Spring Open Day 2012

1. Spring Open Day 2012 Saturday 12th May: 10am-4pm Staff times – 8.00am– 4.30pm

2. Topics in this briefing • Content of the day • Resources for you • Radios and emergencies • Tips for talking to visitors • Summary of any last-minute updates

3. Spring Open Day 2012 • Largest event in the University calendar • 8,000 visitors expected • Over 3,000 prospective students • 1,000 campus permits assigned • 1,500 cars using Park & Ride service • 40% of bookers likely to be no-shows… • …tends to be made up by “gatecrashers”! • Main reasons to visit: to speak to current students and lecturers, to see campus • Our purpose: to create the best experience for each of our visitors Each job is vital!

4. Your role on the day Engaging positively with visitors Crowd and queue management Managing WWS Student Helpers Monitoring attendance at sessions Dealing with ‘challenging’ visitors Reporting on any issues to Kate, Richard or Sukhi

5. Warwick Welcome Service (WWS) • Main reason for coming to the Open Day • Fully trained • “Senior” WWS should be treated like staff • Instructed to refer difficult enquiries to you • MUST sign in beginning of day at IMC and out end of day at Tours Tent or may not get paid! • You are in charge of lunch breaks/assignment within building • Will need some direction • Please keep ‘on task’ - are there as ‘current students’, but also to help you on the day! • If they are surplus to requirements let Claire Avery know

6. Warwick Welcome Service re-allocations • If you need to re-allocate a WWS radio Claire Avery. • If they do not turn up to your area let her know. • Monitoring all WWS movements so they don’t go ‘AWOL’ • May not pick up straight away due to inputting data so try again in a few minutes. Please be patient! • May be short of WWS at stages – Claire Avery is there to monitor and as much as she would like to, cant ‘magic’ up WWS out of a hat!! • Particularly towards the end of the day, we may have more WWS than needed. If you have any WWS in your area who are not being used, or more than you require than please let us know.

7. New for 2012 • MAPS! Trial of separate double-sided maps for visitors to pick up • Student Showcase! All day at front of Digital Lab • We have more blocks open for accommodation (2 x blocks for Rootes and 2 x blocks for Bluebell as well as 1x Jack Martin and 1 x Arthur Vick). We hope this will aid queuing, but will require additional staffing. • Lunches provided closer to area of work (better lunchbreak!) – 30 mins only - however, please note where your lunch is! • Stewarded queuing in Arts Centre • “Reserve” tickets WILL NOT be used – we will be using ‘booked’ and ‘non-booked’ queues.

8. Open Day Programme • Available from: Welcome Tent, Tours Marquee, Information Points • Also, SEPARATE MAPS AVAILABLE – which have a zoom in of main campus. • New timetable design – ‘magazine layout’ of areas to drop-in to, and timetables in second half • Brochure: a “taster” of the student experience • Webpage with travel info and parking permit was available through booking email

9. Layout of the day • Welcome Tent at University House • IMC Plaza for main tours tent/arrivals • Digilab houses exhibition including Student Finance, and talks inc. Careers and Skills, Student Support • Pre-booked sessions across the campus • ‘Ask Admissions’ now drop-in ‘Admissions Q&A’ in ACCR • ‘Student Showcase’ replaced by ‘Student Showcase’, now all day in Digilab (open session) • Accommodation: Rootes, Jack Martin, Bluebell • Drop-in sessions in Ramphal, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Computer Science, IMC, Maths & Stats Please refer to timetable, not rota, for session times!

10. Sessions • Timetable lists sessions as ‘pre-booking’, ‘book on day’, or ‘drop in’ • Pre-book sessions made so because they are popular! • Factsheets on clipboards indicate “pre-book” • Queues will form • Bookings need to be checked • “Reserve” tickets best way to attend sessions that haven’t been booked • Aim is to end up with full rooms – do your best to fill them fairly, but do fill them! • Book on day mainly limited to tours • Drop-ins mainly dept-run • PLEASE COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE ATTEND EACH SESSION AND NOTE DOWN

11. Tours of campus • Depart from IMC Plaza • 15 minutes intervals (1000 – 1530) • Ticketed • Walking tours of Westwood • For Early Childhood Studies (departs after presentations) • Walking Tours to Gibbet Hill • Four tours throughout day from IMC Plaza • Can also make their own way to Gibbet Hill

12. Accommodation • ‘Living at Warwick’ talks in the Arts Centre • Accommodation stand in Exhibition, Digilab • Viewings • 1 x Jack Martin, 1 X Arthur Vick, 2 x Bluebell, 2 x Rootes • Staff, Senior WWS and WWS at each • Monitor and control flow of visitors • One “overview” member of staff (Stuart Stanley) to circulate through all accommodation and monitor queues – ONLY STUART will be in charge of reassigning WWS and requesting more – you must contact him in first instance. • Remember security of residences and students revising • Very busy all day, unlikely visitors will have time to see all 4 types

13. Bluebell Accommodation • 505 new bedrooms being finished behind Rootes. • Was ready for September 2011 • £150/week 2012/13 • More accommodation over the next 3 years – including Sherbourne which will be ready for 2012/13

14. Accommodation • It is very important to stress that 1st year undergraduates are our priority, but… please DO NOT use the word “guarantee” at ANY TIME!

