The problem
A community center's income depends on its rooms being used, but the gaps are hard to see across several rooms and weeks. If the small hall sits empty most weekday afternoons, that's hours that could be hired at $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour. Filling just 3 of them a week is about $343£258€307A$495C$485 a month.
What the AI does
Export a term of bookings from your booking system, with room, date, start and end time and hire charge, and paste it into Google Sheets. Click Ask Gemini and ask for a pivot table of booked hours by room, weekday and time of day, with a chart of the emptiest slots. Google says Gemini in Sheets can create tables, formulas, pivot tables and charts. The committee then markets those slots, for example to tutors, fitness classes or groups on a waiting list. On a business account it needs Google Workspace Business Standard (about $16£12€14A$23C$23 per user a month).
A worked example
A community center in Kettering with a main hall, a small hall and a meeting room exports a term of bookings. Gemini's table shows the small hall empty on most weekday afternoons, and the manager offers those slots at an off-peak rate.
Before
Small hall empty on about 4 of 5 weekday afternoons
After
3 extra hours a week booked at $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour
What it's worth
About $241£181€215A$348C$340 a month of extra surplus, against about $16£12€14A$23C$23 for Workspace Business Standard. Three extra hours a week at $27£20€24A$38C$38 is $80£60€71A$115C$113 a week, about $343£258€307A$495C$485 a month, and at an assumed 70% after heating, lighting and cleaning that's about $241£181€215A$348C$340.
How to set it up
- Use Google Workspace Business Standard (€13.60, about $16£12€14A$23C$23 per user a month on a one-year commitment) for the manager's account.
- Export a term of bookings with room, date, start and end time and charge. Delete hirers' contact details.
- Paste it into a Google Sheet, click Ask Gemini and ask: 'Make a pivot table of booked hours by room, weekday and morning, afternoon or evening, and chart the emptiest slots.'
- Check one room's week by hand against the diary.
- Pick 2 or 3 empty slots to market, with an off-peak price if the committee agrees, and repeat the check next term.
What goes wrong
- Bookings show use, not demand. A slot may be empty because the heating is off or the room is set up for a regular group.
- If Gemini builds a formula wrongly, the gaps are wrong. Check a sample by hand.
- If the organization qualifies for Google for Nonprofits, Google lists Business Standard at $3.50 (about $4£3€4A$6C$6) per user a month on a one-year commitment; the free nonprofit edition doesn't include Gemini in Gmail, Docs or Sheets.
- Business Starter (about $8£6€7A$12C$11) has Gemini in Gmail only, not Sheets.