January 2014

Editor’s note: Parking industry veteran Clyde Wilson – with long-time consultant Julie Dixon and Beverly Hills, CA, Director of Parking Operations Chad Lynn – will conduct the always popular “Boot Camp” at this year’s Parking Industry Exhibition (PIE), March 16-19 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. JVH
This is not going to be your daddy’s PIE parking boot camp, If you want to know about the history of the parking meter, look it up on the Internet.  This year’s boot camp is going to be about you, and the most important challenges you will face in the future parking world.
The biggest lesson of the last five years in the parking industry is the difficulties of evaluating which change will work for each segment of the industry, how to evaluate one technology change against another and, most important, how to sell change to the people to whom you report, the people who report to you and to your customers.
Over the next five years, you and everyone who works for you will have a job description change, and that change will be caused by decisions you make on technology purchases, information management, policies and efficiencies.
The goal of PIE 2014 Boot Camp is to examine our industry and pick the most important challenges facing both new and experienced parking managers.
For new parking managers, we want to focus on the challenges of the job. And for all managers, we want to focus on the challenges of managing in an industry that may have been behind the power curve on technology yesterday, but one that is rapidly catching up and moving ahead today.
With this rapidly changing industry come new demands on the parking professional. To be successful in the parking world of tomorrow requires a whole new set of management skills that the manager will need to perfect to be successful.
That’s where this year’s PIE boot camp comes in. The program will be taught by industry professionals who have been assigned to develop presentations based on different segments of the industry and who will then be brought together in an in-depth discussion on the challenges facing your job and your segment of the industry.
Discussions will revolve around managing in an industry that is changing with new products that can change the way our facilities are controlled; vastly improved delivery of management information; changes that directly impact the customers; and most important, changes that impact the job description of your entire staff, including your job description.
Over the last 10 years – and more specifically the last five years – we have seen the beginnings of many changes that are reshaping our industry and the way it will be managed in the future. If I have learned one lesson that has affected the way I navigate through the changing parking world, it is that understanding how to manage change can make or break your future.
In our world today, we have technology that may be changing our ability to have real-time on-street management information that can be used to focus enforcement patrols or provide information for demand-based pricing. Cellphone payment is increasing. Improvements in license plate recognition (LPR) technology will impact all segments of our industry in different ways. Staffing requirements for parking facilities are changing. Then we have parking reservation systems and parking guidance systems, and the list goes on.
At The Temecula Group industry “think tank” meeting back in October, participants had a lively discussion centered on the challenges of industry managers as they attempt to develop quality RFPs for the purchase of new technical control equipment and the management of operations.
All parking industry managers need resources to aid in the development of quality RFPs. So, at PIE 2014 Boot Camp, we will recreate some of The Temecula Group discussions and provide some answers that will help guide your RFP developments in the future. (Come prepared to contribute your experiences with this very important topic.)
Later, we will discuss how the industry, and your segment of it, will be affected by changing parking operations; information, reservation and guidance systems; by social media; and by someone totally new to the industry: an informed customer.
They are going to change how we will manage, market, purchase and control the industry of the future. At boot camp, parking professionals with many years of experience will address the most important challenges facing each industry segment and how to prepare for this informed customer.
Most of you are beginning to hear talk of “Smart Cities.” Believe me, politicians are starting to hear about it, and it will become important for you to develop an understanding of parking’s role in the Smart Cities of the future.
You will be involved in a lively discussion about what Smart Cities might look like, and how they will impact your job in the future. Also, you will want to be sure you are informed and involved as Smart City requirements and benefits and benefits begin to move into your world.
In closing out PIE 2014 Boot Camp, we will spend time on parking operations and financial reviews, with a special session on “Parking Rules to Live By.” Its focus will be on how to use those operations and financial reviews to your advantage. Instead of dreading an audit, you could actually embrace it, and turn even the most difficult one into a positive experience for you and your staff.
We look forward to seeing you at PIE 2014 Boot Camp, and please come prepared to be a part of the discussions.