A New Approach to Parking Seminars

April, 2007

The quotes on this page were just a few of those that brought Parking Today to the point of a brand-new idea: having smaller seminars in multiple cities at the same time. The same speakers would present in each city – some live, others live on the Internet, projected for all to see. The technology is there, so why not?
“Park Across America solves all the issues mentioned above,” says Andy Van Horn, director of operations for Bricepac, PT’s parent and the organizer of the event. “People don’t have to travel a long distance, good speakers can be heard in many locations, and the networking is local. It covers all the bases.”
Park Across America (PAA) will be held this month in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. Interconnected by high-tech CCTV and the Internet, participants in each city will be able to participate in the discussions, ask questions, see the presentations and network with their peers.
Designed for parking staff at the senior level, PAA has five seminars covering all aspects of the business.
Rick West will lead a panel of high-level financiers and will discuss the issues of selling or leasing your parking assets to the private sector. Panelists include investment bankers, consultants and a parking operator – all who have lived through the process. PAA participants will have the opportunity to find out how to start the process, and what can happen after it’s over.
Dennis Cunning will speak on revenue control and auditing. He pulls no punches, and is proud to be one of the most disliked people by attendants, some garage managers and back-office staff. The information from this seminar alone will pay for the cost of attending, many times over.
Blake Laufer and Jason Wolfgang will hold forth on credit cards. You may not know it, but there is an 800 pound gorilla in the room, and it is Visa. You are potentially liable for the way you handle credit card information. A major parking operator has already been fined and the number was in six figures. Learn where you need to go and what you need to do to protect your company. It’s not just your vendor’s problem.
Chuck Cullen has run the parking in a major city (Cincinnati), taught parking theory for the IPI, presented at PIE, and consulted on some of the major parking operations in the country. He will bring information about operations that will save you money while increasing your customer service. Whether it’s as simple as replacing a light bulb or as complex as replacing a million dollars worth of equipment, this seminar will address your shortcomings, and tell you how to fix them.
Rick Choate calls them “parking buildings.” He is an architect and has supervised the construction of hundreds of them. He knows what can go wrong, what will go wrong, and how to fix the problems. Even if you aren’t considering building a parking structure today, you may be involved in the process in the future. This seminar will start you in the right direction.
Networking is an overused word. At Park Across America, it’s called speed-networking. You get three minutes and then go on to the next person. There’s time enough to be introduced and to exchange contact information and a bit about what you do. No need to worry about who has to say the first word or how to start the conversation. It’s quick and easy, and you fill your Rolodex with the names and addresses of people who may have a solution to your problems.

Check out the PAA program on the next three pages.
You can register online at www.parkingtoday.com.


Quotes:

“Our surveys showed that people didn’t have the time, or often the budget, to go to big national trade and training conferences. They felt that what they received simply wasn’t worth the expense.”

“Most of the information was a rehash of previous seminars, the speakers were similar, the information was tainted.”

“I would love to bring some of my middle-level people, but I can’t afford to send them halfway across the country for a couple of days. The money is one thing, but I don’t want to be without them for nearly a week, counting travel time.”

“Well, I guess some of the seminars are good and the networking is great, but I have problems here in San Francisco and would like to get better acquainted with folks here, not in Chicago or DC or Tampa.”