Booking

At the University of Warwick we have two very large university-wide open days each year: one in May and one in September, each attracting over 8,000 visitors. These days are incredibly popular and can fill up within hours, so we advise students to sign up to YourWarwick for advance access to the form.

This year's Spring Open Day runs from 10am-4pm on Saturday 12th May 2012.

We make booking essential for safety, traffic and parking reasons. Booking will open at 10.00am on 17th April (you can access the form a day earlier through YourWarwick if you sign up to YourWarwick).

The day can book out in under fourteen hours, and some individual sessions (particularly for popular subject areas) book out even more quickly, so we recommend booking early and being prepared by reading this guide and checking the open day timetable which we will place on these open day pages a few weeks before booking. If you can't get to a computer on this date, you may also need to ask a friend of family member to do it for you.

To book and prepare for your day you will need to do the following:

  • PRE-STEP: sign up to YourWarwick to access the booking form a day early, make sure that you receive and confirm the verification email to confirm your registration (your registration will not be confirmed until you have clicked on this email).
  • NOTE THE DATE BOOKING OPENS: 10.00am on Tuesday 17th April for non-YourWarwick members (Monday 16th April at 10.00am for Yourwarwick members)
  • STEP 1: Read the timetable - which will be available on these pages at the start of April - these will allow you to plan your day and which sessions you want to book
  •  STEP 2: Access the booking form
  •  STEP 3: Book your sessions
  •  STEP 4: Check for your confirmation email
  •  STEP 5: prepare for your visit – check whether you have been assigned campus parking, Park & Ride parking and print permits. Those who booked after these have filled will need to utilise public transport to reach campus 

 

STEP 1: Read the timetable

You will need to book your sessions when you make your open day booking and it's vital that you fill the form in carefully and that you have booked everything correctly before you submit it. You might find that you are accessing the booking form during a short lunchbreak, or after it's been open and filling up for a few hours, so it's quicker and easier if you can read through the timetable and plan your day in advance before booking.

We therefore provide our timetable online a number of weeks before booking opens to allow you to plan your day and identify which sessions you will want to book.

Our web page ‘sessions available on the day’ lists the variety of activities you could experience, so you may also wish to look through this. On the day sessions offered will consist of:

 

STEP 2: Access the booking form

Booking takes place via an online booking form, which you can access through our website and YourWarwick. We recommend booking early, as the day can book out in under fourteen hours! Some individual sessions (particularly for popular subject areas) book out even more quickly. So if you can't get to a computer, you will need to ask a friend of family member to do it for you.

YourWarwick members just need to log in to YourWarwick and click on the "Open Days" link at the top left of your Home page - we will already know most of your contact details. It is important that you log into YourWarwick first, otherwise the form will ask you to go back and do this!

If you haven't yet signed up to YourWarwick, there will be a link on the Open Days page to a slightly longer version of the form, which will ask you for all your details, before giving you access to the main form.

Either way, the first page of the booking form will ask you:

  • Who is coming
  • Whether you need a parking space (parking will be via permit only: you will be allocated a space either on campus or at our dedicated Park & Ride site)
  • If you have any special needs regarding access

To ensure booking is as quick and easy as possible, please make sure that you have all of this information to hand when you begin booking.

Please note: whilst we will provide a reminder email to all YourWarwick members, you will need to make sure that you have completed your registration (by clicking on the confirmation email) to receive this, and you need to check your 'junk mail' box. We highly recommend that you check your access to your YourWarwick portal a few days before booking, to ensure you have the correct password, login, and have fully confirmed your registration.

 

STEP 3: Book your sessions

The second page of the booking form asks you to select your pre-sessions for the day. You will have decided which sessions to book in advance, so take a couple of minutes to ensure that you understand the form before you start.

Remember, there are drop-in and book-on-the-day sessions available that won't be on the booking form - refer to the timetable for guidance.

You can only book a maximum of two places for each session, so that everyone has a fair chance to book onto their preferred sessions.

 

STEP 4: Check for your confirmation email

Shortly after you have completed your booking, you will a confirmation email.

Your booking confirmation email details your booked sessions and gives you access to the full programme, travel information, and parking permits. These details will also be accessible via your YourWarwick portal.

You must print your confirmation email and bring it with you on the day to obtain entry to the day and to your pre-booked sessions. You must click on the links in your confirmation email or portal to access your permit and print this to bring with you on the day. You will not be posted hard copies of your permits or programme.

Hard copy programmes and timetables will be available on the day but you will not be able to obtain your permit or confirmation email of booked sessions which you will need to access your sessions and park so remember to bring these.

 

STEP 5: Prepare for your visit

To make the most of your day you will need to plan ahead and be prepared.

know what to bring:

Make sure that you print off and bring the following with you:

  • Your Park & Ride permit and directions to Stoneleigh Park
  • OR Your Campus permit (please display this clearly when approaching campus)
  • OR Exact change if you are using public transport
  • PLUS Your booking confirmation, with a list of your pre-booked sessions
  • AND Your open day programme, which includes maps, travel information and timetables, if you have printed this. The full, printed version of this will be available on the day, but bringing your own copy may make it easier for you and your family to look at maps and timetables together.


Please note: you will not be able to obtain your individual booking confirmations on the day - please ensure that you print and bring your confirmation email!

Travel and parking

Think about how you plan to get here and make your travel arrangements early. Our open days attract over 8,000 visitors and this means that there will be a lot of traffic on the day. We highly recommend using public transport if possible to get here, as our campus is accessible both by train and by bus: our nearest mainline train station at Coventry is a short bus ride away, and frequent buses travel from all local towns or cities direct to campus. See our travel centre for more information about getting here using public transport.


If you are planning on travelling by car you will need to make sure you have left plenty of extra time for Open Day traffic and parking, although Park & Ride now means that this has been reduced over the years.

On completion of your booking, you will have been allocated a free permit for parking on campus (very restricted numbers), or a permit for our free Park & Ride service. This popular service is put in place exclusively for Open Days, to manage traffic queues onto campus. This service will operate from Stoneleigh Park (a few miles from the A46 - also follow signposts for National Agriculture Centre) with dedicated buses direct to campus, with the terminus located at University House (Point 59 on the campus map).

On-campus parking will be assigned on a first come, first served basis through the booking process. Visitors will then be assigned to our Park & Ride service. Once these are full, any further visitors will need to travel via public transport.

Those assigned either campus parking or Park & Ride parking will be assigned a permit in their booking confirmation email. You must print and bring the permit assigned with you on the day.

If you, or any of your guests have any special requirements that mean you will need to park on campus, please state this during the booking process and we will contact you to make arrangements with you directly.

ACCOMMODATION

Discounted bed and breakfast rates will be available to Open Day visitors staying overnight on Friday 11th May at our on-campus conference centres, Scarman and Radcliffe. This can only be booked after you have completed your booking for the Open Day, and you will be provided a code on your Open Day booking receipt which you will be asked to quote when booking your accommodation to allow you to receive the discounted rate. The luxury, en-suite rooms are equipped with high speed internet access, a spacious desk area, tea and coffee making facilities, television, radio alarm clock, hairdryer, refrigerator, iron, trouser press, towels and toiletries.

 

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