One group that has become particularly fond of this phenomenon are the travelers of the world. These clever wanderers have found a whole host of ways to get the most they can out of peer-to-peer systems.

If you are one of the many people with a severe case of wanderlust, you may be wondering how you can take full advantage of this system yourself. In this article, we will discuss a few of the many ways peer-to-peer sharing, renting, and selling can help long-term travelers maintain their exciting lifestyle.

— Save Money —

• Couchsurfing — When you are just passing through a city and need to save a few bucks, Couchsurfing is the perfect solution. This room-sharing program allows travelers to find a free place to crash in exchange for good conversation, a meal, or a nice bottle of wine.

• Homeaway — Similar to Airbnb, Homeaway gives modern-day gypsies a way to find homes for short-term stays at a reasonable price.

• Outdoorsy — If you prefer to wake up in the middle of the woods, but want to skip the tent, a peer-to-peer RV-rental site such as Outdoorsy gives wanderers the opportunity to rent a home-on-wheels.

• Boondockers Welcome — Looking for an inexpensive place to take your rental? Check out Boondockers Welcome. This nifty system gives travelers a free place to set up camp for a night or two.

• Fon — Most people who travel long-term do still have to get work done along the way. This usually means internet access is a necessity, making Fon a perfect solution. Fon gives members access to Wi-Fi connections worldwide in exchange for offering other users access to their home connection.

• Trusted Housesitters — Another amazing way to stay somewhere for free, Trusted Housesitters gives the vagabonds of the world a place to call home for a few nights. In exchange for a place to sleep and eat, travelers are asked to take care of plants, pets, and mail while the homeowners are away.

• Spinlister — Readers of our blog are already well aware of many peer-to-peer car rental options out there. However, did you know you can also rent a bicycle? The Spinlister site is the perfect place to go when you need a ride but don’t want to spend a fortune renting a car.

• YachtLife – If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to own a yacht, now is your chance. YachtLife gives travel lovers the opportunity to rent a fully crewed luxury yacht.

• ParqEx — Sometimes a bike just isn’t going to cut it. In these cases, you will likely find yourself renting a car from time to time. When that happens, be prepared to find inexpensive and convenient parking with ParqEx.

• Getaround – Any time you find you do need a car, it is a great idea to save yourself some time and money by renting from an individual through Getaround. Not only will you be helping your wallet, you’ll also be helping the wallet of another individual rather than a giant company.

• Turo – Can’t find what you are looking for on Getaround? Another great peer-to-peer car rental option is Getaround.

— Make Money —

• Homeaway — We have talked about renting a home from Airbnb or Homeaway, but have you ever considered renting out your home? This could help recoup some of the money you spend on lodging during your travels, and will allow you to keep your home throughout your long-term wandering.

• ParqEx — If you have a private parking spot or another plot of land that could be used for parking, you should definitely be making some money off of that property. Use ParqEx to make some income without ever lifting a finger. List your parking space(s) when it’s available and start making money. ParqEx is the sharing economy solution for parking.

• Shipt — If you don’t mind running errands for others, there are plenty of little odd jobs you can do to make money while traveling. One of our favorite systems for this is the relatively new grocery delivery service, Shipt. Shipt is a great company to work for, and you are sure to have fun shopping while making some cash.

• Uber — Another amazing way to make some money while continuing your travels is to become a driver for Uber. This ride-sharing program offers car owners a great way to make some cash no matter where they happen to be. Similar opportunities can be found through companies such as Lyft.

• Sittercity — Wherever your travels take you, there will likely be parents there who are looking for the perfect sitter. Take advantage of this by signing up for Sittercity. Just be sure to keep your profile up-to-date so people know where you are at any given time.

As you can see, the sharing economy makes long-term travel possible for more people than ever before. If you’ve always dreamed of taking the ultimate road trip, why not find a way to use peer-to-peer programs like these to your advantage and make your dream a reality?

If you want to learn more about the sharing economy, please contact us. We would love to hear from you!

The post Gaining Travel Freedom With the Sharing Economy appeared first on ParqEx.

On Wednesday, January 25th, Tech in Motion , in conjunction with National Association of Realtors, hosted a panel event: Smart City – IoT in Chicago.

Some of the city’s top technologists will be demoing and then speaking on a panel about their innovative work – with hopes to transform Chicago into a smarter city in the future.

