The construction of a high-capacity venue, such as a stadium, in an urban area, can have a significant impact, and without an effective parking and transportation program, hosting successful events that provide an outstanding customer experience can be impossible.
Parking issues can so often be overlooked during the planning process, but this is not the case at the new, state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where developing a comprehensive parking and transportation program, with the assistance of ParkMobile, has been at the forefront of the project.
In fact, since opening for business in 2017, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC) has been striving to create a fan experience like no other, not just with unique design and cutting-edge technologies, but with an innovative parking experience.
Accommodating Vehicles
For a 70,000-seat urban stadium, where the majority of event attendees arrive by car, the efficient movement of vehicles in and out of the parking areas can have a profound effect on the overall fan experience.
It was clear to the stadium that one of the most important ways of improving the fan experience was to integrate numerous parking facilities and administer a parking program that would enhance, and not detract from, the arrival experience.
With this in mind they formed a project team, including ParkMobile staff, tasked with designing a program that would meet the specific requirements of all potential car park users at the stadium, including: suite holders; season ticket holders; single-game ticket holders; one-off event holders; VIPs, staff; third-party employees; volunteers, and the media.
Innovative Parking Program
Recognising that the parking program needed to engage with the fans before their vehicles arrived at the stadium, the team developed an interactive web interface that enabled users to take appropriate parking action remotely via multiple mediums.
This Mercedes-Benz parking reservation platform, which includes more than 20,000 parking spaces from seven different parking operators, allows parkers to select the event they are planning to attend and the parking facility or lot in which they wish to park. It also provides the location and details of each parking area, including distance from the stadium, pricing, and ease of exit.
Parkers can either print their parking pass or retrieve their pass in their parking reservation app at any time. And future enhancements will include the purchase of the parking pass via certain connected cars, allowing the fan to reserve and drive straight to a stadium parking lot via the in-vehicle navigation screen.
Real-Time Routing
With a high volume of fans arriving at the stadium by car, the team recognized that getting vehicles to parking areas quickly was crucial. With this in mind, they focused on pre-purchase and reserve parking, as well as a real-time routing solution provided by Waze. Now every parking permit allows for real-time routing to the parking facility entrance. Not only does this help create a more efficient and pleasant experience for parkers (and parking staff), but it also helps reduce congestion and improve safety by directing fans straight to a parking garage or lot.
Monitoring for Improvement
The system includes real-time tracking of how many parking passes have been purchased, as well as an inventory of vehicles and used parking spaces as facilities fill up. This information makes it possible to take advantage of unclaimed reservations and under-used parking areas.
The parking team uses the data collected to evaluate its performance after every event, taking into account factors such as weather, date and time. If there are potential improvements to be made, the team takes immediate action before the next event.
Communicating
The final step in the development and implementation of the parking program is communication. Local Atlanta media has been critical in helping get the word out to parkers and they regularly provide important information related to parking at the stadium. Mercedes-Benz Stadium also uses social media to communicate directly with future customers regarding events weeks in advance and their parking and transportation options on the day of their planned event.
For more information visit ParkMobile’s article.
About ParkMobile 
ParkMobile, LLC is the leading provider of parking solutions in North America, helping millions of people easily find and pay for parking on their mobile device. The company’s technology is used in over 3000 locations across the country, including 7 of the top 10 cities as well as college campuses, airports and stadiums. People can use ParkMobile solutions to quickly pay for on-street and garage parking without having to use a meter or kiosk. Additionally, ParkMobile offers parking reservations at stadium venues for concerts and sporting events. Reservations are also available in metro areas, allowing people to drive into the city without having to worry about finding parking. ParkMobile was recently named by Deloitte as a Technology Fast 500 winner, recognizing the fastest growing technology companies in North America. For more information, visit Parkmobile.io or @Parkmobile on Twitter.
