How to add co-organisers/roles for people not in same organisation but in same recurring teams meeting?

Question

I have a group that meets monthly on teams but since I created the meeting, I'm the only who can start it but am not always available. How can I make it so that someone else can start the meeting?

Answer 1

Hello @Hugo, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.  I understand that you are looking for a way to assign a formal "Co-organizer" to your recurring meetings so that other members can start the call without you being present.

This is actually a very common request for volunteer groups, but unfortunately, the specific "Co-organizer" role is currently a premium feature restricted to Business and Enterprise subscriptions.

However, you can solve your core problem (allowing others to start the meeting without you) by changing the specific "Lobby" security settings.

Here is how to configure the meeting so it starts itself for anyone with the link:

1. Open your Outlook Calendar (or Teams Calendar) where the recurring meeting is saved.
2. Open the meeting details and look for the link or button that says "Meeting options" (usually located near the "Click here to join" link). Note: This will usually open a web browser page where the security settings live.
3. Look for the setting: "Who can bypass the lobby?"
4. Change this setting to: "Everyone".
5. Click Save.

Now, anyone with the link can click "Join," and the meeting will effectively start immediately, even if you are asleep or on holiday.

Important Considerations: Since you are setting this to "Everyone," please be aware of two things:

• Security: You lose the ability to screen people before they enter. Anyone who has the link can enter directly (though for a trusted volunteer group, this is usually perfectly fine).
• Timing: Anyone with the link can start the call. For example, if a member joins 30 minutes early to test their mic, the meeting technically starts at that moment.

I hope changing these lobby settings allows your group to meet smoothly even when you are unavailable. If you have any further questions about meeting permissions or run into any other issues, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.   

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Answer 2

To allow someone else to start a recurring Teams meeting that you created, you can add them as a co-organizer. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Edit the Meeting: Open the recurring meeting in your Teams calendar.
2. Add Co-organizers: In the meeting options, you can add co-organizers. This allows them to start the meeting when you are unavailable. Note that only users with a Microsoft 365 account and Teams license can be assigned as co-organizers.
3. Save Changes: After adding the desired participants as co-organizers, save the changes to the meeting.

Keep in mind that co-organizers will have similar capabilities as the organizer, including the ability to manage meeting options and admit participants from the lobby.

If the participants are not in the same organization, ensure that your organization's settings allow external users to be assigned as co-organizers.

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References:

• Build apps for Teams meetings and calls
• Teams controls