The State of U.S. Parking Management in 2024: Event Staffing, Challenges, and On-Demand Solutions

The U.S. parking management industry is a multi-billion dollar market that’s rapidly evolving to meet new demands. In fact, the U.S. parking management market was valued at about $5.20 billion in 2024, with robust growth forecast as technology and service models advance. A significant part of this industry involves handling parking for events – from sold-out concerts and sports games to festivals and conventions. These event-based operations bring unique challenges and opportunities for parking management companies. This article explores the latest 2024 statistics on the industry, the key challenges of event parking, and how contingent labor and on-demand staffing solutions are helping companies boost operational efficiency and profitability.

Crowds at concerts and sporting events can overwhelm parking operations, making efficient event parking management critical.

Event Parking: A High-Stakes Extension of Fan Experience

“Parking is hard. Event parking… well, that is its own level of challenge,” notes Parking & Mobility magazine. All the difficulties of everyday parking management – limited space, confusing signage, pricing, staffing, safety, and payment handling – are heightened in a high-volume, quick-turnaround event environment. Parking is often the first interaction attendees have with an event and can shape their entire experience. A negative parking ordeal (endless traffic queues, unclear directions, or not enough attendants) can sour someone’s mood before they even enter the venue. No matter how great the game or concert is, if parking was a nightmare, that’s what attendees will remember. As one industry editor put it, for an event to be a success, “parking needs to be a non-event.” In other words, smooth, efficient parking that attendees hardly notice is the goal.

Recent event trends in 2023 and 2024 have only underscored this point. Huge live events returning post-pandemic – from championship sports to blockbuster concert tours – have drawn record crowds and vehicles. (One parking industry publication even studied the real-time traffic and parking impact of Taylor Swift’s mega tour.) The stakes are higher than ever for parking operators to get event parking right. When done well, streamlined parking operations not only avoid headaches but can also enhance fan enjoyment and safety, encouraging attendees to arrive happy and spend more time (and money) at the venue. As SP+ Corporation’s Don Jordan observes, parking attendants are the first and last people fans interact with and directly impact one of the biggest obstacles to keeping attendees on-site spending money. Great parking service “can help create an experience that makes fans want to return.”

Key Challenges in Event Parking Management

Operating parking for events comes with a unique set of challenges that go beyond routine facility management. Some of the key challenges parking management companies face when handling events include:

• Sudden Surges in Volume: Unlike daily parking which has more predictable peaks, events unleash huge influxes of vehicles in short time frames. Thousands of cars may arrive within an hour before showtime and all leave immediately after. This surge strains capacity and requires careful traffic direction to prevent gridlock. Even if a venue has enough spaces, getting cars in and out efficiently is a complex dance.
• Limited Time and Space: Events often occur in evenings or weekends, meaning quick turnarounds and sometimes multiple events back-to-back. There’s little margin for error in setup or breakdown of parking areas. Temporary overflow lots or creative use of space might be needed to handle demand. Wayfinding and signage become critical to funnel drivers to the right areas.
• Staffing and Labor Shortages: Ensuring enough parking attendants are on the ground is a perennial challenge. Events require a large crew for a short duration, which is difficult to maintain with only full-time staff. Labor shortages since COVID-19 have made this worse – many parking operations downsized during the pandemic and now struggle to recruit and retain qualified staff. Furthermore, events often face no-shows or last-minute staff cancellations. It’s not uncommon in the events industry for a portion of planned crew to simply not show up, which can throw operations into chaos. Last-minute schedule changes (due to weather, venue needs, etc.) can also leave managers scrambling to fill roles. All of this makes flexible, reliable staffing a top concern.
• Safety and Security: Large crowds and hurried drivers are a volatile mix. Parking teams must ensure pedestrian safety, prevent accidents, and sometimes deal with unruly behavior or tailgating in lots. They also need to coordinate with law enforcement directing street traffic. Inadequate staffing or oversight in the lot can become a serious safety liability during an event.
• Payment and Technology Issues: Event parking often involves special pricing, pre-paid passes, or VIP permitting. Using technology (like mobile payment, scanners, or reservation systems) can speed up entry, but tech glitches or patrons unfamiliar with the system can cause backups. Integrating new parking tech at a stadium or fairground – such as license plate recognition or digital ticketing – is an additional challenge on top of managing the cars and people. Many event venues still underutilize parking technology that could ease the process.

