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Offstreet users can now enjoy a streamlined process for managing event parking. Several months, user calls, development work, and a successful webinar later, Offstreet Events is officially available to all Offstreet clients. Challenges with Event Parking In conversations with clients and partners, it was clear that existing solutions for managing event parking were not ideal, and the challenges were felt hardest by universities. Existing solutions include administering physical permits or decals, distributing coupon codes to be used in pay stations, creating promo codes in mobile payment apps, and enforcement exemptions or lot blocking, to name a few. A couple of things that all of these solutions have in common is that they create friction in the guest parking experience and they are not conducive to last minute requests. A New Way To Manage Event Parking Offstreet’s new event feature, Events, is streamlining the management of event parking by allowing parking managers to replace their existing solutions with a simple to create digital permit. This new feature is particularly beneficial for events that have complimentary parking options; in most cases, the parking for these events is being billed to a third party, such as the event organizer, department, or host. One of the standout features of Offstreet Events is its frictionless 'guest checkout' process, which eliminates the need for users to create an account or download an app. This streamlines the experience and saves time. With Offstreet Events, parking managers and their teams can: Access and make informed decisions using real-time event parking data and reports Provide a superior, frictionless guest parking experience Track utilization by allowing guests to pre-register for event parking Increase profitability with no transaction fees on complimentary parking sessions Increase enforcement efficiency with a secure API integration between Offstreet and their enforcement software and/or LPR cameras How It Works: 1. Click on 'Events' in the sidebar and select 'Create Event' 2. Configure the event by following the steps in the setup wizard: Event Details Parking Authorization Settings Billing 3. Access a list of all events by clicking 'Event List'; View, edit and run reports for active, upcoming, and past events Ready To Streamline Event Parking? Offstreet Events is officially available for all Offstreet clients. If you’re an existing client and you’d like to book a training session, please contact us here. Not an existing client but interested in learning more about Offstreet Events and how Offstreet can help streamline your parking operations? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member here. You can read more about why we created Offstreet Events here.

At Offstreet, we know experience is everything, especially in hotel operations. One of Parking Management Services hospitality partners, is the perfect example of how technology can be used to streamline parking operations and enhance the guest experience at hotel locations. Utilizing Offstreet’s solution, Parking Management Services is able to digitize overnight guest parking, employee permits, and event parking passes, creating a simple parking experience for everyone involved. Providing their hospitality partner with a digital validation solution enabled Parking Management Services to utilize a real-time API integration between Offstreet and T2’s UPsaftey product, meaning patrollers are equipped with up-to-date parking information, allowing them to enforce parking effectively, reduce parking abuse and increase ticket accuracy. “The team at Offstreet worked with us to develop a solution for one of our biggest hospitality partners. We were able to streamline the guest and employee needs into one solution including enforcement. In the future, we are working to even further enhance the guest experience with Offstreet which we can implement to our many hospitality partners nationwide.” - Wayne Huth, Regional Director - Texas at Parking Management Services Inc. Understanding the Clients Needs In conversation with Parking Management Services, a parking management company based in Dallas, Texas, we discussed the current challenges they were facing providing digital validations for guests, employees, and events. Parking Management Services was in need of a solution for their client. Their objective was to find a comprehensive solution that could effectively handle various parking requirements, including overnight guest parking, long-term employee permits, and event parking. Through Offstreet, Parking Management Services was able to provide a streamlined solution for their client, while maintaining control over the parking facilities, and seamlessly integrating with current operations. Digitizing Guest Parking Prior to utilizing Offstreet, Parking Management Services did not have an easy to use validation or guest registration solution for parking. This caused issues and put a stain on the enforcement team. With Offstreet, a seamless guest parking process was ingrained in their existing check-in process: Guests provide the front desk their license plate number upon arrival Enforcement officers have access to an up-to-date list of approved vehicles Seems too simple? Leveraging Offstreet allowed Parking Management Services to move to a fully digital parking operation, ensuring a hassle-free parking experience for the guest. Self-Managed Employee Permits Parking Management Services wanted to prioritize guest parking, but after a seamless implementation they decided to tackle employee permits next. Offstreet provides employees with the ability to self-manage long-term parking validations. Employees register once for long-term parking through a direct link. With the bonus of not having to manage paper hang tags, this solution also reduces administrative work for both Parking Management Service, and their client. Event Parking Made Easy Planning events can often be a stressful experience, but planning parking does not have to be. Offstreet has provided Parking Management Services a great event parking solution, freeing up their time by allowing their client a simpler way to offer and manage complimentary event parking. Offstreet’s robust rules engine accommodates the unique restrictions of each facility and event, generating custom parking registration links for each event, allowing guests to register for parking in advance of the event while still providing the option to register upon arrival, reducing traffic congestion and providing parkers with a seamless experience. They simply arrive, park, and enjoy the event! It’s as simple as: Set up event rules in the Offstreet dashboard Creating a link or QR code that’s unique to the event Share the link or QR code for guests to register for the event in advance or upon arrival With Offstreet, Parking Management Services has improved visitor experience and increased parking efficiency associated with event parking, ensuring that only authorized personnel are permitted to park on-site at any given time. Hotel Parking Operations Have Never Been Easier The staff at the hotel gladly accept the task of overseeing guest, employee, and event parking, thanks to Offstreet's user-friendly system. Its simplicity allows them to make quick updates and the changes are implemented instantly. This not only prevents unauthorized parking but also enhances the utilization of parking spaces, leading to an overall more efficient parking system. We are thrilled to maintain our partnership with Parking Management Services and their client. Our goal is to assist them in streamlining their parking operations, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to do so.

