“As we began to work with more and more universities, we noticed a consistency in the way our clients were using Offstreet - specifically to manage special guests for small and medium sized events on their campus. As we dug into it more, it was clear the industry lacked an effective event parking solution. Not for the large, stadium events, but for the smaller ones hosted thousands of times each year.” - Matt Fahlman, Co-Founder and CEO at Offstreet
And so the journey to build a 10/10 event parking solution began…
The Battle Between Familiarity and Improvement; Are Existing Solutions Putting a Strain on Operations?
Many universities manage events using a combination of physical permits, coupon codes in pay stations, promo codes in mobile apps, and/or workarounds in existing vendor products (ie., what we discovered some were doing with Offstreet’s product).
To even begin to decide how to build a proper events solution, let alone a 10/10 one, the Offstreet team had to gain a deep understanding of the strain existing solutions were putting on operations.
Two primary themes emerged: existing solutions didn’t integrate with LPR and most created a poor parking experience for the guest.
Neither of which align with the strategic direction of most parking departments.
The Journey to a Creating a Simpler Solution
With Offstreet Events, we want to create a solution that simplifies the process for creating and managing events, both for parking teams and campus guests.
A Simpler Solution for Parking Teams
There are many stakeholders involved in campus events; from parking teams and event parking teams to the various departments and their guests attending each event. The parking teams require a flexible solution, easy to use and pull reports from, that they have full autonomy over. Although some event request forms are submitted months in advance, a lot of the time the reality is that these forms aren’t received until a week or less before the event.
A new solution has to encompass:
The ability to self-manage parking for special events, including:
Time/lot restrictions
Unique event link and/or QR code
Billing information
Custom messaging
Branding
Map support
And more
Easily view and run reports for active, upcoming, and past events
Guest checkout flow via web app (no app download/user account required)
Ability for guests to pre-register for event
No transaction/convenience fee for complimentary/validated sessions
License plate-based - integrates directly with digital enforcement, including LPR
A Better Experience for Guests
Digital adoption has never been higher - it is critical to develop a feature that allows guests to register for event parking on their phones. There should only be one requirement, their license plate. No need for unnecessary friction like downloading an app, creating an account, or entering payment information (unless they’re required to pay for parking for the event, of course).
It needs to be simple for guests to register their vehicles for parking, but the parking rules should also be clear. Thus driver instruction is important, providing the guest with instructions on where to park and how to get to their destination.
Offstreet Events: A Simpler Way To Manage Event Parking
All things considered, and a lot of development work later, Offstreet Events is finally here!
Featuring:
Quick and simple to use design; great for last minute requests
No transaction fees
Frictionless 'guest checkout' process - no user account or app download required
Security measures to prevent misuse
Real-time API integration with enforcement software and/or permit management system
It may not be a 10/10 solution yet, but that’s why the learning and development never ends. The goal with Offstreet Events is to make event parking simple. With each iteration of Offstreet Events, the event parking process should be streamlined.
Interested in Offstreet Events? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!
