The 2012 IPI Conference & Expo kicked off over the weekend with the 19th Annual CAPP Classic Golf Tournament, a reception for international and first-time attendees, an in-depth Learning Lab, the Sunsational Phoenix Meet & Mingle Reception, CAPP graduation, and educational sessions in five specialized tracks. It was a busy two days in Phoenix!

Learning Lab Goes In-Depth

L. Dennis Burns, CAPP; Barbara Chance, Ph.D. and Josh Kavanagh, CAPP spent Sunday morning facilitating small-group discussions that focused on downtown, privatization, and university issues, before delving into case studies that were designed to be informative and challenging:

• The downtown group focused on the strategic planning process that Fort Collins, Colo., used to explore the possibility of adopting paid parking, and reviewed the nine recommendations in the city’s plan.
• The university discussion centered on a fictitious campus that experienced an 8 percent population increase that created parking supply-and-demand issues.
• The privatization group had the perspectives of two parking pros from U.S. municipalities contrasting with two private sector property specialists from Lima, Peru. All found themselves struggling to balance short-term revenue pressures with long-term market realities.

Participants applauded the Learning Lab’s format, process, and topic mix, and said they valued the opportunity for quality networking.

 

Global Parking Association Summit Meeting

IPI Chair Casey Jones, CAPP, told participants at the first IPI Global Parking Association Summit Meeting how proud he was that they traveled from points around the globe to gather together and talk about parking and their individual associations.

Leaders from parking associations in Spain, Canada, Norway, Brazil, Great Britain, and the U.S. met for several hours Sunday afternoon, discussing the various challenges faced by the parking profession in their individual countries, and the ways the industry was similar around the world. The invitation-only event was especially appropriate this year, said Jones, as the IPI Conference & Expo hosted parking professionals from 25 different countries.

After friendly discussion about their associations and the nuances of each country’s parking industry, the group settled in to talk about Parking Matters®, and the friendships that were forged over the conference table. Follow-up events are anticipated.

CAPP Graduation

Sunday night, 13 parking professionals graduated from the Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) program, earning their certifications before a crowd of their peers after two rigorous years of study.
The newest CAPP-certified professionals are:

Ross L. Allanson, CAPP, Ampco System Parking

Pamela Corbin, CAPP, City of Orlando, Florida

Gordon G. Dash, CAPP, City of Raleigh, North Carolina

Michael Drow, CAPP, Standard Parking Corporation

James Horski, CAPP, Ampco System Parking

Natasha Labi, CAPP, Parking Company of America

Jeffrey A. LaGesse, CAPP, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Amy K. Orr, CAPP, College of Charleston.

Danette L. Perry, CAPP, City of Berkeley, California Transportation

Krishna D. Singh, CAPP, University of Central Florida

Gregory J. Stormberg, CAPP, Parkmobile USA, Inc.

Paul N. Whetzel, CAPP, Charleston County Government

Sandra L. Ziegler, CAPP, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Today at the Conference & Expo

Today will be another busy one for IPI Conference & Expo attendees. Things kick off with a keynote presentation by Britta Gross, director, global energy systems and infrastructure commercialization, General Motors, followed by the grand opening of the Expo. Another round of educational sessions promise to inspire and inform, and a reception on the Expo Hall floor rounds out the day. Check back here tomorrow for highlights!