How the Iconic Greek Theatre Elevated Guest Experience with Smart Parking
Nestled in historic Griffith Park in Los Angeles, the Greek Theatre is a legendary outdoor entertainment venue. However, its unique location within a public park presents a distinct parking challenge: balancing neighborhood residents, departing park-goers, and eager incoming event attendees.
With a rich history and a capacity of 5,900, the Greek Theatre hosts more than 80 concerts annually, alongside a variety of other events, from charity galas to movie premieres. All those events require parking, with the venue operating eight lots with a 3,000-vehicle capacity.
For the team at the Greek Theatre, ensuring a positive guest experience extends far beyond the stage. It begins the moment attendees decide to visit. Recognizing that parking can often be a major stress point for live events, especially in a city like Los Angeles, the Greek Theatre needed a solution that would streamline operations and enhance the overall visitor journey.
The Road to Transformation: From Divided Systems to Seamless Integration
Before partnering with JustPark, the Greek Theatre relied on a fragmented approach to parking management. They used one vendor for pre-sale parking and another for on-site devices, creating friction.
“It was difficult before when we had one provider give us the devices, but a different vendor working with us on pre-selling parking. Oftentimes, the two just wouldn't integrate smoothly,” said Amanda Triay, Event Services Manager at the Greek Theatre. “The challenges we faced with prior vendors made it difficult to resolve issues in a timely manner overall, and that ultimately affected the guest experience, too.”
A lack of integration led to operational headaches and, more importantly, impacted the guest experience. The vendor was also not always readily available when issues arose with device payment processing or technical problems with the pre-sale system, causing delays, frustration, and bottlenecks.
The need for a unified and reliable parking solution became clear, so the Greek Theatre turned to JustPark.
A Unified Solution: Driving Efficiency and Enhancing the Guest Journey
The partnership with JustPark brought a game-changing shift. The Greek Theatre gained a single, integrated platform by implementing JustPark's mobile point-of-sale (Prime) devices for on-site transactions and the EventPass solution for prepaid parking. The immediate impact was significant.
One of the standout benefits of the Prime devices, particularly crucial for an outdoor venue within a sprawling park, was their robust connectivity.
“Being in Griffith Park, we're limited to our resources and self-signal and network strength,” Triay said. “The fact that these devices can just hop to the strongest network has been just super important and beneficial to us, especially in our remote location.”
Beyond operational improvements, the implementation of prepaid parking through EventPass has directly contributed to elevating the guest experience. Event goers no longer had to talk to attendants and determine pricing on each lot.
“A prepaid solution was vital to get our guests in and able to park a lot faster,” she said. “Having the prepaid solution is so much easier and allows guests to be prepared, ready, and know where they're going to park. It's led to an overall better guest experience. People are getting in earlier, and they're able to relax instead of rushing to their show."
While the technology itself has been instrumental, the Greek Theatre team has found that the human touch at JustPark is a significant differentiator.
"The customer service aspect blows all the other vendors I've experienced out of the water,” Triay said. “There’s a genuine connection there and knowing that there is a person behind the phone that's going to help you to resolve an issue.”
Tangible Results: Revenue Growth and Operational Harmony
The impact of JustPark's solutions extends to the bottom line. By implementing dynamic pricing strategies for pre-sale versus day-of parking, the Greek Theatre has seen a significant increase in revenue. Now, about 30% of the venue’s parking transactions come from pre-sales.
Operationally, the integrated system has streamlined processes, reduced the burden on parking attendants, and provided valuable data insights into parking lot utilization. The seamless integration between the Prime devices and EventPass allows for real-time adjustments and better management of the venue's diverse parking options, including those associated with their shuttle service. The positive impact on guest experience is evident in the customer surveys.
"I would highly encourage other venues to consider a prepaid parking solution,” Triay said. ”Venues that implement a prepaid parking solution can look forward to increasing revenue, a better look at data and parking lot utilization, ease of operation regarding traffic flow, and giving guests peace of mind that they have a parking spot confirmed.”
Looking Ahead: Empowering Venues to Prioritize the Guest
By partnering with JustPark, the Greek Theatre transformed parking from a pain point to a seamless and positive touchpoint. The story of the Greek Theatre demonstrates how a strategic approach to parking, powered by the right technology and supported by exceptional service, can significantly elevate the guest experience and produce tangible results.
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