“For event and venue parking, the number one priority is getting customers IN and OUT as quickly and seamlessly as possible based on the sheer volume alone. Innovations via prepayments by phone apps, license plate recognition (LPR) camera systems, and gateless options have gone a long way in expediting quick transaction times by moving past the archaic one-on-one cashier/customer transactions at entry or exits.”

“Spillover parking impacts! Drivers are trying to avoid the special event parking fees and find a nearby location. Parking resources are usually allocated for the event so the nearby neighborhoods are feeling the pain.”

“As with events themselves, event parking is moving toward a more digital experience for the end-user. One of the latest challenges is integration. Getting the ticketing supplier, venue owner, and parking tech supplier all communicating can be a difficult question where the answer is often “who’s going to pay for all this?” The event industry and the parking industry can hopefully come together to solve this riddle in a way that is beneficial for attendees, as well as owners and service providers.”

“While staffing and coordination of TNC’s continue as challenges, the practical application of technology is a topic that’s arising more frequently. Technology solutions need to work with existing venue systems, not slow down ingress or egress, provide usable analytics and be dynamic enough to fit the specific needs of each venue. The space continues to evolve, and good, better, and best solutions are becoming ever more clear.”

“One of the biggest challenges in large event venues today is the traffic build-up caused by traditional methods of payment. Most venues have parking attendants taking payments and or scanning passes at the entrances. This is what causes the traffic to result in an unpleasant parking experience. The overall user experience can improve using technology. If we allow the guests to drive directly into the garage or lot and pay using a mobile app or pay station after they park, it will relieve the traffic at ingress. All prepaid vehicles will be registered by license plate ahead of time. This solution can be enforced with a hybrid of fixed and mobile LPR units, and violators can receive a citation on-site or by mail. Now there are a lot of moving parts and integrations involved for this to work, but it was done here in Miami for the Marlins Baseball Park.”

“Technology. Parking technology is heavily underutilized in the venue and live events world. Depending on the specific needs and challenges of each venue, implementing simple parking tech solutions such as online presales, easy onsite payment solutions, LPR and even EV technologies will help us cater to our customers. In alignment with utilizing these solutions, maximizing marketing tools such as social media platforms and Know Before You Go (KBYG) resources to better accommodate our event-goers – so they are spending less time in our parking facilities and more time in our venues.”