[REGINA, SK, AUGUST 11, 2023] – Offstreet, a leader in digital parking solutions, is proud to introduce its latest feature, Offstreet Events. Designed to transform event parking management, Offstreet Events addresses long-standing pain points in the industry, particularly catering to universities and institutions. Traditional solutions for event parking management leave both administrators and guests frustrated. Offstreet Events emerges as a comprehensive solution, setting a new standard for streamlined event parking management. Offstreet CEO Matt Fahlman expressed his excitement about the launch, stating, "Offstreet Events is a testament to our commitment to innovation and user-centric solutions. We understand the frustrations that have long plagued event parking, particularly for universities. With Offstreet Events, we empower administrators and guests alike, fostering a seamless, convenient, and secure event parking experience." The customer and user experience takes center stage with Offstreet Events. Simplifying the event creation process and eliminating the requirement to download an app or create a user account, Offstreet Events eliminates unnecessary steps, enhancing overall satisfaction. For more information about Offstreet Events and its transformative impact on event parking, please visit https://www.joinoffstreet.com/post/events-v1. For media inquiries, please contact: Emma Ulmer Emma@joinoffstreet.com (306) 570-5075 About Offstreet A simpler way to manage visitor parking, Offstreet’s license-plate based parking management software gives parking managers a user-friendly platform for administering and managing visitor and guest parking permits. Unique to the industry, Offstreet specializes in unpaid permits, or those being billed to a third party. Typical permit types include event permits, sponsored/complimentary guests, contractor permits, and more. 2375 College, Ave, Regina, SK S4P 0S8 https://www.joinoffstreet.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/offstreet-technology/

At Offstreet, we understand that transitioning to a digital parking environment often involves unforeseen challenges, creating a headache for parking operators, property managers, and tenants alike. To alleviate this strain, we developed a comprehensive solution that empowers organizations to take control of their parking operations, streamline processes, and enhance the overall parking experience for everyone involved. Today we’re shining the light on parking operator, Royal Parking, and their client, The Wooten Company, and how exactly they leveraged Offstreet’s solution to solve employee and visitor parking challenges. “Managing and providing enforcement to parking lots that include an array of challenges including monthly, daily, visitor, and employee permits is no easy task. Our partnership with Offstreet has provided Royal a solution that seamlessly integrates with our enforcement software allowing our staff to be more efficient thus delivering results to satisfy our clients demands.” says Brock Pittman, President at Royal Parking. Understanding the Clients Needs In conversation with Royal Parking, a prominent parking management company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, we discussed the current challenges they were facing administering virtual permits for employees as well as digital validations for visitors. Royal Parking was in need of a solution for their client, The Wooten Company. They required a solution that could accommodate employee and visitor parking needs while ensuring maximum control over the parking facilities and a seamless integration with current operations. Transitioning from Physical Decals to Offstreet's Virtual Parking Passes Prior to deploying Offstreet, Royal Parking relied on physical decals to identify authorized vehicles. However, this outdated method lacked flexibility, required constant maintenance, and put a strain on the enforcement team. Offstreet provided a seamless transition by introducing two solutions: Virtual parking permits for employees, managed by administrators at The Wooten Company; this significantly reduced the number of requests Royal Parking received and dealt with regarding employee permits. Digital validations for visitors, administered through a QR code; enabling clients and guests to self-register for complimentary parking, reducing the workload for The Wooten Company staff. Leveraging Offstreet eliminated the need for physical decals, allowing Royal Parking to move to a fully digital parking operation and ensure a hassle-free parking experience for everyone involved. Ensuring Effective Enforcement and Efficient Space Utilization Utilizing Offstreet and a real-time API integration with Royal Parking’s enforcement software, patrollers are equipped with up-to-date parking information and can enforce parking effectively. Royal Parking enabled The Wooten Company to self-manage employee and visitor parking permits, ensuring that only authorized personnel are permitted to park on-site at any given time. The Wooten Company staff are willing to take on the responsibility of managing employee permits and guest parking because Offstreet’s system is extremely straightforward. It’s easy to make small updates themselves and have the changes come into effect immediately. Leveraging a system that is easy to use ensures up-to-date parking information; not only eliminating unauthorized parking but also optimizing parking space utilization, resulting in a more efficient parking system overall. We are extremely excited to continue our partnership with both Royal Parking and The Wooten Company, and we look forward to helping them simplify parking operations.

