There’s only 17 days until booking opens for Open Doors visitors on Monday 13 January! We already have more than 130 events registered across the UK – please help us to reach as many potential visitors as possible. Remember Open Doors is #NotJustForSites and Build UK Chair Julie White has highlighted in Building Magazine how you can show there is a career in construction for everyone by also opening up your offices, factories, service centres and training facilities from Monday 17 ‐ Saturday 22 March.
In the last month, we have engaged with almost 450 Jobcentre Plus staff and prison work coaches via our Open Doors Partner Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), which is promoting events to thousands of potential visitors in their network. We are also seeing significant interest from schools and colleges, who generally need three months to organise visits, so don’t delay registering your events to ensure all your sessions are filled.
Can You Help?
We currently have more enquiries than we do events in the East of England, Yorkshire, North East and Scotland and would be particularly grateful for anyone who can offer events in these areas to ensure we reach as many potential visitors as possible.
Event Registration Checklist
There is detailed guidance on registering your events on the Open Doors website to make sure the information is as clear as possible for potential visitors, and we would recommend you do the following before making your events ‘active’ by Friday 10 January:
- Ensure you have completed all the fields for both your Company and Event profiles, including uploading images
- Include as much information as possible about the site or experience under ‘About the event’ to help visitors select the right event for them
- Use the ‘Activities’ section to provide a clear and interesting description of the event so visitors know what to expect
- For sites using CSCS Smart Check, make sure you tick the appropriate box on your Event profile to demonstrate you are using the latest technology to ensure everyone has the ‘right card for the right job’
- Add at least one session date and time to ensure your bookings go live on Monday 13 January (you can add more sessions later if required).
Once your events are active, you may start receiving enquiries from schools and colleges looking to register their interest in booking, and we have produced Visit Brief and Risk Assessment templates to help teaching staff secure the relevant permissions.
Preview Video
Canary Wharf Group has produced a short video of our exclusive preview of #OpenDoors25 hosted at Wood Wharf, which can be used to promote Open Doors to potential visitors, including schools and colleges. You can also find out more about the event and the benefits of getting involved in this article from Open Doors Media Partner Building Magazine.
Ministerial Reach
Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol recently participated in a Ministerial roundtable to explore a different approach to skills and training in the sector. Attended by the Metro Mayors, she highlighted the opportunity provided by Open Doors to show people the range of opportunities available, and we are following up with invitations to events next March.