Parking specialist Wise Parking has carved out a strong position in the UK events sector, following two highly successful years supporting Silverstone to unlock the full commercial potential of its parking operations at the British Grand Prix, Moto GP and other events.
From NHS sites and shopping centres to beachfronts, universities and hospitality venues, Wise Parking delivers tailored parking solutions for clients across the UK. Whether it’s two spaces for a local retailer or thousands for a stadium, the Daventry-based company uses cutting- edge technology to transform parking into a smoother experience for drivers and a stronger revenue stream for operators.
By combining ANPR cameras, payment machines and digital apps, Wise Parking ensures clients not only maximise returns from their parking provision but also offer users the convenience of seamless entry, easy payments and real-time space availability.
Silverstone is a prime example. Ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix, the venue sought new ways to organise parking more effectively and capture income from the thousands of vehicles on site.
Lee Burton, Director at Wise Parking, said: “We spent a considerable amount of time scoping and helping Silverstone monetise their parking efficiently. At an event like the British Grand Prix, taking payments on entry just slows people down, and there’s not a lot you can do about those who decide to drive in and out without paying.
“They came to us to see what they could do, and we presented a solution involving ANPR and app payments. Further, there was an option to pay for parking when booking a ticket, with a live integration between Silverstone and Wise Parking, and clear instructions for those that hadn’t pre-booked. After the event, anyone who hadn’t paid received a reminder to pay for their parking.
“Like Silverstone, we wanted to ensure that the customer journey and experience was best in class for such events, we wanted to be empathic rather than draconian in our approach. We want to make it as easy as possible to pay for parking and not focus on catching people out.”
The approach proved a huge success, not only driving new revenue but also giving Silverstone’s team live data to improve traffic management and the visitor experience. The result was Wise Parking extending its offering over more events in 2025 to support the British Grand Prix, Moto GP, and a series of summer festivals, along with a significant expansion of its solution across more locations.
Recognising the scale of opportunity in the events space, Lee and founder of Wise Parking, Stuart Cole, have invested in expanding the company’s event portfolio, working with organisers across the UK to provide tempo- rary but highly effective parking control at scale.
Lee added: “It’s a simple fact about any event that parking issues, either taking too long to park or too long to get out afterwards, has a negative impact on the overall experience. Being the first and last touch point of any event, it’s vital that these are run as smoothly and as professionally as the event itself, we want the event to be remembered, not the trouble with parking. Through data analysis, the organisers can see information about which areas fill up quickest, when to start directing drivers to other areas, and when peak times will be, so that they can be fully prepared.
“Part of our role is to offer advice and solutions, whether that’s with a large event like those at Silverstone, or for our regular clients who want to optimise their revenue from car parks or those look- ing at options for turning unused spaces into more parking, or for opportunities to increase revenue.”
Those opportunities are wide-ranging. Beyond traditional parking income, Wise Parking helps clients explore new commercial uses for underutilised space, from EV charging hubs to car washes, retail pop-ups and car brand activations.
“Offering more within a site where people are coming to park anyway is a sensible use of space,” said Lee. “Most car parks generally have capacity for most of the year and only reaching maximum during holiday seasons, so there are solutions that make use of that space and deliver either an additional reason to visit and stay longer, or that drive additional revenue. We use our expertise to advise clients on the options available.”
It’s an approach rooted in turning parking from a pain point into a positive.
“Our aim is to be about commercialisation and added value for our customers,” said Lee.
From shopping centres and NHS Trusts to global motorsport and events, Wise Parking continues to show how smart technology and fresh thinking can transform parking into a driver of better customer experiences and stronger commercial returns.
To find out more, visit their website.