You’ve probably heard of products like Google Home, Amazon Echo and Nest Thermostat, all of which are products that connect to the internet to make life easier and the home a lot smarter. The IoT Smart City Chicago will provide an in-depth look at some of the technology trends inside creating a smarter city: energy efficiency, environmental quality, traffic, safety, increasing return on investment/home value.

For Tickets: Click HERE

Keynote Speaker

Brenna Berman – Chief Information Officer at City of Chicago – Department of Innovation & Technology

Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) Commissioner and CIO, Brenna Berman joined the Emanuel administration in 2011 as Deputy Budget Director focused on enterprise initiatives and performance management.  After a year in that role, Brenna transitioned to DoIT as 1st Deputy Commissioner to focus on enterprise IT consolidation and operational excellence.

Over the past year at DoIT, Berman has focused transforming the team at DoIT to align with the Mayor’s commitment to an open and data-driven government, building Chicago’s open data program into one of the largest in the country, implemented the ground-breaking “WindyGrid” spatial analytics platform into every level of government, integrating advanced analytics and real-time data-driven decision making across the city, and setting a new standard for government IT.

Berman played a critical role in transforming the team at DoIT to provide the skills and expertise to implement the Mayor’s commitment to leveraging data and technology to create a more efficient, effective and innovative City government. This has meant adding new skills to the team to increase the focus on software engineering and analytics, improving the department’s commercial partnerships to drive savings for the City and identifying ground-breaking civic partnerships, including hosting regular meetings with local female tech startup owners.

Moderator

Chad Curry 

As Managing Director for NAR’s Center for REALTOR® Technology, Chad Curry investigates emerging technologies, educates NAR members & the public through presentations, webinars, blogs and podcasts, and manages the development of products for use by members. He’s presented to REALTORS® on the national, state and local levels. Chad is also a Board Member for the Real Estate Standards Organization, where he works to streamline real estate transaction technology.

Currently, Chad’s work is focused on research and development of smart home devices, iBeacons and wearables as well as renewable energies. Specifically, he is investigating how these trends will impact the real estate industry and benefit members. They’ve set up CRTLabs, focused on testing and developing devices for the home to help improve quality of life.  He is a member of the Internet of Things Council and is part of the Research Workgroup. Chad currently lives in Chicago with his family where he enjoys music, art, soccer and travel.

Panelists

Christopher Coté is a software engineer with a passion for hardware.

He is the Lead Lab Engineer for the National Association of Realtors’ R&D Lab, CRT Labs (https://crtlabs.org)

Prior to joining NAR Chris ran his own software development and consulting company.

He was a lead engineer for the Obama 2012 campaign and has helped found and build several startups around the Chicago area.

Christopher has always found himself driven to create sustainable and efficient systems, whether that’s for massive political campaigns, growing food or controlling and monitoring the built world.

This experience has given him a unique insight into how technology and the built world coexist in society today and will continue to evolve into the future.

Jon Thacker, Ph.D., has been working with embedded networking devices for the past 10 years. Recently he joined SparkMeter as the Director or Research and Development, where he is working on the next generation of communication protocols and hardware for their low-cost metering solution. SparkMeter provides a fully managed electrical metering solution for underserved markets with the goal of providing sufficient, robust, and affordable energy for all. Jon is a contributor to RIOT OS, an open source operating system for IoT. Outside of technology, he spends his time racing and instructing on sailboats.

Douglas Pancoast A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design and Cranbrook Academy of Art, architect Douglas Pancoast has worked for firms including Richard Meier and Partners, 1100 Architect, BlackBox Studio at SOM, and agency.com. His work has been shown in the Chicago-based exhibitions Art in the Urban Garden, Mystique: Space, Technology, and Craft and Speculative Chicago; and in Scale at the Architectural League of New York and the National Building Museum, Washington, DC. His projects have been featured in Architectural Record, Architecture, A.P.+, and The Architectural Review, and in the book Young Architects: Scale. Pancoast has lectured widely on his own work and on the topic of trans-disciplinary education, and has served as a guest critic at such institutions as Columbia University , Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Parsons School of Design.

