Day of Event Parking
Our online reserved event parking service for dog shows is a cutting-edge solution designed to provide owners, handlers, and exhibitors with the ability to secure a parking permit for their vehicles (excluding box trucks, which are handled separately) on specific days during a trial or show, ensuring hassle-free access to the venue’s open parking area. This service addresses the logistical challenges of parking at busy dog show events by allowing users to reserve their parking access in advance while offering a secure and seamless booking experience that caters to the needs of the dog show community. Here’s a detailed description of how our service functions, including a method to provide users with a receipt that cannot be easily copied or shared to prevent misuse, along with the scanning technology used to verify permits:
Our service is custom-designed, allowing dog owners, handlers, and exhibitors to reserve a parking permit for the open parking area at dog show venues for specific days of the event, ensuring they have guaranteed access to park their vehicles. We are the only service that allows users to reserve their parking access in advance and pay for it upfront, providing peace of mind and eliminating the stress of finding parking on the day of the show. It has a patent-pending, reflecting the innovative nature of our system. Parking is not space-based but operates on an open parking system, meaning users are granted entry to the parking area without a designated spot, accommodating various vehicle types such as standard cars, trucks, or vans (with box truck and RV parking handled separately). Reservations are completely automated and can be made by computer or on the owner or handler's phone, making the process as smooth as can be. Users simply go online, select the show venue, choose the specific days they need parking access, and pay for the reservation. If they need to change their scheduled days, they can easily do it online.
Booking parking access through our service is tailored to the dog show/trial schedule. The platform integrates with schedules from specific trials/events, providing detailed information about parking availability. For instance, if a dog show is happening in Palm Springs, users can reserve a parking permit for the open parking area for the days they plan to attend, which might be managed by a breed club or show organizer, as described by The Kennel Club. Our service provides critical details about the parking area, such as its proximity to the show rings, whether the surface is paved or dirt (important for keeping dogs clean), and if amenities like nearby restrooms or water stations are available. For example, a handler attending a multi-day conformation show might reserve parking access for their car on Saturday and Sunday, ensuring they can park in the open area and walk a short distance to the entrance with their elderly Basset Hound.
Our reservation system streamlines pre-show preparations. Users can pre-select the days they need parking access and pay upfront, ensuring their permit is reserved and ready for use upon arrival. To provide users with a receipt while preventing misuse—such as copying and sharing with a friend to "screw us"—we implement a secure digital receipt system. Upon completing their reservation, users receive a unique, non-transferable digital receipt in the form of a QR code sent to their registered email and accessible via their account on our platform. This QR code is tied to their specific reservation, including the user’s name, vehicle license plate number, and the reserved days, and is encrypted to prevent duplication. At the venue, parking attendants scan the QR code using either a smartphone with a QR code scanning app or a dedicated 2D barcode scanner to verify the reservation against our system, ensuring only the authorized user can gain entry to the parking area. For smaller shows, a smartphone with a free app like Event Smart’s check-in app suffices, costing $0 if staff use their own devices, though a premium app with API integration might cost $50–$200 annually. For larger events, a dedicated 2D barcode scanner, such as those recommended by Event Smart (available on Amazon), is used, costing $50–$150 per device and capable of scanning up to 20 tickets per second, ensuring efficiency. To further prevent sharing, the QR code can only be accessed through the user’s account, which requires a login, and is not downloadable as a static image or PDF that could be easily shared. Additionally, we include a one-time-use feature, where the QR code becomes invalid after it’s scanned at the venue entrance on the first day of use, preventing reuse by others. For example, a handler reserving parking access for their van on Friday might show their QR code at the gate, which is scanned and immediately marked as used for that day, ensuring no one else can use the same code to gain entry.
Additionally, our system automatically creates an alphabetical list of owners and their parking permit details, as well as a numerical list of permits with the corresponding owner/handler information, making it easy for show organizers to manage the parking process efficiently.
Emergency and cancellation policies are crucial, given the fast-paced nature of dog shows. For cancellations, our service allows users to manage changes online, ensuring flexibility while maintaining efficiency in permit allocation. We handle the refunds for the club according to club policy and create a report for net proceeds, providing transparency and simplifying financial management for show organizers.
Overall, our online reserved event parking service for dog shows blends convenience, secure access, and show-specific requirements into a cohesive system. It supports the participation and performance of show dogs by providing owners and handlers with guaranteed parking access on their chosen days while easing the logistical burden of show attendance. The secure QR code receipt system, backed by efficient scanning technology, ensures that parking permits remain exclusive to the user, preventing misuse and maintaining fairness for all participants. This ensures they can focus on their dogs’ success in the ring, whether at a local CKC event or a major AKC conformation show.