At the annual Offstreet User Conference, parking professionals from campuses across North America each took a turn gathering at the payments focused hot topic roundtable to share how they're using Offstreet Payments to transform the way their campuses handle event parking, enforcement, and revenue collection. The conversations were candid, practical, and full of real-world results. Here’s what took place:
One university shared a remarkable commencement parking success story. In 2024, their graduation parking generated no revenue because operating costs had become too high to justify charging attendees. After implementing Offstreet, they introduced a simple pricing model: $5 for presale parking and $10 on the day of the event, significantly lower than nearby parking options, and generated $94,000 in revenue in the first year while achieving a 78% compliance rate.
The following year, revenue increased again, without raising prices.
Their approach was straightforward: include the Offstreet parking reservation link in commencement communications, display QR codes at every garage entrance, and let guests complete the process themselves. The result was a smooth parking experience without requiring cashiers or large-scale enforcement efforts, and better adoption from guests.
Following that success, the university expanded Offstreet Payments to support more than 80 annual campus events. During a major postseason athletic tournament, they generated over $150,000 in parking revenue in a single weekend, all processed through Offstreet.
Another recurring theme was business continuity. Several campuses explained how they rely on Offstreet as a backup whenever their primary parking systems experience outages. When permit portals or pay stations become unavailable, campuses can quickly deploy pre-printed A-frame signs with QR codes linking directly to Offstreet, allowing parking operations to continue with minimal disruption. They even noted that construction workers on campus took it even further by continuing to use Offstreet for this method even when paystations were back online as it was found to be more convenient.
One university also shared that after receiving a significantly higher renewal quote for a third-party event parking solution, they transitioned entirely to Offstreet. The change was seamless for both guests and campus departments while reducing costs.
If you're looking for niche, you just found it. A unique Offstreet use case that came up during this table discussion was for boots and vehicle immobilization. Who would have thought? Not us! Several institutions described using Offstreet payment links to collect citation and release fees outside normal business hours, a longstanding challenge when vehicles are immobilized on evenings or weekends.
Their process is simple: enforcement places a notice on the vehicle containing an Offstreet payment link, the parker pays the outstanding citation and immobilization fee, and an officer verifies payment before removing the device. While not yet fully automated, campuses agreed this workflow significantly improves the customer experience and reduces delays.
The discussion also surfaced several product enhancements that campuses are eager to see:
The payments discussion highlighted a consistent trend: campuses that have embraced Offstreet Payments aren't simply improving operations—they're unlocking meaningful new revenue while creating a smoother experience for guests and staff alike. By reducing manual processes, maintaining operations during system outages, and simplifying payment collection, universities are discovering new ways to make event parking more efficient, resilient, and financially sustainable.