Current interests include examining how large, public data sets (economic, environmental, social, cultural, civic) are a context for creative practice. Pancoast is a co-investigator for the NSF grant supported Urban Sciences Research Coordination Network, an award meant to build inter-institutional collaborative research capacity around the subject of “big data” for social benefit. Since 2012 Pancoast has been a frequent co-investigator in the newly established Urban Center for Computation and Data (http://www.urbanccd.org/index.php), specifically providing architectural knowledge, and visualization expertise for a network of associated projects groups in Chicago including Open City (http://opencityapps.org/#about). Recent projects include the Array of Things (https://arrayofthings.github.io/) – a city scaled collection of environmental sensors deployed in Chicago providing data on city conditions for the Chicago Open Data Portal.

Derek Eder  is a civic technologist and one of the leaders of the open government community in Chicago. He is founder and partner at DataMade, a company that tells stories and builds tools with data, co-founder of Open City, a collective that makes civic apps to to improve transparency and understanding of our government, and organizer for the Chi Hack Night, Chicago’s premier weekly event for building civic technology with open data.

Vivek Mehra is the CEO and Founder of ParqEx. He’s a visionary with over 18 years of technical leadership experience as a developer, architect, CTO, Director and Founder. Mehra has earned Masters degrees in Information Systems and Management from University of Illinois-Chicago and University of South Carolina, respectively.

He is particularly strong at introducing proven tools, methodologies and processes that have slashed development times, improved quality and increased internal/external customer satisfaction.

Mehra’s deep technical expertise and and hands-on experience architecting and building technology solutions has lead him to two successful startup exits and high-level positions at Fortune 500 Companies.

Mehra hopes to transform Chicago’s real estate scene with ParqEx’s Private Parking Marketplace, as well as its Access+ technology that can open gates and garage doors directly from a smart phone.

Demo Companies

CRT Labs 

The mission of the National Association of REALTORS’® Center for REALTOR® Technology is to track emerging technologies that will affect real estate, educate its members, advocate for the proper use of technology, and innovate when there is a gap between what is needed and what is available. In 2015, CRT established a lab to investigate smart home/internet of things devices, renewable energy, urban agriculture and building materials, as well as any other emerging technologies as they become evident. CRT is working with NGOs, vendors, national laboratories, universities and government agencies to help promote NAR as an agent for technology research and innovation.

DataMade

DataMade was born out of Chicago’s Open Government community. In 2011, Derek and Forest started working on civic technology as volunteers of Open City. At nights and over weekends, they’ve helped make civic apps like Chicago Lobbyists, Clear Streets, and Second City Zoning.

In 2012, DataMade was founded to deepen and sustain the impact of civic technology.

Members of DataMade continue to prototype civic apps under the Open City banner to allow collaboration on open source projects without money or business getting in the way. When asked to re-deploy one of these apps (like Look at Cook), the work is done by DataMade and kept as open source.

DataMade also acts as the fiscal agent for the Chi Hack Night in addition to being a recurring sponsor.

SparkMeter

SparkMeter offers comprehensive low-cost metering solutions for everything from rural micro-grids to existing urban central grid utilities. Our products help make access to electricity possible in hard-to-reach places and underserved markets.

ParqEx

ParqEx – The Private Parking Marketplace – connects people with underutilized parking spots to people looking for parking in busy neighborhoods. Using ParqEx, parking owners are able to rent their parking spot(s) on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis and earn some extra cash. If you have a parking spot anywhere, you can list it on ParqEx in minutes. It’s like Airbnb for parking!

With many private parking spots being located behind garage doors or gates. ParqEx has also developed an innovative IoT solution called Access+. The Access+ system allows renters and approved users to open any garage door or gate with a click of a button on their smart phones. Implementing Access+ increases rental opportunities, improves transparency into garage usage, and provides great convenience for both owners and renters.

*Much of the information used in this blog is courtesy of Tech in Motion*

The post Tech In Motion: Smart City IoT appeared first on ParqEx.

If you are looking for a way to start living a more eco-friendly life, there are many ways to go about this. Recycling is a great place to start, as is walking whenever possible instead of driving. Another great way to get involved in the green movement is to make yourself a part of the sharing economy.

Let’s face it, we are all a little bit wasteful in our own ways. However, the sharing economy gives folks a way to put their wasteful excess to use. That bicycle that is sitting unused in the garage? Why not rent it out for the neighbor to use? Not only will the wasted item get put to use, but the rental may stop consumerism in its tracks by encouraging the neighbor to borrow instead of buying.

This is just one example of the sharing economy helping to make the world a greener, brighter place. Below we will explore more of the many ways peer-to-peer companies are the more eco-friendly way to go.

