Understanding Society Scientific Conference 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read the FAQs below first.
If you have any additional questions, please contact our Events Coordinator, Jay James who is based at the University of Essex.
Email: jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk
Jay James
Jay project manages and coordinates all events and training hosted by Understanding Society. To read about other team members, please see our team page
By registering for this event I agree to abide by the University of Essex’s code of conduct, and acknowledge its zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment.
The Understanding Society Scientific Conference will take place at the University of Essex, in the Essex Business School (EBS)
Floorplan for EBS: Floor 1 & Floor 2 (main entrance)
CONFERENCE FEE
DELEGATE RATE
One day delegate ticket is £75
A 3-day delegate ticket is £180
STUDENT RATE
One day student ticket is £50
The 3-day student ticket is £120
INCLUDED IN THE FEE(S)
Reception (with food & drinks) at Silberrad, on the 1st of July (19.00 – 21.00)
Dinner at Prested Hall (coaches available), on the 2nd of July (18.00 – 22.00)
Lunch and refreshments during the day(s).
ACCOMODATION
OPTION 1: UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX ON CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION
You can stay in one of the University’s students’ flats which comprises a single en-suite room equipped with linen and towels. Each flat also has a kitchen with tea and coffee-making facilities.
The cost for this option is £45 per night or £51 per night with breakfast.
You can book a room by emailing Carla Ayandokun (carla.ayandokun@essex.ac.uk).
Please state in your email, how many nights you want to stay and if you would like breakfast.
Carla will arrange payments directly with you.
OPTION 2: WIVENHOE HOUSE HOTEL
If you wish to stay in the four-star hotel which is a ten-minute walk from the Essex Business School building, please contact the hotel directly to book your room.
OPTION 3: COLCHESTER HOTELS
Book into a local hotel. The City Centre is 2.5 miles from the University.
• The Rose and Crown
• The George Hotel
• Star Anglia Hotel
• Greyfriars
• Brook Red Lion Hotel
• Colchester Premier Inn: Town Centre or Colchester Central
• Visit Colchester also has a directory of places to stay in the local area
OPTION 4: WIVENHOE HOTELS
Wivenhoe is a village close to the University. You can either walk via the Wivenhoe Trail to the University or take bus 87 or S1 to campus. Wivenhoe also has a train station, with a direct line to London Liverpool Street
Check out booking.com for your options
OPTION 5: BRIGHTLINGSEA
Further afield is Brightlingsea. Bus 87 will take you there from campus and back.
Check out booking.com for your options
EVENT ESSEX OFFICE (for on-campus room bookings only)
Check in is from 14.00 onwards. Event Essex will explain to you via email where you can collect your key & breakfast card.
Check out is at 09.30 the latest. Keys & paperwork need to be dropped off at the Security & Safety Centre located in Square 3
The Event Essex office can be contacted Monday -Friday, between 09.00 – 16.30 on telephone number 01206- 872358, for accommodation check-in, key issue and lost keys, meal cards and lost meal cards, to report damages and lost property and all other general enquiries. Contact the security and safety centre before and after these hours.
BREAKFAST FOR DELEGATES USING THE ON CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION
With your voucher (which you receive upon collection of your key), you can get breakfast at the Canteen, located on square 3. Opening times are from 7.30 till 11.00. Be aware that it can be busy.
SECURITY & SAFETY CENTRE
Located in square 3, open 24/7. Contact number 01206 872 125
EMERGENCIES
In an emergency, please contact the Security & Safety Centre on the emergency number 01206 872 222
COLCHESTER FOOD OUTLETS
You can find all the food outlets & their opening times here.
CAMPUS SHOPS & OFF LICENSE
The Campus Shop and Off License are situated in Square 4, open Monday – Friday 08.00-18.00 and Saturday and Sunday 10.00-17.00.
It sells groceries, frozen meals, over the counter medicine, alcohol, newspapers and much more.
BANKING
Cash machine is located on Square 3
LAUNDERETTE
The launderette on campus is open 24 hours a day. It is located in the Hex causeway between Square 5 and the North Campus Accommodation and in the South Courts accommodation. This service is managed by the Circuit Go App, which you can find in your app store on your phone.
SPORT FACILITIES
The University boasts a wide range of sports and fitness facilities, both indoor and outdoor for you to use when staying on campus. Please enquire at the sports centre for details and prices.
