How LAFC Leverages ParkHub to Streamline Fan Arrival, Powered by Ticketmaster and Other Technology Partners
How LAFC Leverages ParkHub to Streamline Fan Arrival, Powered by Ticketmaster and Other Technology Partners
The connected and complementary technologies provide a seamless entry experience at Banc of California Stadium
A host of technologies promise to boost fan experience; fewer can claim to be team players. When Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) sought to enhance parking operations at Banc of California Stadium, the tech-forward MLS team turned to ParkHub. ParkHub’s technology improves the parking experience while connecting with partnering technologies at customer touchpoints along the way. The result: a streamlined fan journey that can travel from a smartphone to the stadium.
ParkHub integrates with numerous parking and ticketing providers to ease entry for fans who purchased parking in advance of an event. Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner for all of LAFC’s ticketing and venue technology needs, is a certified ParkHub partner and connects to the platform in real time, so that fans who prepaid for parking can enter Banc of California Stadium quickly and easily.
Additional options for prepaid parking are supplied by Arrive, the exclusive parking presale partner for Ticketmaster in the United States and one of the platform partners that integrates with ParkHub technology. With Arrive, LAFC is able to leverage parking inventory from lots surrounding Banc of California stadium. Arrive recently partnered with Waze to produce a trip-planning feature called “GamePlan,” to help fans get to their seats on time and alleviate traffic and congestion around venues.
As LAFC fans arrive on site, ParkHub’s mobile point-of-sale Prime scans and validates parking passes purchased through Ticketmaster and Arrive. Prime also processes payments, offering fans options to pay by credit card or mobile payment, and digitizing cash transactions. All transactions are sent to Portal, ParkHub’s business intelligence system, which provides revenue and inventory data in real time.
With data collated during the event, Portal produces clear, actionable reports which ease end-of-shift reconciliation. LAFC will soon be privy to the newest addition to ParkHub’s product suite, Analytics, which will allow venue management to drill down to more robust KPIs and segmented data, including customer acquisition and arrival, staff performance, and VIP attendance.
Once fans are parked they are able to enter the stadium by scanning tickets purchased via Ticketmaster on SKIDATA access readers. The digital passes use NFC Contactless technology with the iPhone and Apple Watch. Additionally, SKIDATA’s PARCS equipment is used as an access control system for employee parking at times when an event is not taking place. When the event starts, a ParkHub-equipped attendant takes over at the gate.
Meanwhile, LAFC’s Fan Engagement and Insights platform, LAVA, connects to ParkHub’s transactional API. LAFC is one of the first venues to use ParkHub in conjunction with LAVA’s platform, and ParkHub provides parking data such as arrival time, ingress speed and volume, and revenue to support a broad view of the venue’s activity.
As a result of introducing ParkHub at Banc of California Stadium, LAFC has reported increased parking revenue with the ability to sell prepaid parking passes, increased concession revenue, and faster ingress. Customer satisfaction has increased as well, with survey results showing that previous parking issues had been resolved.
“ParkHub has sent customer satisfaction to a whole new level, reduced friction on event days in our parking lots and increased revenue substantially at concessions and retail,” said LAFC’s VP Information Technology, Christian Lau.
“LAFC’s forward-thinking operations prove a drive to incorporate new technology, an ability to strategically develop an ecosystem of complementary partnerships, and above all, a true dedication to their fans” said ParkHub founder and CEO, George Baker Sr.“We purposefully built our technology to avoid becoming a siloed entity, and we’re proud to be part of their team.”
As consistently early adopters of fan-friendly venue technology, Banc of California Stadium was Los Angeles’ first sports facility to employ Ticketmaster Presence, the company’s venue access control and fan engagement platform, and will soon offer Ticketmaster’s new fraud-eliminating encrypted ticketing product, SafeTix™.
SafeTix is Ticketmaster’s latest enhancement to Presence that leverages new anti-counterfeit technology that ties a unique, identifiable digital ticket to each fan’s mobile phone through an encrypted barcode that automatically refreshes every few seconds. The tickets also include NFC technology that will allow fans to enter venues through a simple “tap and go” experience at venue entrances.
Each time a ticket is transferred or sold, a new digital ticket is tied to the recipient’s account and phone, which provides complete visibility into the chain of custody of each ticket issued. As a result, SafeTix will give event owners much greater visibility into the individual fans who come to a live event, in addition to the original ticket purchaser.
About LAFC
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is the newest MLS soccer club serving the greater Los Angeles area. Coming off a record-breaking inaugural season, LAFC is dedicated to building a world-class soccer club that represents the diversity of Los Angeles and is
committed to delivering an unrivaled experience for fans. LAFC’s ownership group is comprised of local leaders and innovators of industry with intellectual capital, financial prowess, operations expertise and success in the fields of entertainment, sports,
technology and media. LAFC is invested in the world’s game and Los Angeles, constructing and developing the 22,000 seat Banc of California Stadium and a top-flight training center on the campus of Cal-State Los Angeles.
About Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the global market leader in live event ticketing processing over 500 million ticket transactions per year across 29 countries. Through exclusive partnerships with thousands of venues, artists, sports leagues, and performing arts centers and theaters, Ticketmaster delivers unparalleled access to the most iconic live events to millions of fans worldwide.
About ParkHub
ParkHub is a Dallas-based technology company that provides software and hardware services for the global parking industry. The company’s products provide multiple payment options, real-time reporting of parking revenue, support for dynamic pricing, and inventory availability and control. ParkHub technology integrates with many prepaid parking and ticketing providers. Founded by parking industry veteran, George Baker Sr., ParkHub has effectively fast-tracked traditional parking operations into the digital age. For more information, visit parkhub.com.