Curb Consumerism

As mentioned in the example above, the sharing economy has the ability to curb consumerism—at least to an extent. After all, why would anyone go out and buy an item they will only use a few times a year when they can rent it from a nearby individual for a fraction of the price?

This mindset keeps unneeded items from leaving the shelves, which in turn slows production of such items. Fewer items being produced leads to fewer emissions from factories, fewer resources being used, and less air pollution produced by trucks for moving those items across the country. By slowing the pace of consumerism, peer-to-peer rental companies are a very eco-friendly alternative to purchasing rarely used items from a chain store.

Of course, peer-to-peer sales of material items have the same sort of effect. Therefore, garage sale sites such as Craigslist should always be checked for needed items before heading to the local box store to make a purchase.

Keep It Local

As mentioned before, peer-to-peer rentals and sales help reduce emissions from semi trucks as they carry goods across the country. In addition to the reduced need for trucks, the need for other modes of transportation (such as trains and airplanes) is also reduced, leading to less air pollution and fewer resources used.

Because shopping locally has such a huge effect on the environment, it is always a good idea to try shopping peer-to-peer sites before hitting the stores. In addition to always checking Craigslist and other garage sale sites for clothing, tools, and toys, try finding local farmers for meat, eggs and produce, and local soap makers for toiletry needs. You might be surprised what you can find locally!

Reduce Emissions

We already discussed the fact that emissions from factories, trucks, trains, and planes are reduced by peer-to-peer rentals and sales. However, did you know that vehicle-related air pollution can also be reduced through the use of peer-to-peer ride sharing?

Companies such as Uber and Lyft make it possible for many individuals to live without a car. Of course, without a car, a person is much more likely to walk short distances rather than call Uber to pick them up. This alone reduces air pollution. However, this is not the only way the sharing economy helps reduce emissions from personal vehicles.

Companies who focus on carpooling—such as Commutewise and Zimride—encourage groups of people who are heading in the same direction to share a car. After all, what is the point in driving multiple cars to the same destination? Sharing rides is a great way to reduce emissions and conserve fuel.

On-demand parking apps like ParqEx can also help reduce automobile emissions. Each year will bring upon more drivers and in most neighborhoods and cities, that means a serious parking crunch that is only going to snowball into a bigger problem. But what if, instead of paving more land with parking lots and filling the air with more exhaust as drivers hopelessly look for parking, we could help each other using what we already have? ParqEx believes that the community can share their existing parking spots (and make some supplemental income in the process). You don’t park in your spot all day, so why not list it on ParqEx when you aren’t using it, so that someone who needs a spot can use it?

Create Communities

One of the greatest things the sharing economy can do for our world is help create strong communities. Strong communities are more likely to grow and share food, share rides, share parking spaces (and eliminate the need for new ones to be built), pass unused items on, and work together to be self-sufficient, thus reducing the need for large corporations. Strong communities working together can help make our earth a greener and nicer place to live.

Interested in learning more about the sharing economy? We would be happy to answer your questions! Please contact us today at ParqEx.

The post How the Sharing Economy Can Help the Environment appeared first on ParqEx.

Unfortunately, public transportation is not always exactly timely, making it necessary to leave home much earlier than would be required if personal transportation was available. This can be quite frustrating for those who are often pressed for time, and can even lead to problems at work if a person comes in late on a regular basis.

For this reason, many busy people—even those living in places with excellent public transportation systems—opt to own and drive their own vehicles rather than use the buses and trains available to them.

However, the sharing economy is making the lives of these busy people easier in a number of ways. From car sharing to ride sharing to the ability to rent affordable parking, peer-to-peer transportation options are popping up every day, and people are loving it.

Here are five nifty ways the sharing economy is helping people get around in the most affordable and efficient ways possible.

Ride Sharing

Of course, we all know about Uber and Lyft, the platforms that allow passengers to pay for someone to tote them around in much the same way a cab would. While these services are pretty cool, and are perfect for many occasions, there are also a great number of other ride-sharing programs available that many people aren’t even aware of.

Zimride, for instance, is a fabulous ride-sharing program that offers companies and universities the chance to set up carpooling opportunities for their employees and students. The system is simple to navigate and straightforward to use, and the prices make transportation affordable for everyone.

If your company is not a part of Zimride, but you would like to find a ride to work in the mornings, Commutewise is an excellent option. This site uses its very own social network to connect drivers with riders and make life easier for everyone involved.

