What is the RSVP status on calendar events?

The RSVP status on a calendar event is an invitation response to indicate whether you will attend an event. This important communication feature allows you to share an immediate RSVP with the event organizer, and keep your schedule updated around which events you plan to attend. Google Calendar and Outlook, among other platforms, provides users with four distinct RSVP statuses: 

• No RSVP (unconfirmed)
• Yes 
• No 
• Maybe 

RSVP status is an important signal for a few reasons:

1. It communicates whether or not you are attending a meeting. You can save yourself an email or Slack by just having good RSVP hygiene.
2. More subtly, events that are RSVP’d “No” show as free time to other people when using booking platforms like Reclaim or Google Calendar. So, you're also helping your availability to have good RSVP hygiene.
3. RSVPing “Yes” allows you to specify your location – letting everyone know whether you'll be joining virtually or from a meeting room. Google Calendar automatically updates your status if your working location changes.

When an event invitation lands on your calendar, the default RSVP status is set to No RSVP. At this stage, the event will appear with an outline but remains unshaded. It serves as a preliminary acknowledgment of the event without confirming your attendance.

Once you decide to attend an event, however, you can RSVP with a Yes or Maybe. This action transforms the event from an outlined form to a shaded one to indicate your commitment. Simultaneously, a confirmation is sent to the event organizers, providing them with real-time updates on attendee status.

If you cannot attend an event, RSVPing with a No status is the appropriate response. You don't want to leave your colleagues out of the loop. When you set your RSVP status to No, the event title will be struck through, signaling your absence to both organizers and other attendees. 

Also, the organizer will receive a notification regarding your RSVP status. You can also add a note to your RSVP response that will be sent with the notification to the organizer and meeting attendees. For example, you can say “Sorry, can’t make it” when RSVPing No. This note will also live on the event itself.

RSVPing to smart calendar events

When you RSVP to a smart event in Reclaim, your response is used to automate your scheduling across that individual event, and every other event competing for your time on the calendar. For example, declining a Smart Meeting will signal to Reclaim that it needs to be rescheduled, which it will automatically do at the next earliest opportunity based on its priority level. And until you RSVP Yes or Maybe, the time remains available for other Smart Events.