Last week, our Chief Revenue Officer Dipti Achary-Desai and VP Engineering Eli Thomas spent four days at Caesars Palace for the 75th NPA Convention & Expo - the National Parking Association's flagship event, and one of the biggest weeks on the parking industry calendar.
They connected with operators, vendors, customers and partners, and there was real interest in what we're building and our vision for the future of parking. Between demos at Booth 123, education sessions and a lot of conversations on the expo floor, a few themes came up again and again. Elliot Maras summed up the show as parking infrastructure evolving into tech hubs, and that matched what we heard on the floor.
Here are five things we took home from Las Vegas.
1. Parking is becoming a tech hub - and integration is what holds it together
This was the big one. As Maras put it: "Gates, ticketing systems, pay stations, LPR cameras, sensors, permits, enforcement tools and mobile-payment channels are increasingly managed through a common software layer."
Across the expo floor, the message was the same. The most successful operations are moving away from stand-alone tools and towards connected technology ecosystems. Systems integrators, middleware and platform partnerships were everywhere, and the operators we spoke with were clear: they aren't short on technology. They're short on systems that talk to each other.
That's the role Inugo plays. We're the technology layer that connects it all.
inugo integrate works with the cameras, gates and PARCS operators already run - multi-vendor, through an open API and SDK, and monitored centrally. It automates workflows and connects third-party platforms, so existing equipment keeps earning its place. Our own hardware is fully optional, with no forced rip and replace.
2. Pricing is going real-time
Scheduled rates are giving way to pricing that responds to what's actually happening on site - adjusting to "current availability and operating conditions, rather than relying solely on prices set in advance." Occupancy-based and event-based pricing was a recurring topic, particularly for venues and mixed-use sites where demand can swing hour to hour.
inugo monetize is one rules engine for pricing, discounts and event scenarios, applied automatically at every entry point - early bird, event, time-variable or fixed. Paired with inugo analytics, operators can see revenue, traffic and occupancy across every location in one interface.
3. LPR is now standard - the conversation has moved to data
Plate recognition is no longer the differentiator it was a few years ago. The questions we heard were about what happens next: how plate and vehicle data is stored, who can access it, and how operators stay on the right side of privacy expectations as regulation catches up.
With Inugo, the plate is the ticket. Our ANPR AI cameras - dome, PTZ and bullet - deliver 98%+ read accuracy, read NZ, AU, European and USA plates, and keep running offline if the signal drops. Every read is logged and managed from a single portal, so operators have a clear record they can stand behind.
4. Payments have to work everywhere, for everyone
A single, secure payment layer across kiosks, gates, apps, reservations and permits came up as essential. So did the reminder that not every driver pays the same way - and that accessibility needs to be built into the whole experience, from signage to the payment device itself.
It was a good week to have the ET1 kiosk on the stand. It's a cloud-based payment and validation kiosk - pay on foot, on entry or on exit - contactless payments and funds straight into the operator's merchant account. Alongside it, parkers can pay through a white-labeled app, a web app, or scan to pay with nothing to download.
5. The question isn't if - it's how fast
For Dipti, this was the biggest shift of the week.
"The industry is no longer asking if change is coming. They're asking how fast it can happen - that's a different conversation entirely."
Operators, vendors and partners alike were thinking seriously about where parking is headed, and how quickly they can get there without long rollouts.
That's where inugo AI assist comes in. Operators sign up online, describe their car park, and AI sets up rates, payments, signage and support under their brand. With hardware managed over the air and rolled out progressively across single sites or multi-region portfolios, a site can go from conversation to live quickly.
What we brought to Booth 123
For anyone who didn't make it to the stand, here's what the team was showing in Las Vegas.
One connected platform. Inugo is a complete PARCS and access management platform - parking access, payments, bookings and data, under your brand, anywhere in the world. Operators activate the modules they need and add the rest when they're ready, all running on the same cloud platform alongside the infrastructure they already have.
Software for every part of the operation.
- inugo AI assist - sign up online, describe your car park, and AI sets up rates, payments, signage and support under your brand.
- inugo access - touchless entry by plate or Bluetooth, with permissions that update in real time.
- inugo monetize - one rules engine for pricing, discounts and event scenarios, applied automatically.
- inugo analytics - real-time revenue, traffic and occupancy across every location in one interface.
- inugo events - access, payments and occupancy for a one-off event or a full series, open to the public or to closed groups.
- inugo validate - discounts and validations issued, redeemed and reconciled, with live reporting.
- inugo citations - breach detection from our cameras against your rules, with citations issued and managed end-to-end.
- inugo permits - digital permits with parameters, pricing, limits and approval rules per location, plus waitlisting and subletting.
- inugo integrate - works with the cameras, gates and PARCS you already run, through an open API and SDK.
- inugo 24/7 support - round-the-clock support for your parkers and your team, in your brand's voice.
Business accounts round it out, with centralised billing for tenants, staff and corporate accounts and automated invoicing based on usage.
Hardware built for the same platform. The ET1 kiosk, ANPR AI cameras, gate hubs and barrier arms, and the validation beacon - white-labeled with your brand, managed over the air, and suited to retrofits and new builds alike.
Delivered the way parkers want. A white-labeled app on iOS and Android, a web app with nothing to download, and scan-to-pay signage that lets parkers pay in seconds.
Thank you, Las Vegas
The team is back in Auckland and feeling energised. A big thank you to everyone who stopped by Booth 123 for a chat, a demo, and some NZ chocolates. And congratulations to the NPA on 75 years of bringing the parking industry together!