Delegates staying in one of the on-campus rooms are welcome to use the gym free of charge. In order to gain access to the gym, please show your confirmation email to the reception team in the Sports Centre. The hours for the gym are Monday-Friday (6.30 – 23.00) and Saturday & Sunday (8.00 – 22.00).
ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES
The University is able to provide various facilities for guests who would benefit from increased accessibility. These include specially adapted accommodation and accessible parking as well as access to facilities across campus, catering and sport facilities. For further information find Jay James at the registration desk or send her an email beforehand (jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk)
PARENTS & BABY ROOM
Main academic building – 5A.223
PRAYER ROOM
Main academic building – floor 3 – room 3.305
STUDENT UNION – SU BAR
The Student Union bar is located on square 3, next to The Kitchen.
FIND YOUR WAY ON CAMPUS
You can find the campus map, with all the locations, here.
TRAVEL – GETTING TO THE COLCHESTER CAMPUS
ADDRESS
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
CO4 3SQ
Colchester
TRAVELING BY CAR
Colchester is just off the A12. From London and South Essex, take the Colchester (A133) exit. From Ipswich, take the Colchester (A1232) exit. Please follow roadside signage to our Colchester Campus, which is to the east of Colchester off the A133 and be aware that sat nav directions using our postcode can be misleading, therefor use the following postcodes:
CO4 3SQ for parking at North Towers car park (next to the EBS building)
CO4 3ZH for parking at Capon Road car park
CO4 3FA for the Valley Road car park and the multi storage car park
Email Jay James if you need parking at the University of Essex. Parking is free, but we need to let the car park office know. We need registration number, name and days of attending.
Delegates staying at Wivenhoe House can park at the hotel.
TRAVELING BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
TRAIN
Travel by train to Colchester North (COL) or Wivenhoe (WIV).
These train stations can be reached via/from London Liverpool Street. Wivenhoe will be on the same line as the Colchester train station depending on the train you are getting from London Liverpool Street. It’s either a direct line or you depart at Colchester North and go to a different platform for the train to Wivenhoe.
Be aware that there are three train stations in Colchester: Colchester Town (CET), Hythe (HYH) and Colchester North (COL), the latter is the main station in Colchester.
From Colchester North to the University
From Colchester North – you can take bus 87 (towards Brightlingsea). Depart at bus stop Subway opposite the EBS building.
From Wivenhoe train station to the University
You can take bus S1 to the University. The bus stop is at the entrance of station – cross the bridge over the rail if you are traveling from London. Depart at the bus stop Subway opposite the EBS building.
WALK
The University is walkable from Colchester Hythe and Wivenhoe. Check the Wivenhoe Trail. This will take you approx. 30/40 minutes.
TAXIS
If you want to use a taxi from any of the train stations above, we suggest booking a taxi as soon as possible as often local taxi companies are fully booked between 8am & 9am and 3pm & 5pm. Let the taxi company know that the drop off place / or pick up place (when going home) is University of Essex – North Towers (EBS building)/ or Wivenhoe House if staying there.
Minicab 01206 – 544 444
Panther 01206 – 525 525
Five Sevens 01206 – 577 777
524 Taxis 01206 – 524 524
Use an Uber App
TRAVELING BY PLANE
- From Heathrow airport:
- Take the Elizabeth Line, towards Abbey Wood, to London Liverpool Street. Take the train to Colchester or Wivenhoe.
From Stansted airport:
- Take the Stansted Express from Stansted directly to London Liverpool Street. Take the train to Colchester or Wivenhoe.
- Take the National Express (bus) from Stansted to Colchester. The bus will drop you off at East Hill, near St James -The Great church / Greyfriars. Walk up the hill to the High Street, where you can take bus 87 (bay Gc) or bus S1 (bay Gb) to the University of Essex, again depart at Subway. You will need to book a ticket online for the National Express: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en
- Use airlink, a hassle-free and direct route to Colchester North train station from Stansted Airport. Use the X20 route.
https://www.firstbus.co.uk/essex/airlink
From Gatwick airport:
Travelling to Colchester from Gatwick is more complicated, so my advice is to check the different options on Google, to make the best decision. Always travel to London Liverpool Street to get the connection to Colchester or Wivenhoe from there.
More information on travel, check the website here, or contact Jay James directly (jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk)
Traffic in Colchester can be very busy during the mornings and the afternoons. So please plan ahead, especially when travelling via buses and taxis.