All these challenges are heightened by the intensity of live events, where there’s one chance to get it right. As Parking & Mobility Magazine summarizes, “Parking is a huge responsibility in event management… If visitors have a negative experience with parking at your facility, no matter how excellent the event, that’s what they remember.” The pressure is on parking operators to deliver seamless service in spite of unpredictable conditions.

The Role of Contingent Labor in Event Parking

To tackle these labor and volume challenges, parking management companies are increasingly turning to contingent labor and on-demand staffing solutions. Contingent labor refers to temporary, flexible workers hired on an as-needed basis – exactly what event-based operations require. Instead of employing a large permanent staff (who might sit idle when there are no events), companies maintain a lean core team and then scale up manpower when events occur by bringing in temporary parking attendants, flaggers, cashiers, and traffic directors.

This approach offers crucial flexibility and cost control. Industry research notes that contingent staffing allows businesses to “quickly scale up or down as required” and avoid the costs of full-time hires. In the parking context, that means you can deploy a squad of 50 attendants on a game day, then revert to just 5 the next day without carrying excessive payroll. It’s no surprise that contingent workers now make up a substantial share of the U.S. workforce (estimated around 30–40% and growing), and companies across sectors use this model to stay agile. Event staffing is a prime example – event planners and venue operators regularly rely on contingent workers for roles like setup, registration, security, and parking.

For parking operators, the rise of on-demand staffing platforms has been a game-changer in managing contingent labor. These mobile and web-based platforms maintain a marketplace of pre-vetted workers (such as parking attendants, cashiers, and traffic control staff) who can be scheduled for shifts as needed. Parking companies can post an upcoming event shift and quickly fill all needed positions with qualified local personnel – often in a matter of hours. This drastically reduces the time and headache of recruiting part-timers for each event. It also provides a safety net for last-minute no-shows: if someone calls out sick, an extra worker from the on-demand pool can be dispatched in real-time.

One parking operator described the impact of adopting an on-demand staffing app for event parking: “We initially struggled to adequately staff our large event parking operations, which made it difficult to grow our division and keep up with demand. However, once we found [an on-demand platform] and implemented it into our operating plan, we have been able to accept more operations and grow our division to where it is today.” This testimonial highlights how flexible staffing fueled business growth – by ensuring labor capacity, the company could take on more events (and revenue) without fear of being understaffed.

The benefits of contingent, on-demand labor for event parking include:

• Rapid Scaling: Need extra hands for an unexpectedly large crowd or a second event the same day? On-demand staffing makes it easy to scale your workforce up for peak times and back down afterward. This means even smaller parking companies can handle big events by tapping external labor when needed.
• Cost Efficiency: Paying temporary staff only when you need them avoids the year-round expense of a big crew. It provides “greater budget flexibility” by trimming labor costs during off-peak periods. This can significantly improve the profit margins of event parking contracts, which otherwise might be eaten up by labor overhead or overtime pay.
• Access to Skilled Personnel: Many on-demand platforms maintain ratings, reviews, and training records for their workers. Parking companies can cherry-pick staff with event experience, language skills, or other specialized capabilities. Over time, managers build a reliable pool of go-to attendants who are familiar with their venues. (Some even bring back the same freelancers for every game of the season, creating consistency without formal employment.)
• Reduced No-Show Impact: When using a large pool of gig workers, one or two no-shows won’t torpedo the operation – the platform can often send replacements quickly. And since communication is centralized through the app, it’s easier to broadcast updates or instructions to all temp staff at once (preventing miscommunication that often plagues event crews).

Of course, effective contingent workforce management still requires planning – clear training for temporary staff, good on-site supervision, and coordination with any full-time team. But the trend is clear: parking management firms are embracing flexible staffing as a strategic advantage. The days of solely relying on fixed staff and hoping they can handle a big event are fading. In 2024 and beyond, agile staffing models are becoming part of the parking industry’s playbook for events.

