Athletic events are among the largest and most complex occasions for campus parking and transportation teams. These events often draw large crowds, requiring TAPS (transportation and parking services) to accommodate various groups with distinct parking needs. One such group is the media teams and crew responsible for covering and broadcasting games. Ensuring they have seamless access to parking on game days is essential to the smooth operation of these large-scale events.
The parking challenge
The athletics department needs to provide complimentary parking for media teams and crew members, but the process of managing permits can quickly become cumbersome. The traditional methods of using physical permits, pay station coupon codes, or promo codes for mobile apps are time-consuming and inefficient for both the parkers and TAPS. Media professionals require an easy, hassle-free parking solution that allows them to focus on their job, not parking logistics.
To make matters more complicated, TAPS must ensure these parking permits are valid for the entire duration of game days while avoiding citation issues. Campuses using License Plate Recognition (LPR) systems for enforcement need a virtual permit system that integrates smoothly with their existing infrastructure.
Simplifying media parking for game days
Offstreet provides the athletics department and TAPS with a streamlined solution to manage media team parking during game days. Here’s how it works:
- Pre-registration: Media personnel can register for their parking in advance of the game day through a link provided to them by the department. This eliminates last-minute confusion and ensures that everyone is ready to park as soon as they arrive on campus.
- Guest checkout flow: Parkers simply register their vehicle through a web-based registration page, where they input their license plate number. No app download or user account creation is required, making the process straightforward and accessible.
- License plate-based virtual permits: Once registered, the media team members are issued a virtual permit tied to their license plate, so there’s no need to display a physical permit or visit a pay station.
- Guest communication features: Through Offstreet, TAPS provides detailed instructions, directions, and parking information via email confirmations and reminders. This also supports traffic demand management (TDM) by helping TAPS route vehicles efficiently and ensuring smooth traffic flow around the event.
- API integrations with LPR: Offstreet’s API integrates with the campus LPR system, ensuring that vehicles are recognized as having valid permits, preventing unnecessary citations and creating a smoother experience for the media teams.
The solution in action: Game days at your university
On a typical game day, TAPS uses Offstreet to manage parking for media teams and crew members. Media personnel receive a link to register their vehicle for the event at no cost, with the charges billed back to the athletics department after the event. For the entire duration of the event, Offstreet ensures that all media team vehicles are properly registered and can park in designated lots without facing citations.
How Offstreet simplifies the process
- Configuration: Offstreet’s team helps configure the platform to match the university’s specific parking needs, including setting up user accounts, creating permit registration settings, and uploading parking locations.
- Integration: Offstreet integrates seamlessly with the university’s existing enforcement systems and, if applicable, pay station software, ensuring smooth operations without disruption.
- Training: Staff members receive comprehensive training from the Offstreet team to ensure they are comfortable using the new system and supporting media teams on game days.
- Rollout: The solution is gradually rolled out to relevant departments, such as the athletics department, with tips and best practices shared from previous successful implementations.
- Billing: Offstreet generates detailed reports on parking usage, which are then billed back to the athletics department through the university’s internal billing system, simplifying the financial management process.
The benefits: A streamlined and efficient game day experience
- Optimize operations: By allowing media personnel to self-register for parking, TAPS can significantly reduce administrative workload and streamline enforcement. This autonomy saves time, lowers human resource costs, and supports more efficient event management.
- Improve stakeholder relations: Offering a seamless parking experience ensures a better relationship between the athletics department, TAPS, and external stakeholders, such as media teams and crew members. The faster, more efficient process leads to better overall satisfaction.
- Increase compliance: Offstreet’s user-friendly platform makes it easier for people to follow parking rules, ensuring accurate data collection and reducing potential misuse or fraud. With enhanced enforcement capabilities, TAPS can manage parking more effectively, even during high-traffic events.
Elevate your athletics game day parking with Offstreet
Athletics events can create complex parking challenges, but with Offstreet, universities can provide media teams with a simple, virtual parking solution that reduces administrative burdens and enhances compliance. Whether you’re managing parking for game days or other large events, Offstreet’s platform is designed to create a better experience for both TAPS and the external stakeholders who make your events successful.
Interested in transforming your game day parking process? Learn how Offstreet can make a difference.
