Daily Buzz: LinkedIn Wants to Plan Your Meeting

LinkedIn has introduced a new feature that can schedule meetings without toggling to another site or leaving the app—a way to keep its 600 million-plus users engaged longer and to capitalize on the platform’s fast-growing messaging function.

The tool, now available on Android devices and rolling out for iOS devices, is simple: Users can pull up their calendars by tapping a new “Availability” button within LinkedIn Messenger. Then, they may select and input potential time windows into the conversation.

LinkedIn can reference a user’s existing calendar systems, so maintaining a separate one in the app isn’t necessary, Social Media Today reports  (opens in a new tab). Parties that settle on a mutual time might then use LinkedIn’s “Location” option within messaging to suggest and confirm a place to meet.

It isn’t the first time LinkedIn has tried to integrate scheduling capacity. A bot-based calendar search tool was discussed in 2016, but Social Media Today notes that the automated function “never seems to have seen the light of day.”

Going Green for Future Attendees

Want to connect more with the young attendees at your #BusinessEvents  (opens in a new tab)? Point your impact efforts towards caring about the environment, says #ConveneMagazine  (opens in a new tab)‘s @davidmcmillin  (opens in a new tab):https://t.co/FUDScKOST6  (opens in a new tab)

— PCMA (@pcmahq) March 25, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

From check-in protocol to catering, you’ve covered every detail. But is your gathering eco-friendly?

A recent survey in PCMA’s Convene magazine  (opens in a new tab) found that only 11 percent of event organizers put sustainability clauses in their RFPs. And 41 percent said sustainability isn’t part of their event design.

Responsible practices are crucial to reaching a new generation of prospective conference attendees, the magazine argues. After all, 76 percent of millennials  (opens in a new tab) consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work, and 64 percent of them won’t take a job if corporate social responsibility practices aren’t in place.

Other Links of Note

The airplane seat recline is being reduced by half  (opens in a new tab) on some Delta planes. Quartz explains why.

Workplace wellness programs inspire good habits. But they don’t improve employees’ health  (opens in a new tab) or reduce healthcare costs, Modern Healthcare reports.

Personal stories matter. Nonprofit Marketing Guide offers simple ways to write a social media post that resonates  (opens in a new tab).