On this page, we collect the most frequently asked questions around this event.
Question: I see that everything is SOLD OUT, is there still a possibility to participate in the Academic Opening?
Answer: we are working hard to see how we can have even more people participate in the Academic Opening, taking into account the number of seats we have in the European Parliament and the safety regulations. We hope to have more news about this next week. If we actually have a solution, then those seats will be announced through this registration system. We can therefore recommend that you register and put yourself on the waiting lists. Then you are already in the system and we will keep you informed first. This FAQ will also be updated.
Question: What is the reason for the deadline of September 20th to register
Answer: The European Parliament's security service needs the necessary time to check and accredit each registered person. That is why they impose the hard deadline of 20 September. Unfortunately, no registrations or attempted registrations will be accepted after this date and no emails will be processed.
Question: Where will the reception take place after the academic opening?
Answer: After the academic opening, you are all expected in the garden of the Museum of Natural Sciences (also known as the Dino Museum). There will be a big tent where you can enjoy a European party. This venue is a 5min walk from the European Parliament and we will provide the necessary signage to get there.
Question: Can I visit the Dino Museum during the reception?
Answer: No, your VUB registration for the Academic Opening does not grant access to the museum itself. The reception will take place in a large tent located in the museum garden.
Question: Why is it necessary to arrive so early for the ceremony at the European Parliament?
Answer: Each person must go through three separate checks. First the VUB check, to ensure that you are registered, after which you will receive a colored band. Then, the EP accreditation service will check your identity document and the data you provided during registration. Finally, you will have to go through a scanner that is even more stringent than those found at airports.
Please note that all +800 invitees must go through this process, so it can take some time. However, once you are inside, you will have the opportunity to explore the entire building complex at your leisure. This is a city within itself that is not normally open to visitors, so we highly recommend arriving as early as possible and taking your time to stroll around. You can even grab a bite to eat or something to drink at one of the four catering establishments. Just make sure you are in the hemisphere by 14h40.
Question: I want to register but see that I have ended up in a queue. What does this mean?
Answer: Unfortunately, we only had a limited number of tickets available for this event and they have now sold out. If you are in the queue, it means that you are eligible if places become available due to cancellations of people who are currently registered. After all, we have asked everyone who registered to cancel their place if they can't come. The system will then automatically inform you that there are places available.
Given the great success of the registrations and the enormous demand to follow the ceremony, we are working on some alternatives. We can already inform you that the entire ceremony can also be followed worldwide via a Livestream
If we have any other options, this will be put in the system and emails will be automatically sent out to the people in the queue for those tickets
Question: When registering I get an error message 'CSRF token mismatch' and I cannot register.
Answer: This problem is caused by your cookie settings. They are set to OFF or are set not to accept cookies. Our software supplier informs us that these must be accepted in order for the software to work optimally. We can only recommend that you adjust this setting or try a different browser (this does not always work).
Question: why do I receive an email with the message 'we look forward to seeing you at the event', but I see that I am in the queue.
Answer: We are still fine-tuning this new software and this was the first event where we had such massive registrations within the hour that the queue function was activated so quickly. The texts in the different steps are not yet aligned to this process. We are now going to take a closer look at all this to further refine so that there can be no more misunderstandings.
Do you have a question of your own? Then don't hesitate to email us at evenementen@vub.be