The Parking Genius
Insider News for Parking Pros
September 2022
Manage your parking rates strategically
Check out our newest tools and upgrades to boost your parking profit and the edge on competition
Industry Trends
Mobility is the new buzz word and is reshaping Parking, Transportation, Travel, and the world. Learn what it means to your business and how to prepare for the future.
Genius News
Make every space count with Demand Pricing, a profitable pricing strategy. Dynamically set and manage pricing quickly and easily in one convenient location.
Genius Tips
Managing your Rates is key to successful dynamic pricing, seasonal price blackouts, and more. Now our new Rates Page makes managing your rates quick and easy!
Genius Spotlight
Key to our development team is Ryan Burbo, Software Development Manager. Ryan’s sharp mind and quick wit give him standing as a valued employee of Space Genius.
Parking Industry Trends
Commentary
Having recently attended the IPMI (International Parking & Mobility Institute) show in New Orleans it dawned on me that we don’t really understand what “mobility” means to the parking industry.
We were under the impression it was all about the mobility and independence a smart phone allows us in everyday life, from booking a parking space to gaining admission to a lot. It certainly is all of that. But what’s really behind the concept of mobility is a roadmap for how to transport in a way that reduces congestion, saves energy, and establishes new options to consider.
We think this is a good definition as of 2022:
“While the generic definition of ‘mobility’ can have a multitude of industry meanings, in my world, it’s primarily providing alternative transportation and environmentally friendly solutions and methods to the general public in an effort to help shift individual (single occupancy) vehicle driving behavior. Also, it’s providing the public with the policies, education, and networks necessary to encourage and promote the adoption of new/alternate modes of travel.” – Scott Bauman, CAPP, manager of parking & mobility services, City of Aurora, CO
And here is what it all means to Parking Operators:
“Mobility means the collaboration between all forms of transportation, with an end goal being to provide a simple, easy, guided travel experience from current location to destination. And that experience should use multiple forms of mobility, whether it is a personal vehicle, transit, a mobility hub. It can be as simple as finding that perfect parking space in front of your favorite restaurant. That’s mobility.” parking.net
Parking Operators, mobility is here to stay, and it promises innovative new ways of thinking about the business. It seemed that the whole IPMI Show was all about this subject! Check out the IPMI post-show magazine edition here, entirely devoted to the topic of mobility.
We have learned a lot about mobility and would like to share our learnings with you. We are offering no-cost consulting concerning mobility and how your operation can move into the future. Contact us to get more information.
Parking Trends
The parking industry is not what it used to be. Parking trends show that COVID has forever changed how people interact with parking. Organizations within the industry need to adapt to keep up and meet the needs of American drivers in a post-pandemic society, which likely means turning to technology that prioritizes safety, convenience, and user experience for consumers and simplified management for operators.
Yet Parking is growing, but at a slower rate than any of us would like and in sectors such as airport (leisure), sports/entertainment, and local/municipal locations. This has come at the expense of traditional important sectors such as work/office parking and business travel, both at the airport and locally. These sectors have not come back to pre-pandemic levels.
The overall market in USA is growing at about 4% in 2022. It has not grown back to pre-pandemic levels as referenced below:
We are approaching the busy holiday timeframe and hopefully will see a surge in travel and other transportation activities. Good luck as we enter this important time.
Reach out to us for solutions on topics of mobility, volume on your local level, or any other parking needs:
David Sparks, Chief Marketing Officer | Email: dsparks@spacegenius.com | Phone: 312-933-7683
Space Genius News
Improve your pricing strategy with these pricing tools and more
At Space Genius, innovation is top priority as we seek to keep our clients ahead of the competition. With those two goals in mind, here are the latest upgrades:
New Inventory Demand Pricing
We know that every space counts when it comes to parking revenue. We’ve made several upgrades to our Demand Pricing feature (aka Dynamic Pricing), all of which are now managed from the Inventory Screen. You can now easily:
- Base and set pricing on remaining inventory for a product through the Inventory Management screen.
- Establish a price for each tier of inventory quickly and easily to maximize revenue for the exact same availability.
- Create Demand Pricing for short periods of time to either maximize revenue for a particular time frame OR set it and forget it!
Previously, users were required to set up all the Rates in the Rates View, then go to the Inventory View and pick the rates based on the Rate Codes. Now you simply specify the prices and the number of spaces in each tier – so much easier.
New Payment Gateway Solution
i3 Verticals is our new state-of-the-art payment gateway platform. i3 Verticals offers significant savings over traditional payment gateways, integrates with all payment processors, accommodates any payment configuration, has stellar 24/7 customer service, and more!
Here are all the reasons to start using i3 Verticals now:
- Cut cost, increase profits
- Increased bank-level, PCI-compliant security
- Reduced cyber attacks
- Single gateway integration
- Accepts all payment processors
- Easy and painless changeover
- Proven technology for parking industry
You get to choose how to integrate with i3:
- Use ONLY the payment gateway feature and you keep your current merchant account provider OR
- Use the payment gateway and choose a different merchant account
Most of our clients have made the switch and are extremely happy with the savings and performance of i3 Verticals. The remaining clients will be switched over to the new platform by year’s end.
