IPMI Writers’ Guidelines
Blogs
- Blogs are a member-only benefit.
- Blogs may not promote or sell a company, product, or service.
- 250-300 words.
- Blogs can be submitted anytime and are on a rolling deadline. They can be submitted online here or by email to editor@parking-mobility.org.
- Blogs should offer bite-sized learning featuring news, ideas, trends, and analysis relevant to parking, mobility, and transportation professionals.
- As the blogs are auto-posted to the IPMI Forum online community, they will be best received with some level of interactivity or opportunity for discussion.
- Deliverables: (1) Narrative content delivered in Word; (2) One or two graphics, original hi-res (300 dpi or better) photos or illustrations in .jpg or .tiff formats. Only submit art you own or have explicit permission to publish— we cannot use art from the internet; (3) Name, title, and organization of the author along with any IPMI committees or IPMI boards the author serves on.
Parking & Mobility magazine
Deliverables:
All content delivered to Parking & Mobility magazine should be in the following formats:
- Narrative content should be delivered in Word.
- Graphics should be original hi-res (300 dpi or better) photos or illustrations in .jpg or .tiff formats. We cannot extract photos or graphs from Word documents. Only submit art that you own or have explicit permission to publish— we cannot use art from the internet.
- Headshots should be professional photos where possible.
Feature Articles – Feature articles run between 1,500 – 2,500 words, and should be submitted with three to five graphics or photos (must own the graphics and have permission to publish). Features also require a headshot and a byline for each author. Articles must consist of exclusive content to be published for the first time in Parking & Mobility.
Standing Columns – Standing columns run between 650 – 1,000 words, and should be submitted with one to three graphics or photos (must own the graphics and have permission to publish). Features also require a headshot and a byline for each author. Articles must consist of exclusive content to be published for the first time in Parking & Mobility.
One-Page Advertorials – One-page advertorials are no more than 500 words, and should be submitted with up to three graphics or photos (including logo – must own the graphics and have permission to publish). Features can be bylined, and may include a headshot and a byline for each author if desired.
Two-Page Advertorials – Two-page advertorials are no more than 1,000 words, and should be submitted with up to five graphics or photos (including logo – must own the graphics and have permission to publish). Features can be bylined, and may include a headshot and a byline for each author if desired.
Writers’ Guidelines
Parking & Mobility, the magazine of the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI), invites article submissions from IPMI members and outside contributors.
Before you write, here are 10 things to remember:
1. All articles must be pre-approved and scheduled. Submit your content ideas here. Unsolicited articles will be considered, but will only be published as space allows.
2. Issues are in production about three months ahead, but slates are confirmed six to eight months in advance. Be sure to check out the current Editorial Calendar for deadlines and other content details.
3. Articles should provide useful how-to information through case studies; share new technologies and their applications; report emerging trends; or discuss relevant and pivotal issues to the parking and mobility industry. They may not promote or sell a company, product, or service. Please submit new product releases online for potential publication in the News section of our website and our Around the Industry section of the Parking & Mobility interactive news site.
4. All submissions should be sent in Word format. All submissions should include author information for a byline:
- Full name, certifications
- Title
- Company name
- Email address
- Listing of IPMI Committee participation
- Current headshot
5. We are happy to find art for your story if you don’t have photos. If you are sending art, please submit original hi-res (300 dpi or better) photos or illustrations in .jpg or .tiff formats. We cannot extract photos or graphs from Word documents. Only submit art that you own or have explicit permission to publish— we cannot use art from the internet. Be sure to send us a headshot of each author, and submit charts/graphs in Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF.
6. All articles and their elements are subject to editorial review; it is the author’s responsibility to ensure all information is accurate and that proper credit is given when due. There is an assumption that all necessary permissions are granted by parties mentioned or involved in the content before submission. These permissions are the responsibility of the author and not IPMI. IPMI will not be responsible for content that is published without those approvals. We reserve the right to edit all articles for style, format, space, and readability.
7. All published material is copyrighted and becomes the property of the International Parking & Mobility Institute. Authors will be expected to sign a standard written release. Submission implies that authors agree with IPMI’s policies.
8. We only publish original pieces. Please do not submit an article that is under consideration, has been accepted, or has been published elsewhere.
9. All articles are voluntary submissions. There is no payment for publication.
10. Please send all final content to editor@parking-mobility.org.
NOTE: Content in Parking & Mobility must be educational in nature and cannot pitch or attempt to sell any specific product or service. Editor reserves the right to require alterations if submission does not meet the guidelines, and has discretion to cancel publication at any point if the content does not meet the needs of Parking & Mobility readers.
When COVID-19 hit last year, boosting contactless parking options was a no-brainer–nobody wanted to touch anything more than they absolutely had to. But as the pandemic dragged on, it became clear that some operations were going to have to think their permit systems, and nowhere was that more clear than university campuses. With fewer people going to campus every day of every week, the monthly or semester permit system needed to flex.
The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on the way parking and mobility operates. From reductions in revenue to an accelerated push to embrace contactless payment and a new emphasis on effective and efficient micro-mobility options, the challenges have been big.
Few parking sectors have been hit as hard by COVID-19 as airports–people simply aren’t flying. That said, when they do fly, driving to and parking at the airport is more attractive than using transit or transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber or Lyft, so as lockdowns ease, airport parking operations are seeing a bit of an uptick.
Campuses have emptied out. Hospitals are busier than ever. Municipalities are trying to help communities under shelter-in-place orders. And nobody knows when airports will get back to normal.
The closest most of us get to fungus is on the mushroom shelf at the grocery store or on the unidentifiable stuff at the back of the refrigerator crisper drawer (yeah, we know about that), and most of us are happy that way. Did you ever consider building a parking garage out of it?
Like so many industry professionals, David Onorato, CAPP, sort of fell into parking. “It was by luck,” he says. “I was working with the [Pittsburgh] city finance department and there was an opening in the parking authority. I was asked if I wanted to move there and I said yes. It’s parking–how hard can it be, right? Little did I know.”
By Kim Fernandez