Photo via mlb.com
American Family Field aerial view
American Family Field
The parking lots around American Family Field carry a lot of memories, whether being on top of the former site of County Stadium or home to family gatherings and tailgate parties. It’s not uncommon on Brewer game days to see smoke from bratwurst grills swirling, lawn chairs, beanbag boards, and people enjoying each other’s company.
Former owner, Bill Veeck Jr., said, “It’s that rich feeling of being alive that you only get from being at a ballpark, full of people.”
The Brewers have now partnered with Milwaukee-based Interstate Parking to remove one of the obstacles to that enjoyment, namely getting into the parking lots, starting this season. If you are uncomfortable with modern technology, you better have one of the kids or a younger family member in the car, nearby.
Who hasn’t suffered through waiting in long lines to purchase parking tickets on game days, sometimes up to a one-hour delay? Individual cashiers were stationed at various ingress points to the parking lots, hand-processing each ticket, producing long back-ups, chaotic line changes, and on hot days, the use of words not found in the Holy Writ.
Park and Scan
That is being eliminated, with the cashiers now becoming fan ambassadors and joining the other “yellow jackets” in directing traffic flow and troubleshooting. The program is Park and Scan: park, scan, and register your license plate.
The process is simple to work as QR codes, those black and white squares with all the squiggly stuff that looks like poor reception from an old TV antenna, are posted as signage on light standards, and stand-up boards around the lots. By scanning the code, a box will appear on your device showing areas for filling in your information, license plate number, and payment information.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
“They will purchase a ‘day of’ pass ... that license plate then becomes an active pay status, and the fan is good to go,” said Tony Janowiec of Interstate Parking.
Brewers’ executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Jason Hartlund said, “The goal is to enhance the fan experience and it’s a free flow to the parking area with a traffic director, and fan ambassadors, to get them to the right spot. Upon parking, they simply scan the QR code, and activate their pre-paid parking pass through the MLB app, or choose a ‘day of’ product and pay by credit card.”
There are also four kiosks around the ballpark, where parking passes can be purchased. The system bypasses the scanning method and registers your information. The company uses a data grid to enter all the information, as to what vehicle is parked where, and if paid or not. Company representatives go through the parking lot, with license plate reading technology, similar to what is used by law enforcement, to verify payment.
“Our system tells us, in each parking area, which license plates are unregistered,” said Janowiec. “Those vehicles will receive a very friendly notice, with instructions on how to use the process next time, and how to pay the parking, right then and there. If there was an error, such as the plate was entered incorrectly, entering a ‘3’ instead of ‘2’… then our fan ambassadors will waive that notice, because we can look up in the system.
“Furthermore, the way that the technology platform recognizes license plates is that you can enter any number, and it auto-populates,” he said. “We’ve really created a foolproof program where a fan can enter their plate number forwards, backwards, or in a jumbled fashion, and the system will auto-suggest the number that they should tap.”
The company has applied the technology to other large venues around the country, with great success. Janowiec said the information collected from the license plates is not sold to a third party or shared with other agencies. It is deleted after 36 months. The accommodations for individuals in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, has not changed in giving attention to parking based on individual needs.
The traditional “Designated Driver” program, where an individual shows the parking receipt at the first-floor booth and gets a coupon for a free soft drink, also remains in full force, electronically. “The system is so easy to use,” said Hartlund. “If I can do it, anyone can do it.”
