CampusParc Scores Big Managing Parking for National Hockey Game

CampusParc oversees an extensive system of over 38,000 parking spaces across 163 lots and 17 garages. On regular academic days, they are responsible for operating, maintaining, and enforcing these areas. During large-scale campus events—including football games, concerts, commencements, and in this case, a special outdoor hockey game - they provide full-service parking operations on behalf of a central Ohio university.

The outdoor hockey game was a marquee event, featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Detroit Red Wings. This outdoor game attracted a crowd of 94,751 fans, making it one of the most attended games in the league's history. With experience managing crowds of over 100,000 attendees for college football, the CampusParc team is no stranger to high-volume, high-stakes event logistics. But each event comes with its own unique complexities—especially when working with large external organizations.

Parking Events Manager

CampusParc

“Working with athletics and stadium partners is so much smoother now. They know what to expect with Offstreet and reach out to us before we even contact them.”

The Challenge

While the team was well-versed in high-capacity event parking, hosting this hockey game presented a unique set of challenges.

Unlike traditional football or concert events, this setup involved weeks of preparation, extensive infrastructure, and coordination with national broadcast crews and hockey league affiliates - making it a unique test for the CampusParc team.

Significantly increased load-in and teardown space: The hockey league required three times the typical space used for football games to accommodate ice rink construction and support trailers.
Multiple stakeholders: The event involved a wide array of personnel—media, entertainment, broadcasting, merchandise vendors, hockey team families, and production crews—each requiring different access and timelines.
Extended setup period: Preparation began six weeks prior to the game, with activity continuing for a week afterward.
Lack of predictability: CampusParc did not always know in advance which individuals or contractors would be arriving, making traditional methods (like issuing hang tags) ineffective.
Need for flexible, transparent billing: The hockey league wanted accurate, group-specific billing—something hang tags or manual tracking couldn’t efficiently deliver.

Parking Events Manager

CampusParc

“Working with athletics and stadium partners is so much smoother now. They know what to expect with Offstreet and reach out to us before we even contact them.”

In the past, the team would either suspend enforcement in some areas or block off entire lots, options that could frustrate daily campus commuters and undercut revenue. Having successfully used Offstreet in the past for large, complex events, the solution was a no brainer.

The Offstreet Solution

With the Offstreet solution in their back pocket, this enabled the CampusParc team to customize, manage, and enforce parking efficiently for each stakeholder group. No physical pass hassle. No guesswork. Keeping them out of the penalty box.

Here’s how they used Offstreet to solve their problems:

Custom Group Setup: Each of the nine stakeholder groups (e.g., hockey team families, merchandise vendors, broadcasting teams) was assigned a unique parking link, simplifying distribution and group-specific tracking.
Central Distribution: Parking links were sent to a central contact at the stadium, who then distributed them to each organization’s contractors and staff.
Daily Registrations: Tracked daily parking registrations, ensuring accurate billing and preventing misuse.
LPR-Based Enforcement: By leveraging license plate recognition (LPR) technology, the team could enforce in real time without manually checking for hang tags—keeping enforcement fast and accurate.
Seamless User Experience: Parkers entered only their license plate, no credit card required—building trust and removing barriers for short-term guests.
Detailed Reporting: Offstreet’s system generated usage reports that allowed the university to bill the hockey league accurately, eliminating the need for inventory tracking or manual refunds.

Results + impact

The impact of Offstreet during the outdoor hockey game was a shutout performance—smooth, seamless, and measurable:

Zero complaints from parkers or stakeholders about the parking process.

Integrated enforcement, saving time and improving efficiency.

Precise billing based on actual usage—no need for returns or credits.

No lots were blocked off, minimizing disruption to regular campus users.

Stronger relationships with stakeholders: Stadium staff and vendors began proactively requesting QR codes for upcoming events, recognizing Offstreet’s efficiency.

Looking Ahead

CampusParc continues to leverage Offstreet for large-scale events, and the success of this high-profile hockey event has only strengthened the case for campus-wide adoption. With athletics, facilities, and vendors all seeing the benefits, Offstreet is fast becoming the gold standard for event parking operations at this central Ohio university.

When asked what they would do differently next time, the parking team had a simple answer: “Nothing. Offstreet made our jobs easier.”

Keith Palma

CampusParc

"The simplicity of entering a license plate and a code—without needing to enter a credit card—was exactly what our contractors needed, and because of Offstreet, we didn’t have to block off entire lots or suspend enforcement around the stadium for three weeks. That made a huge difference.”

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