Looking for a ride out of state? Openride is the site for you. This peer-to-peer ride-sharing website lets users request and offer long-distance rides in a friendly and safe community. This is the perfect way to make a bit of money during your next road trip, or to take that trip to see grandma for very little money.

Car Sharing

If you prefer to drive yourself from point A to point B, a car-sharing system may be more up your alley. There are a number of peer-to-peer car-sharing sites, and almost all of them are worth checking out.

Turo is one of the most popular car-sharing sites out there. This site has an enormous collection of vehicles listed for rent. These include cars, trucks, and even RVs, among other types of transportation. Vehicles are available in almost every city in the country, and some are even available for delivery.

Getaround, on the other hand, also has a huge number of cars to choose from, but they offer hourly rentals as well. This is perfect for anyone who needs a car for just a few hours while they run a specific errand, and has proven to be quite a popular option among customers.

Parking Sharing

Of course, if you do choose to rent a car and drive yourself around, convenient and affordable parking is going to be on your list of needs.

Luckily, the ParqEx parking-sharing platform is the perfect way to find parking spots in crowded places without breaking the bank. It’s easy to use and allows drivers like you to connect with those who have extra parking spots available, so you can find the best parking at the best prices in no time at all.

Interested in learning more about how the sharing economy can help you get around in your day-to-day life? The ParqEx team would love to hear from you.

The post Get Around with the Sharing Economy appeared first on ParqEx.

However, finding parking while doing winter holiday shopping is not nearly as fun as the shopping itself, and can sometimes lead to Scrooge-like attitudes toward the whole experience—complete with exclamations of “Bah Humbug!”—whenever shopping is mentioned.

Thankfully, there is a solution to your parking woes, and it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. The solution is not any sort of holiday magic, but rather a simple company called ParqEx.

So what is ParqEx? It is a peer-to-peer parking solution that is sure to leave you dancing for joy when you realize just how perfect it is.

Imagine, if you will, that you are out doing your gift shopping for the upcoming family gathering. You are in a bit of a hurry because your nephew’s holiday performance is in a few hours, but you know the perfect gift for your aunt just happens to be in a shopping center in the busiest part of town. The nearby parking lots are sure to be full—because everyone else is rushing around to gather gifts of their own—and taking public transportation and walking aren’t great options considering the time crunch you are dealing with. Besides, it’s freezing outside!

Most people would call it quits at this point and grab something less appealing and less perfect for Auntie from the closest pharmacy or box store. After all, is one gift even worth fighting the crowds and stalking shoppers as they leave the store in order to grab their parking spot?

However, you aren’t like most people. You don’t give up because you are armed with ParqEx. You happen to know that a great number of people own private parking spots and private property just down the street from the incredibly busy shopping center you wish to visit, so you know that there is a pretty good chance that ParqEx can help you.

You hop on the handy ParqEx app to check out your options. Lo and behold, you find Susie, who is willing to rent out her spot that happens to be less than a block away from the store you are hoping to get to. You know that you will probably be there in an hour, so you put your arrival time into the app and book it right away. Your payment is made through the app as well, so all you have to do when you get there is park and head inside to get your shopping done.

Clearly, ParqEx is the perfect solution in a situation such as this. Not only will you get your parking spot and have the opportunity to finish up your holiday shopping with plenty of time to make it to your nephew’s performance, you also get the chance to  provide Susie with some extra holiday spending money.

These kinds of win-win scenarios are what ParqEx excels at. Why not sign up and give it a try today? You’ll be able to get your shopping done without the usual parking problems, and you’ll help out a member of your community by providing them with some extra cash during the most wonderful—and most expensive—time of year.

If you are interested in learning more about ParqEx, please have a look around our website or download our app. Still have questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us today to learn what you need to know in order to get started.

The post The Joy of Holiday Shopping with ParqEx appeared first on ParqEx.

For these reasons, planning a short trip to Chicago during the holiday season is a fabulous idea, and one many people won’t be able to resist.

If you are looking into visiting Chicago during this holiday season, be sure to look into all of your options before booking any part of your trip. Often, the many businesses that play a part in the growing sharing economy can save you tons of money. Not only that, but renting or buying from an individual is a great way to help make someone else’s holiday bright.

Here are four of our favorite peer-to-peer companies that we think could help make your day in Chicago a memorable one. Check them out and see if you agree!