New Rates Page
We have built a new Rates Page user interface that makes managing rates quick and easy. Read how to change and add rates on the new page in Genius Tips.
Bug Fixes
In addition to new features and upgrades, we have now resolved these bugs:
- Fixed issues with the “Resend Email Confirmation” function where, in some instances, users were not able to resend email confirmations if the first one was deleted.
- Fixed an issue in “Loyalty Sign up” where the user’s work email was returning “validation errors” even though the email format was correct.
- Fixed an issue in the “Options” view where if a user had an Option assigned to Multiple Channels and wished to remove it from some of the Selected Channels it would return an error.
- Fixed a bug in “Inventory” that would prevent some customers from booking their entire Available Inventory for a given product.
- Fixed an issue in certain “PARCS Equipment Integrations” where the wrong entry and exit times were being transmitted to the gating equipment.
Adding new features – Inventory Demand Pricing, Payment Gateway Solution, and Rates Page user interface – and fixing software issues all help improve and streamline your business, increase your revenue, and keep you ahead of the competition. Check out what’s new and feel free to contact us if you have questions!
We’re here to help. For assistance or more information, contact support@spacegenius.com.
Genius Tips
Managing rates just got easier with our new Rates Page user interface
We are pleased to show you the new look and features of our Rates page, with enhanced capability and better navigation.
Here’s a summary of the new features:
View More Rate Types
You can now include Inactive and/or Expired Rates in the view at the same time. Previously on the Rates page, you could only include Inactive Rates in the view.
View All Rate Plans
The grid has been changed to include the Plan, Category, Code, and Identifier on any rate under the Product, making it much easier to find your current rates.
In the previous view your choice was limited to a single rate plan to find your current rate, and now you can choose All Rate Plans in the filter drop down.
Highlighted View
We have also changed the highlighted view, so it is very clear which Channel rate is being viewed under a Product. While in the Highlighted View you can:
- Still add a new rate using the ADD NEW RATE button located to the right of the Product.
- Edit a current rate by selecting the EDIT link to the right of the rate in the grid box, on the right side of the screen.
- Simply change the current price for a Product, by entering the effective Start and End dates for the change, the new price, and any extra unit for the Product. This is found in the text boxes on the highlighted rate inside the grid.
These new features and views will improve your experience, making it much faster and easier when adding new rates or changing existing ones, while saving you valuable time and resources.
For assistance or more information, contact support@spacegenius.com.
Genius Spotlight
Meet Software Development Manager Ryan Burbo, a solid Space Genius team member with a keen understanding of parking software. Ryan’s expertise at software development earned him a promotion from Developer to Manager, where he skillfully directs the development team in producing best-in-class software products.
Here’s more about Ryan:
When did you start with Space Genius and what steps led you here?
I started with Space Genius in September of 2016. I have been working as a software developer since 1998 and found the position at Space Genius to be interesting so I signed on.
If you could quickly and easily learn any new skill, what would it be?
It would be a new language. I enjoy travel and different cultures.
What energizes and drains you when you’re at work?
At work, projects where I can design something new energize me. Repetitive tasks are the most draining for me.
Where are you from?
Oxford, Michigan.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
I would not want a superpower. Too much trouble comes along with having a superpower.
What’s your process for turning a bad day into a good one?
I generally don’t have bad days but when I do, it’s normally because I didn’t sleep enough so I just go to bed early.
Describe one of your favorite work memories.
My favorite work memory was not actually during work hours. We all went together on a sunset cruise and out to dinner in Tarpon Springs. Everyone had a good time. It was a fun evening.
Tell me a fact that most people don’t know about you.
One thing most people do not know about me is that I have been writing a book.
Share the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you.
The best advice I’ve received is to not worry about things I have no control over.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
Growing up, I wanted to be a professional MMA fighter or a software developer.
Share three words that your close friends would use to describe you.
Loyal, competitive, and ambitious.
What activities do you participate in over the weekend?
I have a variety of things I like to do over the weekend. I generally spend some time with my family at home or Disney. I also spend time with things like reading, writing, drawing, and playing video games.
Do you have any hidden talents?
For hidden talents, I would not consider myself an expert, but I am pretty good at drawing and other artistic pursuits.
List three items on your bucket list.
Publishing a novel, getting my pilot’s license, and traveling to places I have never been to before.
Do you have any pets? What are they like?
I have a dog and two cats. They are all friendly but also a little bit lazy.
What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
Recently my dog made me smile. It’s hard not to smile when she is always so excited to see me.
What animal do you believe most closely matches your personality and why?
It’s difficult to decide which animal most closely resembles my personality. Possibly a dog because I am loyal and protective of my family.
Your favorite type of music.
My favorite types of music would be synth-pop and darkwave.
It’s been great learning more about you, Ryan. Thank you for letting us get to know you better!