15. Further information for the day • Exhibition: Digilab • Reception desk • Admissions, International Office, Accommodation, Residential Life, Disability Services, Student Careers and Skills, Language Centre, Sports, SU and… • Student Finance!! • Prospectuses • Admissions stall in the Exhibition, Digilab • Accommodation brochures • Accommodation stand in the Exhibition, Digilab. • Prices in Open Day Programme (brochure)

16. Food and drink • Arts Centre Café Bar • Rootes Social Building • The Bar • Bar Fusion • Costa Coffee • Café Library • Café Humanities • Café Gibbet Hill • University House Café • Costcutter • Costa @ Millburn House • Students’ Union: • Curiositea • The Bread Oven • The Dirty Duck • Xananas

17. Your clipboard • Factsheet containing vital info: • Staff names and contact details • Presenters names and contact details • Session timings • Expected attendance numbers • Space to record actual attendance • Copy of the programme • Audio-visual info • Staff rota • WWS rota

18. Audiovisual • AV Services assistants will be checking equipment and supporting certain presentations throughout the day. • There is an AV guide on your clipboard • Please check with presenters before the start of their presentations about any technical issues they have. • AV Services can be contacted by radio if emergency support is required.

19. Radios! • Runners (Kate, Richard and Sukhi) • Staff in each building • Senior WWS tour guides • St John’s Ambulance • WWS on information points Using the radio • Check it is on the right channel (Channel 1) • Check that you can hear it! • Hold the microphone about 5cm away from you when about to speak • Hold down the big button on the side, wait one or two seconds and speak clearly • When making a call, identify the event, yourself and the person you want to contact: • eg. ‘Open Day Kate to Open Day Richard’ reply ‘Open Day Richard receiving’ • Release the big button when finished. Use a phone for sensitive information Remember that everyone can hear you over the radios! (e.g. “There are ants in Jack Martin kitchen!” or “The geese! Oh god, THE GEESE!!!”*) *Fortunately, only one of these is an historic example

20. Emergencies Fire • Activate the nearest ‘break glass’ alarm • Calmly proceed to the nearest fire exit. • Usher visitors out and do not re-enter • Continue to direct visitors away from building when outside. • Identify yourself to security on their arrival, brief them and follow any further instructions. Injury Use your radio to contact St John Ambulance staff: “Required to attend a minor incident” OR, if the incident is serious “Urgently required to attend an incident” Don’t be specific over the radio - it’s sensitive info!

21. Radio sign out • Please make sure that if you are assigned a radio you keep hold of it, and return it before you leave the day (Digital Lab), signing it in. • A lost radio will incur a £470 charge and we must return them at the end of the day so if any are missing we have to search the whole campus. We will call you after the day if you have not signed your radio in!

22. Staff Rota/ Lunch • Staff rota – Circulated • Lunch • Packed lunches available from Welcome Tent, Digilab, Info Point at top of Health Centre Road (opposite Arts Centre) or Gibbet Hill • Academic staff – Sutherland Suite • Try to stick to times – they correspond to your areas • ½ hour lunch • Must inform us if busy and difficult to get away – it’s important that you get your lunch! • WWS lunches can be delegated to Senior WWS if you have one with you.

23. Appearing confident and knowledgeable • All the information a visitor should need is in their programme • Additional programmes and information about which sessions have additional space can be picked up from the Information Points and main tours tent (IMC Plaza) • Know your facts about the University and know where to find further information • Use other members of staff and WWS • Approachable body language • Remember to breathe!

24. Dealing with challenging visitors • WWS may refer visitors on to you • Take them to one side: be discreet • Always be polite and calm (even if you are right and they are wrong!) • Do not add to the negativity • Possible strategies for random rudeness: • Show that you are listening by briefly summarising their issue • Offer to pass up their comments • Escalate to Kate, Richard or Sukhi • A questionnaire will be sent by e-mail to all visitors who booked – they can air their concerns there.

25. On the day • 0800 – Saturday (unless informed of alternative time) • Meet at Digilab • If you’re ill on the day or going to be later than expected then please phone Sukhi on 07876 218 083 • Park in Car Park 8/15 • Staff dress – Blue shirts and casual (unless presenter) • Comfy shoes! • At the end of the day • Return any equipment/ boxes to Digilab • Assist with other areas • Ensure all signs are down and collected • Take WWS to Tours Tent for sign out/help with pack-down • Drink in the bar at the end of the day (4.00/4.30)

26. Summary of recent updates • Separate maps • Student Showcase • More accommodation • Guest visitors • Building-specific notes online by end of day • Can we have your phone number please?!

27. Thank you so much for your help Any Questions? Area info available at: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/opendays/staffguidance/ontheday