Getaround

Getting from place to place in the city is an important part of any Chicago adventure. Unfortunately, the windy, cold winter weather of this wonderful city makes walking miserable, and even public transportation can become less desirable if you are required to wait in the cold for very long at all.

This is a where Getaround steps in. This awesome peer-to-peer car rental company gives folks like you the opportunity to rent a vehicle from someone in the area you are visiting. On top of that, the site allows renters to book vehicles by the hour—instead of the day—meaning you can use the car for as little time as you like.

At prices starting at just $5 an hour, this seems like a pretty fantastic deal to us!

ParqEx

Of course, if you are going to be driving a car around, you will need a place to park it. Parking in Chicago can be ridiculously expensive. This is especially true around the holidays when parking is scarce.

ParqEx solves this problem by giving individuals the opportunity to rent their parking spaces to folks just like you. This provides the public with more affordable parking in the Chicago area, meaning you will be able to park your car without hassle. How fabulous is that?

Feastly

Enjoying some incredible food is a must for anyone who visits the Windy City. There are, of course, a number of wonderful restaurants all over Chicago just waiting for you to come give them a try.

However, if you are looking for something a little bit out of the ordinary, you might try booking a meal with one of the many chefs listed on the Feastly website. These local cooks really know their stuff when it comes to food, and you will most certainly appreciate the home-cooked meal made just for you.

SeatGeek

Chicago is home to a wide variety of wonderful theatrical productions. Currently, a good portion of these productions are holiday-themed, meaning you can see some high-quality live theater and get into the holiday spirit simultaneously.

Unfortunately, many of these productions sell out fairly quickly, and you might have trouble finding seats at this point. That is, unless you use the power of the peer-to-peer marketplace. The SeatGeek Marketplace is the perfect place to pick up last-minute tickets because it allows folks who cannot use the tickets they have on hand the opportunity to those who can use them.

People are always looking to sell tickets, which means picking up a couple of seats to a favorite holiday production shouldn’t be problem when you purchase from an individual, even if you are looking to buy long after the show has technically sold out.

To learn more about how the sharing economy can help you better your life, please contact us today at ParqEx.

The post Using the Sharing Economy to Enjoy the Holidays in Chicago appeared first on ParqEx.

The best thing about peer-to-peer rentals? They are typically offered for much cheaper than the corporate alternatives. Additionally, many of the rentals acquired through the sharing economy offer something more than you might get from a big corporation. Whether that means a better view, a closer parking place, or a car with all the bells and whistles, this is a major bonus for you as a customer.

For these reasons, putting the ever-growing sharing economy to good use on your next vacation is something you should seriously consider. After all, who doesn’t appreciate paying less for a room with a bigger bed, or shelling out money for a rental car knowing they are helping out an individual instead of an enormous company that doesn’t know they exist?

So where should you take your money when you hit the road? Here are four of the very best peer-to-peer rental companies for travelers. Next time you’re ready to see a new part of the world, be sure to check them out.

Airbnb

Likely the most well known of the peer-to-peer rental companies, Airbnb (pronounced “AIR bee inn bee”) gives home owners the opportunity to rent out unused houses, apartments, and rooms to those looking for short-term rentals. Whether you need a room for a couple nights or an entire month, you are sure to find something on Airbnb.

Feeling nervous about renting from a stranger? No worries! Airbnb has set up a place for past customers to leave their review of a particular rental and renter. Be sure to read all reviews thoroughly to avoid unexpected surprises and you will be good to go!

Couchsurfing

Like Airbnb, Couchsurfing offers homeowners a chance to rent out unused space. However, Couchsurfing differs in that the space being rented is usually only a couch or bed. This means the homeowners are usually in the same house as the travelers.

For some this may seem like an awkward situation, but for others it is perfectly acceptable, and considering the fact that Couchsurfing is absolutely free, it is definitely something worth considering.

Turo

If you will be flying to your destination, you will likely need a rental car to get you from point A to point B. This is where Turo steps in.

This peer-to-peer car rental platform connects car owners with those in need of a rental car in cities all over the United States. This mean you can rent a car—which is likely sitting around unused most of the time anyway—for less money and from somebody who can really use the cash.

Turo is definitely set up to be a win-win situation for everyone involved, making it a truly wonderful business.

ParqEx

You know that rental car we mentioned above? Well, if you are visiting a big city, you will probably have trouble finding a place to park it. ParqEx has come on the scene for just this reason.

