A few months ago, we officially released standalone feature, Offstreet Events.
The feature was conceptualized, designed, tested, and (is still being) iterated on in collaboration with clients, which, in our opinion, is the only way to build a great product.
As we near the end of Q4, as a team we wanted to take a moment to reflect on Offstreet Events. What has the feedback been? How many sessions have been created? Where did we start and how do we see it evolving?
Although these conversations are happening internally almost daily, in our office and Slack channels, we wanted to peel back the curtain and share some of these insights with our Offstreet community.
Curious how a standalone event feature designed specifically for guest parking would be received in the industry? Let's d(r)ive in...
Creating Offstreet Events
“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
The reality in this industry is that there are many solutions for permit management, mobile payments, and citation management. They are huge pillars of any parking operation, so it makes total sense that historically these solutions were prioritized.
Like with any project, nuances are to be expected. One gap that we heard consistently was around events. Specifically, special events on campus where departments or organizers are paying for parking for attendees.
A natural correlation to our core product, validations, we began working with our clients and partners to create a solution that not only simplifed operations for the parking team, but also catered to another, larger topic, improving the guest experience.
Adoption of Offstreet Events
We said we were pulling back the curtain, so that's exactly what we intend to do!
Since releasing Offstreet Events mid-August of 2023, we're proud to say that across 20 university clients, more than 1,600 events have been created, serving over 14,000 guests.
To put that into perspective...
1,600+ Events Created: This translates to an average of over 22 events per day since the feature's launch. This frequency highlights the feature's seamless integration into daily operations, proving its indispensability for our clients.
14,000+ Customers Served: Picture this... 14,000 people who were able to seamlessly register for parking from their phone and access parking instructions, eliminating 14,000 trips to parking kiosks or the parking office and overall reducing traffic congestion.
What's Next With Offstreet Events
As we celebrate these milestones, we are humbled by the trust our clients have placed in our platform. We're committed to building on this success and continually refining our features to meet the evolving needs of our users. The numbers tell a story of achievement, but the real narrative lies in the experiences and connections made possible through our events feature.
A few things Offstreet Events users can look forward to in 2024:
The ability for admins to attach campus maps, PDF's and other resources to the parking confirmation
Enhanced notifications including email reminders
The ability to duplicate event settings
Additional code functionality, including auto-generation and code expiration
Multi-lot, multi-rate support
... and more!
Thank you for being part of our journey, and here's to continued growth and success!
About Offstreet Events
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.
A Simpler Solution for Parking Teams
Before Offstreet Events, many of our university clients managed events using a combination of physical permits, coupon codes in pay stations, promo codes in mobile apps, and/or workarounds in existing vendor products.
Managing a number of disjointed solutions is time consuming, frustrating, and often a drain on the limited resources available to most parking teams.
The goals of Offstreet Events was to streamline the event parking process on campus.
With that goal in mind, a number of features were added in the first version, all at the request of existing and prospective clients:
Admin have the ability to self-manage event parking
A Quick and simple to use design; great for last minute requests
The ability to set both time and lot restrictions
Unique event links and/or QR codes
Personalized billing information
The ability to add custom messaging to help direct guests
Directions functionality that opens GoogleMaps or another web-mapping software
The ability to add custom branding
Detailed reporting
License plate-based registrations that integrates directly with digital enforcement, including LPR
... and more!
An Improved Guest Experience
Guest experience has been top-of-mind for many, if not all, of our university clients.
Over the past year, we've heard many people refer to campus parking as being the 'welcome mat' to the university; both the first thing they see/experience when they arrive, and the last thing they see/experience when they leave. Needless to say, a good impression is key.
As focuses shifted and the guest experience was prioritized, it was clear that one of the main reasons people are visiting campus is for events.
Not always large, stadium events, but also the hundres or thousands of small and medium sized events that take place each year.
Offstreet Events takes a first-crack at providing a better experience for guests coming to campus for events.
A few features designed specifically to enhance the guest experience were:
Web-based; no need to download an app
Guest checkout experience; no need to create an account
Designed for 'No Cost' permits; guests are not required to enter payment information if the session is free to them
No transaction fees on $0 sessions
The ability to register for parking in advance or when they arrive
... and more!
Interested in learning more about Offstreet Events? Schedule a call with an Offstreet team member today!