[REGINA, SK, MARCH 22, 2023] - Offstreet today announced the closing of a $1.2M seed round. This fundraising round involved participation from new and existing investors, including a first place win at the StartupTNT Investment Summit VI. “We're thrilled to announce that we've closed our latest funding round from some of the top investors in the industry. This investment will enable us to scale our team, accelerate our product development, and expand our reach to new markets,” says Matt Fahlman, Co-Founder and CEO at Offstreet. “We're grateful for the support of our investors, the trust from our customers, and the hard work from our team. We're excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to build the industry's best parking validation solution. Although the capital is nice, we know the only long-term competitive advantage is building a world class product. We have a lot of work to do and are extremely excited about the future and what we can accomplish in the parking industry!” Offstreet was founded in 2016 by Matt Fahlman and Kyle Smyth in Regina, SK. Working closely with private parking operators, it became apparent that validations were a major pain point and prevented operators from going fully digital with LPR enforcement. Over the last 5 years Offstreet has become the most flexible validation tool on the market that services over 500 parking lots. Offstreet enables parking managers to offer an effective validation solution to clients, as well as digitize paid parking exemptions. About Offstreet Offstreet’s license plate-based parking validation software allows parking managers to digitize and easily manage paid parking exemptions at ungated lots and garages. Typical exemptions include merchant validations, special guests and visitors, and employee parking. For information and media requests please contact: Emma Ulmer Manager, Marketing emma@joinoffstreet.com

The V1 feature of Offstreet Events allows administrators to seamlessly create and manage event parking reservations. Benefits: Quick and simple to use; allows administrators and parking managers to easily accommodate last minute requests Great for events with complimentary parking and/or billing a third party; no transaction fees or processing fees Frictionless 'guest checkout' process; no user account or app download required Includes security measures to prevent misuse Streamline enforcement with real-time updates sent directly to enforcement software Key Features: 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 How It Works: To use the Event Parking feature, administrators should click on 'Events' in the sidebar and select 'Create Event' Configure the event by following the steps in the setup wizard: Event Details Parking Authorization Settings Billing Access a list of all events by clicking 'Event List' or view and run reports for active, upcoming, and past events using the 'Reporting' feature in the sidebar Who Has Access to This Feature: Users with “Admin” access (Read Company/Edit Company) Additional Considerations: This is a V1 feature, and as a result, has some limitations: Only works for complimentary/validated events (paid and hybrid are being explored) Numerous improvements are already being considered for V2; to submit requests for V2, please contact support@joinoffstreet.com

“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!

Innovation is at a high in the parking industry and technology solutions, like Offstreet, are at the forefront. At Offstreet, we are happy to provide parking management software that prioritizes both reliability and ease of use. As we continue to grow, we're ecstatic to introduce a new team member who shares our values and brings an abundance of experience and talent to our team. Taylor Hahn Business Development Rep Taylor joins the Offstreet team with more than four and a half years of sales experience, working for a mix of tech companies and non-profit organizations. She's based in Saskatchewan, Canada. Only a week into the job and Taylor has already made a real impression on our team and clients! Her positive and outgoing attitude is truly delightful. We can't wait to see the impact Taylor will have on the company. With the continuous expansion of our team, we are thrilled to have more resources to push forward Offstreet's mission of developing world-class visitor parking solutions that improve the guest experience and make parking simple. About Offstreet Offstreet is a license plate-based parking management software that equips campuses and parking managers with a digital permit solution for guest and visitor parking, allowing them to seamlessly offer complimentary parking. Offstreet's flexibility and ease of use allow parking managers to digitize unique permit types still requiring the use of paper passes, decals, coupon codes in the meter, and scratch cards. Interested in learning more about Offstreet? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!

