Calendar Planning + Management

Planning and managing the BramRes Office Calendar is a pretty big task. We always plan the calendar in advance, but managing the calendar is an ongoing task.

Planning the Calendar

We plan the entire office calendar in the Fall prior to the upcoming year. October is usually good. Here's what we have to do:
  • All staff members usually meet up to plan it together
  • Make a copy of the previous year's spreadsheet to build out a skeleton of the calendar. (2024 is here.)
  • Start planning all events.
    • OKR Meetings
      • Monthly on the first Tuesday from 10:00am-12:00pm, unless there is a holiday that week or Eric will be out of town.
      • Take place at ABOR on Spicewood Springs, usually in Auditorium C.
    • Market Watch
      • Every Tuesday at 10:00am on Google Meet, unless a holiday or OKR Meeting
      • 3 of our agents rotate each week as to who will host, this schedule needs to be planned in advance
    • Classes
      • One per month
      • Thursday at 10:00am on Google Meet
      • Do this in a way that makes sense timing-wise.
          • Example: Max Leaman normally hosts a "State of The Union" in January to talk about the market and predictions for the year.
          • Example: Carlie Bittle normally hosts a "Taxes and Self Employment" class in November because that's when agents should focus on tax preparation.
    • AMAs
      • One per month
      • Eric hosts most of them, but Max Leaman and Randy Barfield usually host 1 or 2 per year.
      • Monday at 10:00am on Google Meet
    • Social Lunch Mixers
      • One per month
      • On Wednesday, usually the third Wednesday of the month.
      • 11:45am to 12:45pm, location varies
    • FUB Q&As
      • Quarterly
      • Hosted by Ashley Lowe, our account manager
      • She schedules these on Zoom and should send you the link
    • Volunteer Events
      • Quarterly
      • At Community First! Village or Central Texas Food Bank
      • Thursday at 9:00am (usually)
    • Vendor Happy Hours
      • Quarterly
      • Thursday at 4:00pm-6:00pm (can be shifted slightly if needed, to 4:30pm for example)
      • Location varies by host's choosing (Examples: Punch Bowl Social, District Kitchen and Cocktails)
    • New Year Kick Off Party
      • Yearly
      • On a Friday in January, usually the third Friday
    • Once all events are planned out, start emailing the hosts and sponsors to confirm if they can commit to that event. Include Hank in the email and explain why. Template below.
Bramlett Classes + Happy Hour in (YEAR) ***May vary based on what you are asking for***
Hey (HOST NAME)!

I'm working on our (INSERT YEAR) calendar and am wondering if you'd be willing to host the following for us -

  • DATE and TIME - CLASS NAME (on Google Meet)
  • DATE and TIME - Ask Me Anything
  • DATE and TIME - Happy Hour (location of your choosing)

I've included Hank Ulrich, one of our assistants, in this email. He will be reaching out closer to each event to confirm we are still set.

Please let us know what you think. Thank you!
Examples of actual emails:

Image


Image

  • Once everything is confirmed, start adding the events to the calendar.
    • Make sure to add Google Meet links (Google Meet links are added for in-person meetings at ABOR as well)
    • Add Hank as a "co-host" in the Google Meet settings so he receives the recordings
    • Add the host or sponsor as a guest and DO SEND a calendar invite to them
    • Then add the agents as guests and DO NOT send a calendar invite

Managing the Calendar (Ongoing)

Managing the calendar takes up a decent amount of time and brain space. Despite that, it should only be managed by one staff member (with the help of Hank). This is in an effort to keep things clean and so we know who to contact when something on the calendar needs to be changed.

Here's what it involves:
  • Hank will have a schedule of confirming upcoming calendar events. If there is a schedule conflict (ie, the host or sponsor cancels) the VA will let you know. You'll likely need to step in to cancel or reschedule.
  • Attend all classes, AMAs, FUB Q&As, etc. so that you can moderate and record the meeting.
    • Hop on the meeting a few minutes early so you can talk with the host and make small talk with any agents already in the meeting.
    • Usually there's small talk for the first 5 or so minutes so that agents can trickle in.
    • Once it seems like everyone is there, tell the host they can get started. Start recording the meeting.
    • After the meeting, the recording will start processing. When it's ready, you and Hank should get a notification. Hank will share the meeting with the agents from there. (He can share it directly from Google Drive.)
  • Attend quarterly happy hours and volunteer events if you can. These are always a good time and it's important to connect with the agents. :)
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us