Traffic from Wivenhoe to the University is overall much quieter than from Colchester.
You can use your Eduroam account by using your University email address and password to access the internet, if your University is part of the Eduroam network.
If you are not based at a University, or your University is not part of the Eduroam network, you can gain access to the internet via the following link: https://www.essex.ac.uk/student/it-services/wifi
Once connected, you get 10 minutes of free internet access. For 24 hours access, you must verify your email address by following the link in the verification email IT have sent you.
If you need a moment to recharge your batteries or need a chat with a colleague, you can use room EBS 2.62 and EBS 2.66 (see floorplan in the ‘location’ FAQ) for this.
Do you need more privacy? Come to the registration desk and Jay will find you a room.
Bonds Cafe is situated in the EBS building
Although refreshments, lunch & dinner are included in the conference fee, you might fancy a mid-conference snack in the form of a pastry or a delicious fresh cappuccino.
We’ve arranged with the University to have this cafe to be open for you, so don’t hesitate to visit Bonds Cafe.
Cashless payments only
Essex Food are no longer accepting cash payments. Please pay by card or contactless payment method. Thank you for your cooperation.
Pebbles was first seen, at the University of Essex, on the 5th of March 2010 and has been wandering around campus ever since.
He is a very beloved cat by many and was a big visitor at ISER, leaving hairs on basically ever chair in the office.
The University declared the 5th of March as ‘Campus Cat Day’ in 2024, to honour this beautiful creature and a statue of Pebbles was revealed.
You can find this statue at the top of the stairs, in between square 3 and 4.
Unfortunately, this is the only ‘Pebbles’ you will see nowadays on Campus as he retired early this year and lives with Craig in Colchester.
Everyone at the University receives weekly updates on his adventures on Facebook (Essex Campus Cat) , so he is still with us that way.
Check out the Essex Student Union Shop for Pebbles merch and other lovely things, on square 4.
You want to stretch your legs and take in all the beauty that surrounds campus? Don’t hesitate and sign up for the ‘Tree Walk’ on Wednesday the 2nd of July, after lunch.
Two members of the University’s Grounds Team will take you on a walk, telling you all about the trees on Campus.
It’s a very gentle walk, not rushed and extremely interesting. Make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes as the paths are a little uneven.
The walk starts after lunch, from the Silberrad building and will take about 1,5 hours. You will be back at EBS before the next break/parallel session at 16:45.
Do you want to meet the Wivenhoe Whopper (an 800 year old Oak Tree), do not hesitate and email Jay James (jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk) and book your place.
There are limited places available (15-20 people), so don’t miss out…
A full presenters briefing will be send to you by Jay James.
If you haven’t received this or have any questions, email Jay directly (jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk)
TOURIST GUIDE – THINGS TO DO IN THE LOCAL AREA
VISIT BRITAIN’S FIRST CITY & FORMER CAPITAL OF ROMAN BRITAIN COLCHESTER
HISTORY & HERITAGE:
THEATRE & PERFORMING ARTS:
LAKESIDE THEATRE (BASED AT THE UNIVERSIT OF ESSEX)
GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS:
COLCHESTER CASTLE MUSEUM
COLCHESTER CASTLE
CINEMAS:
SPORT AND LEISURE:
COLCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
SWIMMING POOL / LEISURE CENTRE
VISIT WIVENHOE
PUBS:
Black Buoy Pub / Rose & Crown / The Greyhound / Horse & Groom / The Flag Inn
RESTAURANTS:
The Olive Branch / The Orange Tree Tapas Restaurant / Valentinos
FURTHER AFIELD
If you are presenting and need to cancel, please contact Jay James (jolanda.james@essex.ac.uk), as soon as possible, as the programme may need to be adjusted.
If you have registered as a delegate and you are unable to attend, please let Jay know as soon as possible.
The deadline for a refund is the 13th of June 2025.
- Browse the conference programme using the tabbed interface, which separates sessions by day.
- Click on a session to view more details.
- Select “Add to My Planner” to include it in your personal schedule.
- Access your saved sessions by clicking the planner icon at the bottom right of the screen.
No, the planner works without an account, and your selections are saved on your current device. However, they won’t sync across devices. To access your planner offline or without internet, use the Print Session function to print or save it as a PDF.