Considering Offstreet or heard of the solution and simply want more information? You’ve come to the right place! We’re diving deep into some frequently asked questions. Efficiently managing parking on campus is no small feat, but implementing a reliable parking management system can alleviate many of the challenges faced by students, faculty, and staff. Whether you're a university administrator, a parking manager, or simply curious about how Offstreet’s system works, we're here to answer your questions and illustrate how Offstreet can help simplify your operations. What is Offstreet? Offstreet equips campuses with a digital permit solution for departments, sponsored guests, health clinics, admissions offices, contractors, events, and more, allowing them to seamlessly offer complimentary parking to campus guests. Offstreet is a digital parking management software that replaces paper passes, decals, coupon codes in the meter, and scratch cards. How does Offstreet integrate with enforcement? Offstreet integrates directly with enforcement software to provide real time license plate information in the field. To sweeten the deal, Offstreet has an open API, which is a universal public api for all “pull” style integrations. Below is a list of our current integration partners: Zephire Pay-By-X Premier Parking Enforcement Mowiz VenTek International Securepark Genetec Operations Commander Passport Gtechna T2 Systems - Digital Iris T2 Systems - Flex T2 Systems - UPSafety How does Offstreet work? Offstreet's parking management solution is implemented on campuses to streamline guest parking. Offstreet comes into play in various scenarios, such as when a department seeks to cover the parking costs for a guest lecturer, when distinguished VIPs gather for a lunch meeting on campus, when patients visit the health clinic, when contractors are enlisted to make campus improvements, and much more. Offstreet makes it easy to track and validate parking sessions; data is updated in real time to ensure efficient and uninterrupted parking enforcement. When a parker arrives on campus, they can create a parking session in a variety of ways, depending on the setup and the preference of the parking department: In some cases, parkers scan a QR code and enter their license plate number to create a validated parking session for themselves. In other situations, departments may create parking validations on behalf of their guests, in which case all that’s required of the guest is to park in the designated area. For events, unique parking registration links may be sent to attendees, allowing them to create a validated parking session and view the parking location on a map in advance of the event. Offstreet's solution ensures a seamless and efficient process for validating guest parking in these diverse situations. What are the benefits of Parking Management Software? Enhanced Parker Experience: One of the primary benefits of parking management software is the convenience it offers to parkers. Being able to provide parkers with a digital validation solution in the palm of their hands is a much better experience than requiring them to obtain a physical pass or decal, or enter a coupon code into a meter or pay station. Parking management software makes the overall experience more seamless and enjoyable. Efficient Parking Management: Parking management software simplifies the parking management process by automating validations and the tracking of parking transactions. Not only does this reduce manual errors, it also allows parking managers to focus their resources on higher-level initiatives and providing excellent service. Data-Driven Insights: Parking management software generates valuable data on parker behaviour, including parking duration, frequency, and preferences. This data can be analyzed to gain insights into parker patterns and make informed decisions regarding pricing, operational improvements, and marketing strategies. What does the guest experience look like? Offstreet’s goal is to make parking frictionless, more convenient, and hassle-free for valued guests. Offstreet enables campuses to provide a seamless and stress-free parking experience, ensuring that guests can easily register for parking and locate designated parking areas. It takes two simple and easy steps for guests to register and locate parking on campus: Whether the parker scans a QR code or is sent a custom link, the guest can self-register for parking. The ability to register in advance makes it simple for the guest to arrive, park, and enjoy campus. On the registration page, there is the ability to display a link to a web-map, providing the guest with a better visual understanding of the parking location, improving directional cues and enabling efficient route planning. If you're prepared to elevate your university parking operations, consider giving Offstreet a chance. Our dedicated team is committed to assisting you in achieving a fully digital operation, aligning with your mission. Have some questions we didn’t answer? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!

