IPI Establishes New Awards Program to Recognize Parking Industry Marketing and Communications Programs

A new parking industry awards program established by the International Parking Institute will recognize outstanding marketing and communications programs.

Judging criteria for the 2014 Parking Matters® Marketing and Communications Awards will focus on whether programs helped advance the parking profession, educate target audiences about the value of parking expertise, communicate ways to take advantage of parking and transportation options, use a parking facility more efficiently, better understand a parking technology, or otherwise create positive messaging around parking.

“More than a competition, the new Parking Matters® Marketing & Communications Awards are meant to serve as a way to share best practices and inspire others in our industry,” explained Shawn Conrad, CAE, executive director of IPI.

Programs that use a wide spectrum of marketing tools, from advertising and public relations to signage, special events, direct mail, and social media are encouraged. Entries for the new awards program open March 2, 2014 and submissions are due April 21, 2014.
A purposely streamlined entry process was designed to encourage entries. For this inaugural year, there are no categories and entry fees are only $100. In addition to a summary of the program, entrants are encouraged to upload visuals that might help others better understand campaign components.

A panel of judges will be chosen from the parking and marketing professions.
Conrad says top award winners will receive a hefty trophy sporting a golden megaphone in a presentation during a general session at the IPI Conference & Expo in Dallas, Texas, June 1-4, 2014. Winning entries will also be on display at the conference, and featured in an upcoming issue of The Parking Professional.

Does your program qualify as an entry? Look for examples of the types of programs suitable for submission and details to make that assessment at parking.org/marcomm, or contact Lauri Chudoba at marcomm@parking.org.

The International Parking Institute is the world’s largest association of parking professionals and the parking industry. For more information, visit www.parking.org.