The Parking Genius
Insider News for Parking Pros
December 2021
Welcome to the new Space Genius newsletter!
You’re on your way to becoming a Parking Genius!
Boost your parking IQ with system updates, features and tips, industry trends and more
…and watch your profits grow.
Get More From Your Space Genius Software
Genius News
Space Genius product innovation is ever evolving. Our most recent enhancements are to the Loyalty and Reporting modules.
Genius Tips
The Blackout Feature is a system function that allows the parking operator to “black out” a Location, Channel, or Product.
Genius Spotlight
Meet one of the Rock Stars on our team, VP of Engineering Jason Kistler. A true Rennaisance Man, Jason shines in his role at Space Genius.
Industry Trends
Since early 2020, Parking Industry trends were deeply impacted by the COVID pandemic. Know these trends to plan success for your business going forward.
Parking Industry Trends
Our world was deeply impacted by the unusual events of 2020. Below is an overview* of the Parking Industry’s recovery status and how it was impacted by the COVID crisis.
Less Parking Demand
Business/office workers have not returned to the workplace; thus urban and office park demand is down. Sports and entertainment events have not come back to pre-pandemic levels. Most recently the Delta variant has sparked new caseloads in almost every state which will have a detrimental impact on parking demand in the short term.
Less Use of Public Transportation
Means more use of personal vehicles so more autos needing parking. Applies to both business and leisure segments.
Shared transportation dropped in 2020 due to the pandemic
Touchless/Contactless Parking
Technology is driving a new parker behavior for touchless parking utilizing reservations, scanners, LPR, Bluetooth sensors, mobile Apps, etc.
Demand for contact-free parking transactions grew
Less Parking Revenue in the Public Sector
This resulted in budget shortfalls and a general rethinking of Parking potential. May impact taxes.
Smaller Cities Impacted More Than Larger Ones
This speaks to the high demand for parking in large cities with a dense urban core and more essential workers.
There were less transactions in smaller cities
Reservations Are Coming Back
Reservations for entertainment venues started picking up steam in late 2020 and are expected to increase as more people get vaccinated.
Some venues are letting a limited number of fans in, and many live events were scheduled for the 2021 summer months. Parking reservations will continue to grow as more people feel comfortable going back to see live entertainment.
Reservations are trending up
*Source: ParkMobile Parking Study, January 2021.
Space Genius News
Space Genius product innovation is ever evolving. Our most recent updates involve Loyalty and Reporting.
Loyalty System
Space Genius has rolled out new Loyalty system enhancements with promotions and robust customer management features including:
- You can now add promotional points to Loyalty accounts based on sign-up bonuses, booking dates and time the customer parks.
- You are also now able to have a full view of customer transaction history and point accrual history.
Activity Report
We are improving Reporting tools to give you more control over your business.
The Activity Report now supports dynamic reporting by allowing you to choose from 30 different columns, or data points, for various reporting needs.
In addition, each column of the report allows multiple filters and sorting to be applied to get the exact data you need.
- We now support large volume exporting of data to PDF and Excel to allow use of your activity data in other external systems.
For assistance or more information, contact support@smartluis.com.
Genius Tips
Planning for the Holidays: The Blackout Feature
The Blackout feature is a system function that has been updated within the last year and allows the customer to “black out” a Location, Channel, or Product. This function gives the operator full control and can be extremely helpful, especially during seasons of high parking demand such as the upcoming holidays.
When a Blackout is in place, any reservation booking with a date range including the dates of the Blackout will return a “No available inventory” message.
Location Blackout
To Blackout at the Location level (includes all products and channels at the Location):
- Select Company Settings from the left navigation menu.
- Select Locations from the list under Company Settings.
- On the Locations page click on the down arrow on the Edit Button for the location you want to Blackout and choose Blackouts from the drop-down menu.
- From the Edit Location Blackouts page click on the Add button and enter a specific Start date and time, and an End date and time.
- You can also choose a specific channel or leave it blank for all channels at this location.
- Click update.
Channel Blackout
To Blackout at the Channel level (includes all product inventory for that channel):
- Select Company Settings from left navigation menu.
- Select Locations from the list under Company settings and click on the arrow to the left of the location name.
- From the expanded list of channels click on the dropdown arrow on the right side of the edit button and choose Blackouts.
- Select Add, then enter a specific Start date and time, and End date and time.
- Click update.
Product Blackout
To Blackout at the Product level (includes specific product inventory for all channels at the location):
- Under Filter in the left navigation menu select a Location.
- Select products in left navigation menu.
- Click on the drop-down arrow of the edit button next to the product you want to Blackout, and select Blackouts from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Add button on the Blackouts page. Choose a Start date and time, and an End date and time.
- Click update.
For assistance or more information, contact support@smartluis.com.
Genius Spotlight
Maybe you’ve already met Jason Kister, our VP of Engineering. But if you haven’t, you’ve definitely seen the excellent software he has developed for Space Genius!
Beyond his professional expertise as a software engineer, Jason is also an accomplished musician and a chef! Jason tells us more about himself in the Q&A below:
When did you start with Space Genius and what steps led you here?
It actually started back when Space Genius was SMC Software and the product was created. The original founders hired me as a supplemental developer to complete creation of the system and after only a few hours of training the founding developer quit over a disagreement with the other founding partners and I had to learn the complete system from scratch, top to bottom and be able to support it with absolutely no training or guidance. In those first few trying months I developed a love/hate relationship with what is now the Space Genius system like a sibling but it is also rewarding to see how far it has come.
If you could quickly and easily learn any new skill, what would it be?
I would learn the guitar. I play several other instruments but never learned guitar.
What energizes and drains you when you’re at work?
What energizes me at work in optimism. I love to look on the brighter side of any situation and always feel like life is too short to wallow in negativity. What really drains me is ambiguity. I like things to be clear and concise with intent and when I feel like directives, project timelines, etc. are unclear it weighs on me until I get that clarity.
Where are you from?
Decatur, IL
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
Time travel might be nice. How many mistakes I could have fixed before anyone knew. 🙂
What’s your process for turning a bad day into a good one?
I think about what I am grateful for and the blessings in my life and usually with a little caffeine and the inspirational word I can turn most bad days into good ones.
Describe one of your favorite work memories.
The day I was able to promote my lead developer into a management position. I enjoy helping others around me succeed.
Tell me a fact that most people don’t know about you.
I love to cook and consider myself the “grill master” of my home. I am literally cooking on the grill every day or every other day, smoking meats, grilling chicken and fish and lots of other things.
Share the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you.
Take responsibility for everything in your life, good and bad and do not blame others for the present. You are what you tolerate.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I had considered a stock broker for a very long time before coming into software development. I like investments, strategies and the stock market.
Share three words that your close friends would use to describe you.
Optimistic, funny and resilient
What activities do you participate in over the weekend?
I spend time with my family, cook and I am a local performing musician.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Not really. If I am talented at something I try to take advantage of that.
List three items on your bucket list.
River cruise down the Amazon, white water rafting on the Colorado river and a trip/pilgrimage to Israel.
Do you have any pets? What are they like?
I have two dogs. One is a Javanese named Dyson like the vacuum and a little chihuahua girl named Sasha. They are both full of personality. Dyson always wants to play and Sasha always wants to snuggle up next to someone and relax.
What’s one thing that has made you smile recently?
The purchase of a new house and getting away from apartment living.
Your favorite type of music.
I listen to mostly rock, some metal and some top 40.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Jason. Be sure to say hello to him next time you call in.