The path to streamlined parking operations isn’t without a few roadblocks and potholes along the way… At Offstreet we’re dedicated to supporting our clients in overcoming these obstacles; paving the path towards a fully digital and ultimately frictionless campus experience. One of those potholes - contractors and maintenance workers. Campuses often require the assistance of contractors for various construction projects, repairs, or campus improvements. Sometimes these workers are restricted to parking in specific areas, but other times they require mobility across campus. Providing contractors with a simple way to register their vehicles for parking is critical. However, as campuses move to digital operations, including LPR, it can be difficult to accommodate contractor permits, often meaning physical passes, decals, or coupon codes are kept in use, putting a strain on the campus’ path to streamlined operations. With Offstreet, campuses are replacing paper passes, decals, coupon codes for the meter, scratch cards, and more with a simpler (but still flexible) digital permit solution. Offstreet’s one-click virtual permit solution makes it easy for campuses to provide a virtual permit for contractors. In most situations, contractors receive validated parking for the duration of their project. For instance, contractors may be entitled to 5 vehicles on campus at any given time for a 6-month project. Offstreet’s rules engine enables campuses to set the specifics in the back end, only requiring the parker to provide their license plate number upon arrival. It's all handled seamlessly through Offstreet - no need to download an app or enter payment information. We aren’t exaggerating when we say it can be as little as 1 click to create a virtual permit! With an easy-to-use dashboard solution, administrators can create, share, and track contractor parking links, reducing the amount of time spent administering and managing contractor permits. For administrators, the setup process is simple: Create a tenant for ‘Contractor Parking’ Set the rules - require a code for extra security Generate and share the link Offstreet aims to simplify university parking operations by addressing the challenges encountered during the transition to digital permits - streamlining the process for contractors, sponsored guests, events, and more! Interested in learning more? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!

As a vendor in the parking industry, we’ve come to learn that each operation is complex and highly unique, especially when it comes to the higher education market. University and college campuses are like small cities. Hosting thousands of people each day, there are huge implications for parking and transportation. While many have found and adopted technology solutions to streamline permit sales and enforcement, one piece of the operation still presents major challenges for most parking and transportation offices - guest parking. The use of decals, scratch cards, coupon codes, and full on enforcement exemptions halt operational efficiency for a campus that’s trying to move digital. Unfortunately, despite going digital for most other use cases, these methods remain in operation to manage parking for campus guests. Don’t fret - this isn’t a sad story! We’re here to explore the ways digital permits can be used to manage campus guests and improve parking operations. 3 Reasons to Switch to Digital Permits: Value for Money and Long-Term Benefits Not only are decals expensive to manage, they also require a significant amount of labour. Digital Passes reduce operational expenses associated with printing, mailing, and storing physical passes. Simplify your parking operation, improve the customer experience, and take advantage of increased flexibility (for all of those last minute department requests) - the value for money when you move to a digital solution far outweighs that of decals. Improved Customer Experience In today’s world, experience is everything. Technology has changed customer expectations. When someone’s whole world is accessible through their smartphone, they expect parking to be no different. Whether we like it or not, the reality is that life today moves really fast, and there just isn’t time or patience for manual processes like walking to a pay station or picking up a physical pass from the parking office. With digital permits, parking managers are improving the campus parking experience and offering solutions that align with consumer expectations. Flexibility and Autonomy for Parking Managers In a perfect world, departments submit event request forms a month or two in advance, giving the parking team ample time to understand the request and coordinate logistics. Unfortunately, this world is far from perfect. Oftentimes, requests or changes are being made last minute, creating headaches for the parking team. 24 hours isn’t possibly enough time to mail guests a decal. With digital permits, online reservation links can be sent to an event organizer in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, parking managers have the flexibility and autonomy to update the rules and restrictions at any given time. Is It Time to Make the Switch? Managing guest parking on campus may be cumbersome now, but there are ways to streamline the process. Digital permits and mobile payments have replaced the old ways of managing student, staff, and public parking, and campus guests are the next piece. Would you invest in a solution that has high value for money, sets your department up for long-term benefits, improves the parking experience, and provides your team with the flexibility they need? Other campuses are making the switch (and not looking back for a second!). Here’s what Katie Campbell with Old Dominion University had to say about their transition: “Offstreet has provided us with a solution that meets our needs for validated parking on campus that we could not get anywhere else. The software is robust and easy to use and integrates well with our existing products. We have received positive feedback from our customers on how easy it is to park with Offstreet. In addition, the Offstreet team is responsive to our needs and has provided the necessary support to make the product rollout a success.” Interested in learning more? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!

