FAQs

NO - events can take part on any number of days, from just one afternoon to several different days. It is entirely up to you, how many hours you wish to participate. As long as those hours are within our festival dates.

YES - although we hope that you consider linking to the festival theme, it‘s not a requirement! If you are struggling to find a connection, then do not worry.  As long as it meets our general criteria, you can register with us.

NO – over a quarter of events are submitted in the two weeks before registration closes, and it can take several weeks to process them all. This means that we are unable to accept extra events after the deadline to ensure we can work through all the submissions in time. To avoid being caught up in this backlog, or missing out from taking part in the festival, be sure to register as early as you can!

Booking can help manage numbers and help preparations but also mean you attract a more traditional audience. The issue of ‘no shows’ has also grown since the pandemic, particularly for free events. If you choose booking, here are some ideas to address the issues:

Registration tip

Remember, there are 4 options on the registration form to choose from when submitting your event details to the festival directory:

• No booking required
• Book on the day
• Pre-booking preferred
• Pre-booking required

To avoid disappointing visitors, do be certain if you choose ‘booking preferred’ that there is actually an option for people to turn up on the day!

Booking tactics

1. Open booking in phases – Some tickets available early for the planners, then a second release later as the closer to the event people book, the more likely they are to actually attend. It also increases your chance of reaching a different kind of audience as research has shown that younger people for example, will not start looking for an event until the week or maybe fortnight before.
2. Overbook (but manage expectations) – This can be risky but worthwhile. It is how flight companies and popular televised events often approach the issue, but it is important to include wording on the booking form to highlight it is not an absolute guarantee of a place.
3. Hold back tickets for the day – Have perhaps 75% of places pre-booked, with the rest available on the day. Again this can allow for a different audience, and if there are lots of no-shows, it means you might still have enough people to fill the places.

Maintaining interest to prevent ‘no shows’

1. Stay in touch but make it personal – Reminders help but we all get so many emails and messages these days, especially if people are using Eventbrite, that people tend to ignore the standard templates. Personalising messages can really help them stand out, not just adding in the visitor’s name on a mail merge but make the message sound more like it is part of a human conversation than a template reminder – building a connection.
2. Consequences (short term) – Highlight that events are oversubscribed, again, making it specific can have more impact, e.g. people pay more attention when you say: ‘we have 3 families really eager to attend this event so do let us know if you are unable to join’, rather than: ‘this event is very popular, please let us know if you can’t attend’.  This encourages visitors to view taking the time to cancel as giving back, leading to a benefit, rather than just being a chore.
3. Consequences (long term) – It can be worth following up with people who don’t attend events. A short message checking in, perhaps sending resources they missed, and highlighting future opportunities can show that their absence was noted, underlining the importance of cancellations. Although it doesn’t help for your event that time, it might make them think twice for the next one.

YES - BUT be careful how it is framed. It should not come across as an obligation. (Nb. 2/3 of visitors in 2023 gave a donation where they saw an opportunity.)

YES – if these are IN ADDITION to the main event offer. If the event is a cream tea at the castle, then NO – it must be possible for visitors to attend the HODs event as described in the directory’s main event description details entirely for free.

Ideally yes but parking charges are a grey area considering the sheer diversity of events and methods of reaching them people have. So, we will allow existing car park fees to be kept, but you must not raise them or add one where it was free - don't use this element as a fundraising option. Also, do make sure you include parking details in your entry so that visitors know in advance.

Toll roads and ferries are examples here and usually out of your control. As with car park fees, where there is a pre-existing fee it does not have to be removed for the festival, although it is wonderful if you can! To help visitors prepare though, please do include this information in your entry.

If you’re new to Heritage Open Days, you’ll first need to submit a login request to join the community. Once approved, this gives you access to our Organiser Area. Here you’ll find our online registration form, and be able to save, edit and submit your event(s). Check out our Registration Tips for an overview and step by step guidance.

NO – the online registration system enables you to copy an old event, update and submit for the new cycle.

NO – request a login to join the community and we will connect you to your organisation’s records. You will then be able to access the old events, clone, update and submit them for the new festival year.

• Everyone – From June anyone can search for events on the directory.
• Organisers – At all times you can check the status of your entries in the Organiser area by filtering the My events table to show events for the current festival year.
• Coordinators – At all times you can check for events using the HODs Community searches in the Organiser area.
• If still in doubt – ask the team!

Registration is open each year from March until early August - for exact dates, please check the website - and you can submit your event at any time during the period. That said, we recommend registering as early as possible, to ensure that...

• you can fully benefit from the support we can provide,
• your event will be approved swiftly.

With the marketing materials order form going live in May and the event directory launching in early June, registering between these dates is our top tip! 

Events that need approval (online and HODs insurance) that are submitted in the last weeks of registration will likely be placed in a queue for approval, resulting in a delay between submission and your event appearing on the website.

Not a problem. There is no deadline for this. Cancel online or let us know and we will do it for you. Check out our Registration Tips for step by step guidance.

Do let people know locally as well – not all visitors check back for cancellations!

YES – they just need to request a login for the Organiser area.  We’ll then link them to your organisation where you can both access, amend and submit events. You will see all events under your organisation but not each other’s contact records. The person who last edited an event will be the Organiser linked to it.

Marketing materials can be requested from early May and are available until the registration deadline in August. You will receive an email notifying you when materials are available, and you can request these through the marketing page in your organiser area.

We strongly recommend that you order materials as early as possible to avoid disappointment, as we have only a limited amount available.

We offer bunting, banners, handwaving flags, A4 open signs, sticker sheets, kids activity sheets, tote bags, lanyards, and evaluation cards, all of which can be ordered via the materials order form. We also have a range of digital resources available throughout the year in the organiser area.

NO - All materials we provide are completely FREE - including postage!

We send out 2-3 press releases each year highlighting a selection of festival events. We strongly recommend registering your event as early as possible for a higher chance of being featured. Our long lead press release (for the September glossy magazines) is sent out in May.

Alternatively, you may want to produce your own press release—we provide templates and run a press webinar if you need any support.

YES - With almost 5,500 events registered each year, we sadly can’t promote every event on our channels and with such a high volume of events to look through, we may miss some when planning our posts. However, to increase the likelihood of being featured, we recommend high-quality, eye-catching images, using the national theme or offering something new/exciting.

Equally, if you have an exciting story/event that you’d like to bring to our attention, do pop us an email at: [email protected].

Within the HODs Community section, you can search for events by area or keyword – enabling you to connect with organisers to discuss common issues or cross-promote your events.