When using ParqEx, travelers just like you are able to choose from and rent a variety of convenient parking places all over the larger cities of the US. However, these parking spots aren’t just any parking spots. Instead, these parking places are owned by individuals—just like you and me—who simply don’t need to use the spot at the current moment.

Because these individuals own parking places in busy cities, they are able to share with those in need and make a bit of extra cash while they’re at it. This mean they get some spending money, you get an affordable and convenient parking spot, and the spot gets some much-needed use. What could be better than that?

Interested in learning more about how the sharing economy can help you? Please contact us today at ParqEx.

The post 4 Peer-to-Peer Companies to Use on Your Next Vacation appeared first on ParqEx.

Understanding The Sharing Economy

When you hear the term “sharing economy” it probably brings to mind some kind of communal living situation. Something that’s halfway between a hippie free-love community, and a kind of off-grid farming town where everyone depends on everyone else to pitch in. That isn’t really what the sharing economy is, though.

So what is it, then? Well, the sharing economy is an umbrella term that typically refers to people being able to rent or borrow assets used by someone else. These kinds of economies are most common when it comes to expensive assets that are prohibitive to own, but which the owners aren’t using all the time.

There are all kinds of sharing economy businesses in today’s world. Uber, for example, brings together people who own a car with people who need a ride. Cars are expensive, but those who own them don’t typically use them all the time. So renting out a car to give someone a lift benefits everyone. The owner gets a fee, and the rider gets the benefit of transportation without the cost of owning and maintaining the car. This can be especially beneficial in big cities, where you have to pay fees just to park your car somewhere.

Cars are just the tip of the ice berg. There are sites that let people turn their homes, or even apartments, into temporary lodging such as Air BNB. Reselling and trading sites like Ebay allow people to buy, sell, and trade objects on a market that didn’t exist before the Internet. People can lend each other money, both on a personal basis, and through sites like Lending Club or Prosper, which can be ideal for those who don’t want to use the traditional banking system.

Profits For Companies, Advantages For Consumers

The sharing economy provides major advantages for consumers, as well as for the providers. Whether it’s ride-sharing, or couch surfing, or sharing office supplies (something that freelancers often do as a way for them to collectively bargain, and share out what they need), everyone gets something they want. The consumers get access to a good or service that they normally wouldn’t, and those who provide the good or service get a fee for providing that access.

But what about the companies? What do they get out of the sharing economy?

Well, the companies get a cut of the action. Every company who builds a sharing economy platform, takes a small percentage of every transaction. They are charging for access to the network that they’ve created, and though the amount of any given transaction is tiny, the cumulative total has been enough to build billion-dollar businesses.

That’s the brilliance of a sharing economy platform from the perspective of a business; they don’t have to physically make something. They’re simply creating a network that brings together people who need something, with people who have that something. Being able to do that for little cost, and without the need to maintain any physical assets like the cars, houses, etc. that are being shared, means that everyone is getting what they want.

For more information on the sharing economy, and how it’s affecting the way we live our lives, simply contact us today!

The post Understanding The Sharing Economy appeared first on ParqEx.

Who Has Economic Power

To understand future economic trends, it is important to understand who holds the power to move the economy. Presently there are more than 80 million consumers identified as the Millennial Generation. That is about 25% of the U.S. population. As consumers, they spend more than $200 billion annually. That is a significant interest to the nation’s consumer economy where automakers, transportation and parking start-up entrepreneurs are concerned. But consider how their influence may actually be greater.

Not only do Millennials control spending for their own personal needs and wants, but many are young, budding families. They are grooming the spending habits of the next generation with the children they are raising. Many people envision a stereotype version of Millennials who are young, hip and childless. The reality is that more than 22 million Millennials are raising children. On average, about 9,000 babies are born to Millennial parents daily. That is an incredible influence for shaping a future economy. If Millennials are already using their influence to reshape the face of our economy with their own interests like peer-to-peer ride sharing, might their children be accustomed to peer-to-peer parking as the norm when they are adults? But an upcoming generation is not where a Millennial’s economic might stops.

Millennials were born to a generation of adults who, through medical advances and social awareness, are one of the healthiest and longest-lived elder generations our country has ever seen. That means Millennials are also going to be responsible for their care as they age. Many Millennials already bear that responsibility. One of the strongest trends among the elderly is a desire to age in place. A Millennial’s caregiving responsibility includes managing mom and dad’s finances. As of this year about 19% of Millennials were already caring for elderly parents. That means Millennials are adding one more demographic to their list of economic interests they manage and represent.

