up a Meeting Room Display with Google Calendar (Step by Step)
A practical walkthrough for getting a room display connected to Google Calendar in under 10 minutes. Covers DIY tablet setups and purpose-built e-ink displays.
Joan Alternatives in 2026: A Fair Comparison for Smaller Teams
Joan helped invent the e-paper meeting room display. It's also priced for buyers very different from a 20-person office. Here's a fair, sourced look at where Joan still leads, what Robin, Envoy, Archie and Lobby bring to the table, and which one fits your team.