Boosting Efficiency and Profitability with Smart Staffing

Investing in better event staffing – whether through contingent labor pools, on-demand apps, or improved training – isn’t just about avoiding headaches. It directly impacts the operational efficiency and profitability of parking operations:

• Faster Throughput = Higher Revenue: Sufficient, well-deployed staff can park cars and clear exits faster, reducing wait times. This means more vehicles can be accommodated in a given time. For venues that charge flat event parking fees, moving cars in quickly ensures everyone is parked before the event starts (no missed revenue from late arrivals). And for hourly parking models, less idling at the gate means more of the lot’s capacity is utilized. Simply put, speed equals revenue. Studies have shown that bottlenecks and delays from inefficient parking not only anger customers but also “reduce overall traffic and profits” for the facility.
• Enhanced Customer Experience = Repeat Business: Parking might not be glamorous, but it’s part of the customer service puzzle. Friendly, proactive attendants who guide drivers, answer questions, and provide a sense of safety create a positive first impression that venues bank on. Happy attendees are more likely to return for future events (or stay later and spend more on concessions and merchandise). Parking attendants essentially act as customer service ambassadors. As one article noted, when trained with a hospitality mindset, parking staff can significantly boost fan experience and even security by being attentive helpers in the lot. That goodwill translates into customer loyalty and revenue over time.
• Avoiding “Revenue Leakage”: Inefficient parking operations can leak revenue in hidden ways – e.g. if understaffing leads to some cars sneaking in without paying, or cash handling errors occur under pressure. Having the right number of attendants with the right tools (like mobile payment scanners) helps maximize revenue capture. It also prevents scenarios like drivers giving up and parking elsewhere (resulting in lost fees). A modern parking operation should track metrics like occupancy and revenue per space; ensuring adequate staffing is part of hitting those KPIs.
• Controlled Labor Costs: Paradoxically, using more staff when needed can save money overall. By aligning labor levels to actual demand (and using contingent staff to do so), operators avoid overstaffing in slow times and excessive overtime in peak times. This right-sizing of staff keeps labor costs efficient relative to the income from an event. Contingent staffing offers “cost-efficiency necessary for maintaining financial health” – you pay for help only when you profit from it. Additionally, well-trained temporary staff can often be more productive, handling tasks swiftly so that fewer total hours are required. All of this protects the bottom line.
• Focus on Strategic Tasks: When repetitive tasks (like directing traffic at a simple intersection or collecting cash at a lot entrance) are delegated to temporary staff or augmented with technology, your core team can focus on higher-level operational control. For example, a manager can supervise multiple lots or handle customer issues instead of manually staffing a booth. This leads to smarter decisions on the fly and an ability to respond to issues before they escalate. It’s exactly why some parking operators integrate automation – to “cut down on labor costs” for routine work and free up staff for customer service and safety roles. In essence, you get more value from each employee, which improves overall productivity.

Parking operations that combine smart technology (like advance reservation systems or sensors) with adequate human staffing tend to perform best. Technology can streamline transactions and provide data, but human attendants are still vital at events for tasks like visible guidance, answering questions, and handling exceptions. The end goal is a well-oiled machine where tech handles the heavy lifting of payments/guidance, and staff focus on customer-facing and strategic duties. The result: smoother operations, happier customers, and stronger profits.

Embracing Flexible Staffing for Future Success

As we move through 2024 and beyond, parking management companies that service events are learning that flexibility is the key to thriving. The industry’s growth (projected to reach over $15 billion in the U.S. by 2030 at current rates) will be driven not just by technology adoption, but also by operational agility. Contingent labor and on-demand staffing solutions have emerged as critical tools in that agility toolkit, allowing parking operators to respond fluidly to the wild swings of event demand.

Rather than viewing staffing as a fixed cost and a headache, leading companies are treating it as a strategic variable – one they can dial up or down to optimize service quality and financial returns. Those who partner with reliable on-demand workforce providers (like HireApp and other platforms) are finding it much easier to say “yes” to big event contracts, confident that they can mobilize the manpower required and deliver excellent service. Meanwhile, their reliance on full-time staff for event surges is shrinking, which lowers overhead and avoids burnout for their core employees.

In summary, contingent staffing isn’t just a stopgap – it’s a competitive advantage for parking management in the event sector. When combined with training, technology, and good planning, it solves many of the classic challenges of event parking. Attendants show up in the right numbers at the right times, drivers get into spaces with minimal fuss, and the entire operation runs like a well-rehearsed show. Attendees barely notice the parking process – and that’s the ultimate sign of success. They’ll remember the amazing concert or game, not the 20 minutes it took to exit the lot (which, thanks to an adept parking crew, felt painless).

For HireApp’s community of parking management professionals, the takeaway is clear: embrace the power of on-demand, flexible staffing as you plan for the busy event seasons ahead. By doing so, you’ll not only conquer the logistical challenges of event parking, but also unlock new levels of efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability for your operations. In the ever-evolving parking industry, flexibility and responsiveness are the name of the game – and with the right staffing strategy, even the toughest event parking scenario can turn into a smooth ride.

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