Earlier this week, we hosted a webinar in partnership with the BPA on the state of event parking and the opportunity that exists for anyone with a car park near a venue. Here is what The O2 and HS1's Stratford International shared about how they think about parking now — and what it means for operators, local authorities, and venue managers across the country.

The Hidden Cost of a Poor Parking Experience

For the second year running, JustPark surveyed over 1,500 UK drivers about their event parking experiences.

The top frustrations are consistent and widespread: queues on exit, difficulty finding a space, ending up further from the venue than expected, and costs that don't match what drivers anticipated. But the stat that tends to stop people in their tracks is how many drivers have left a ticketed event before it ended, which is nearly 50%.

That number has improved since last year, which is encouraging. But it remains significant, and it points to something operators can directly influence.

The flip side is equally clear: when drivers are offered the chance to pre-book a guaranteed space, the appetite is overwhelming (88%). The demand is there. The question is whether the supply is meeting it.

Want the full data? Stay tuned for the complete survey findings.

How Pre-Booking Actually Works

The two products that make pre-booking possible for events & everyday parking in the UK are Reservations and EventPass, and they serve slightly different purposes.

Reservations is JustPark's core marketplace product. Operators and space owners list their parking on a platform used by 13 million+ drivers across the UK. Drivers search, select, and pre-pay for a specific date, time, and duration. For operators with spaces near a regular event venue, this is often where the opportunity starts — existing capacity, made visible to drivers who are already planning their journey.

EventPass goes a step further for dedicated event parking. Operators and venues configure events, allocate inventory, set event-specific pricing, and publish directly through the JustPark marketplace. Drivers book in advance, register their plate, and receive a digital confirmation. Pricing and availability can be updated in real time after sales open,which matters when event calendars shift or demand comes in faster than expected.

How The O2 Stopped Treating Parking as an Afterthought

Adam Pearson, VP Commercial at The O2, joined the webinar to share how parking fits into an operation of this magnitude, and why the venue transitioned from an in-house booking system to partnering with JustPark.

The old system, as Adam explained, was functional but limited. It lacked flexibility for event-specific decisions, meaningful data insights, and the ability to tailor pricing or availability based on real-time demand. Parking was treated as a static, administrative function rather than a key part of the fan experience and a valuable commercial asset.

Since adopting JustPark EventPass, the experience has transformed. Drivers now enjoy a seamless pre-booking process, while The O2 team benefits from real-time data on bookings, customer locations (down to postcode level), and parking revenue trends. Notably, parking revenue has been growing quarter by quarter.

Adam also highlighted sustainability as a priority. With postcode data, The O2 can price parking relative to the environmental cost of journeys and make informed decisions about EV charging infrastructure and the carbon footprint of hosting 20,000 attendees.

“The car parks themselves haven’t changed,” Adam noted. “But the booking experience for fans has improved dramatically.”

How HS1 Unlocked Event-Day Demand It Didn't Know It Had

Naveed Khalique, Senior Commercial Manager at HS1, manages the entire car parking estate across the network. The Stratford International site tells a different story to The O2 — one about making existing spaces work harder, rather than managing a captive on-site car park.

The shift at Stratford came from visibility. By listing spaces on JustPark's platform, HS1 connected with 13 million-plus active drivers who were already searching for parking near the venue. Stratford International sits close to major event venues in East London. Occupancy on event days has climbed consistently since the integration.

"Stratford is just skyrocketing. The data that's produced is very helpful, especially when we're forecasting events in the future." — Naveed Khalique, Senior Commercial Manager, HS1

Naveed's team now sets specific tariffs for event days, priced to reflect what the space is actually worth on a given evening. Regular weekday commuter and shopper pricing sits alongside a separate event-day model. The data from each event informs how the next one is priced.

Both Naveed and Adam noted a shift worth paying attention to: younger audiences are drinking less at events, which means more of them are driving. They're also booking later and expecting to do it through an app. If your platform can't capture that last-minute demand in real time, you're leaving spaces — and revenue — on the table.

What This Means for You

So, what does all of this mean for parking operators, local authorities, and venue managers?

The opportunity varies depending on your role, but it’s clear and widespread:

• Car park owners & operators: If you manage parking near a stadium, arena, or theatre, you likely have a ready-made audience searching for spaces. If you’re not listed on platforms like JustPark, you’re missing out—not because your spaces aren’t good, but because drivers can’t find them.

• Community spaces like churches and schools: If your car park sits empty on evenings and weekends, event days are an opportunity to generate revenue from space that would otherwise go unused. That income can go straight back into the organisation — whether that's school funding, building repairs, or community programmes. You don't need to be a dedicated parking operator to make it work; you just need spaces near somewhere people want to go.

The good news? Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. Both The O2 and HS1 began by simply making their spaces visible and letting demand drive results. If you're interested in getting a revenue forecast for your car park, simply fill out the form below and one of our team will be in touch.