Like any good thing, the road to more efficient parking operations is paved with challenges, and a unique set of challenges seem to erupt from guest parking. In conversations with partners and campuses across North America, we’re hearing a number of guest parking factors consistently stumping parking managers and creating a roadblock in their path to a fully digital, and one day, frictionless, campus. The Challenges Challenge #1: Administering Guest Permits It’s not uncommon for departments on campus to request validated or complimentary parking for their guests. In some cases, departments want to pay for the parking of a guest lecturer. In others, departments want to provide parking for a special event, such as a group of VIP’s coming to campus for a lunch meeting. Providing departments and their guests with a seamless virtual permit, that doesn’t require the parker to enter any payment information, is a major challenge for most campuses. Because of this, many campus parking operations are still relying on traditional processes, such as coupon codes or physical passes, to administer guest permits. Challenge #2: Most Guest Permits Are Highly Unique In a lot of cases, the reason campuses decide to maintain their traditional process for guest permits isn’t because it’s an ideal solution - it’s because each use case is highly unique and it’s difficult to find a solution that can accommodate different types of guest permits. For instance, contractors may be authorized to park anywhere on campus, but only for a 6 month period and only 5 vehicles can be on campus at a time. This may differ from department guests who are restricted to parking in a specific location. Challenge #3: Implementing New Solutions Isn’t Quick & Easy There’s a lot that goes into the implementation of a new solution. Between doing research, scheduling calls, setting up demos and then submitting requests to purchasing and going through procurement, the process for adding new vendors isn’t always quick. Not to mention additional considerations such as change management, creating department buy-in, updating marketing and communications, onboarding, and more. Unfortunately, this is always going to be a challenge when making changes. That being said, it’s totally worth it for the right solution. Speaking of, how do you come to the right solution? Let’s talk about the path forward and possible solutions for the guest parking challenges many campuses are facing. The Path Forward Solution #1: Status-Quo If the administrative lift to implement a new solution is too daunting, campuses parking operations can choose to carry on with their current processes. This is typically a short-term solution as it will prevent an increase in operational efficiency long-term. Solution #2: Explore Options With An Existing Vendor If maintaining the status-quo isn’t an option, many campuses will explore the options available to them through their existing vendors. At Offstreet, we’re big believers in deriving as much value as we can out of a single product, but it’s not always possible. When moving forward with this solution, parking managers are usually settling for a “workaround” or incomplete solution that doesn’t solve all of the challenges listed above and/or ends up hindering the parker experience. Solution #3: Explore A New Solution Let’s face it, technology is disrupting the parking industry, as it is with many others, and there are a lot of options out there when it comes to exploring new solutions. As discussed in the sections above, guest parking on campuses presents a pretty unique set of challenges, so ensuring the new solution can accommodate those needs is critical. We recommend finding a specialized solution and working with companies that are open to bringing in these kinds of partners. In our experience, being everything to everyone doesn’t always result in the best solutions. Offstreet for Campuses Picture this - it's 2019 and your campus is bustling with students and staff, and your lots are pretty full at any given time. Susan, who's been with your department for 20 years, is tired of managing physical passes and dealing with all the day-to-day requests that seem to come up, preventing her from getting other tasks done. You've been discussing implementing technology and exploring new processes, but it's time to take it a step further and make the investment. Fast forward to today - you've already implemented digital enforcement, whether it's LPR cameras, using a digital enforcement app, or both. Major use cases, such as students and staff, public parking, etc. have transitioned to virtual permits, but there are still a handful of use cases you haven’t been able to find a solution for. That's where Offstreet comes in. Our one-click virtual permit solution makes it easy to provide a virtual permit for any use case on campus where the parker is not paying for the session. Maybe the department wants to sponsor a guest speaker, or contractors are entitled to 5 vehicles on campus at any given time for a 6-month project. It's all handled seamlessly through Offstreet - no downloading an app or entering payment information required. We aren’t exaggerating when we say it can be as little as 1 click to create a virtual permit! Offstreet's goal is to make university parking operations more efficient; solving the real challenges you face when transitioning to digital operations. A real-time API integration means you can fully utilize LPR enforcement and increase operational efficiency. And let's not forget Susan - she'll love Offstreet. So, if you're ready to take your university parking operations to the next level, give Offstreet a try. We're here to support your mission for a fully digital operation. Interested in learning more? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!