Who Are These Economic Powerhouses?

When all the economic puzzle pieces are put together, the big picture is clear. Millennials will eventually control the vast majority of consumer spending for all Americans, young and old. Companies realizing this are already discovering what it is these consumers want. This concentrated economic power is leading U.S. businesses to reshape their strategies. One reason is because Millennials have broken traditional molds with regard to consumers of the past. Typically, Millennials are well educated, career oriented, politically active, socially progressive and become strongly loyal to the brands they choose. And sharing economy parking is something they may be strongly interested in.

What Drives Their Consumerism?

They tend to be unaffected by traditional marketing strategies because Millennials crave authenticity. They are more likely to research personal reviews rather than market and industry news before buying a product. With regard to transportation and parking issues being solved by a sharing economy, this may very well be a trend that will succeed. In research performed by automakers, 96% of Millennials indicated they prefer peer-to-peer ride share transportation models to owning or leasing a car.

A New Love Affair

The auto industry has already recognized that Americans are driving fewer miles. If a generation comes along that falls out of love with the concept of car ownership, opting for a romance of a shared economy that is more fiscally and ecologically responsible, the parking lot business will have to wonder what this will mean for their own industry. If peer-to-peer ride rentals are what interests the drivers and riders controlling a national economy, long-term parking and on demand parking may have to innovate with their traditional business models to capture this new market dynamic.

Join The Sharing Economy Revolution

Don’t get left behind by a parking lot industry transformation. For more details please contact us and succeed as a part of a future sharing economy parking revolution that is happening today.

The post Who Wants A Sharing Economy? appeared first on ParqEx.

ParqEx is pumped to be finalist for 2016’s “50 on Fire!”

We are 1 of just 16 B-to-C companies to make the list out of hundreds of applicants!

Chicago is one of the most diversified economies in the world, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. And this diversity extends to the city’s innovation economy, with an eclectic mix of startups, categories, entrepreneurs, enterprise tech companies, STEM organizations, universities, and more making up the ecosystem.

50 on Fire is Chicago Inno’s annual awards show, celebrating the individuals and organizations that are heating up Chicago across a variety of industries. It is a reflection of Chicago’s ecosystem at large – a collection of people and organization in a number of different roles, stages, and categories – that are, for lack of a better term, on fire. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire city to build an innovation.

ParqEx is absolutely thrilled to be one of just 16 B2C companies to be included in the prestigious list.

To read the full article, click here.

Hot spots!

Here are a few of our currently featured parking spots. Going to be in the area and need an easy place to park? Click on the spot you want. Book it. You’re a VIP.

• 5051 N Broadway: https://secure.parqex.com/parking?listingId=25498
• 2451 Howard St: https://secure.parqex.com/parking?listingId=25576
• 940 W Wilson Ave: https://secure.parqex.com/parking?listingId=25674

A ParqEx original film

Jeff & Matt: A story about the day two people became friends through parking.

Jeff & Matt were once sad. Jeff drives to the big city every day from the suburbs. Jeff gets lots of headaches figuring out where to park. Matt lives in the big city. Matt has a parking space, but doesn’t always use it.

ParqEx to the rescue! The simple ParqEx app allows Matt to rent his parking space to Jeff. Jeff doesn’t have to worry about where to park anymore. Matt makes some extra money. Jeff and Matt are now friends.

To list or find parking (and maybe a new friend), click here!

ParqEx company news bits:

ParqEx: Always expanding!
This month, Parqex signed deals with Farpoint Development and MO2 Properties.

ParqEx CEO at VentureFWD Summit
ParqEx Founder and CEO Vivek Mehra was one of an esteemed and select group of innovators and leaders to speak at the 2016 Venture for Women & Diversity Summit.

ParqEx is hiring in Chicago and Wisconsin
ParqEx is looking for leaders, including Jr. Account Executives (Sales) in both Madison and Milwaukee. See the full list of opportunities at our great company.

GAME CHANGER: ParqEx Access+

With Access+, residents and approved visitors can open the garage door from their smartphones. Garage owners can simplify management and improve control of the garage.

Interested? Learn more here!

The post In the News with ParqEx appeared first on ParqEx.