Technology

Hartford, CT - Propark Mobility announced today that the company has acquired Drive Hospitality, a premier parking management company based in Los Angeles. “Drive Hospitality has earned a strong reputation for delivering customized parking solutions that elevate operations,” said David Schmid, CEO of Propark. “Together, Propark and Drive Hospitality are committed to advancing service standards, building authentic partnerships, and innovating for the future. We are excited to join forces to continue providing outstanding results for our clients and customers.” Since its founding, Drive Hospitality has been dedicated to creating customized solutions that reflect the unique needs of each property it serves. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including valet parking, concierge and bell services, parking management, and technology integration, all designed to enhance the guest experience. Drive Hospitality's emphasis on personalized service has positioned it as a trusted partner across diverse industries, from hospitality and commercial to residential and events. “Partnering with Propark offers an incredible opportunity for Drive Hospitality to continue pushing the boundaries of operational excellence for our clients,” said Carlos Alcalá, founder and CEO of Drive Hospitality. “Our focus has always been on tailored solutions and exceeding expectations, and with Propark’s support and shared values, we are confident that we will grow while enhancing the services we provide to our clients.” “This partnership with Propark enhances our ability to deliver the exceptional care that defines Drive Hospitality while leveraging Propark’s extensive network and expertise,” said Bechara Imad, Executive Managing Director and Partner of Drive Hospitality. “By combining our innovative approach to branding and hospitality service with Propark’s industry leadership, together, we’re creating a culture of quality and innovation that brings unparalleled value to the properties we serve, setting a powerful foundation for future growth.” This acquisition is the latest in Propark Mobility’s ongoing expansion in recent years, which includes the acquisition of several regional parking and mobility providers across the United States, including Monument Parking and Atlantic Parking in Washington, D.C.; Sovereign Services in Houston; Pilgrim Parking in Boston; Imperial Parking Industries, Inc., in Los Angeles; California Parking in San Francisco; and Southern Valet & Transportation in South Carolina. To learn more about Propark’s acquisition process, visit www.propark.com/acquisitions. About Propark Mobility Propark Mobility is a national, innovation-driven parking management company that provides full-service parking and mobility services for over 1,000 hospitality, healthcare, commercial, and off-airport locations in over 140 cities across the United States. For more information, please visit www.propark.com. This free, comprehensive resource is designed to equip parking operators with the strategies, tools, and best practices needed to streamline event parking operations, boost revenue, and enhance the overall parking experience. The Event Parking Playbook is packed with actionable insights, step-by-step guides, and expert advice on everything from pre-event planning to post-event follow-ups. Whether you're managing parking for a concert, sports event, or festival, this playbook provides operators with the knowledge to optimize traffic flow, implement digitized access and payments, and deliver exceptional customer service. “We understand how critical parking is to the overall event experience,” said Chirag Jain, CEO at Get My Parking. “Our Event Parking Playbook was developed to help parking operators deliver seamless, stress-free experiences for attendees while maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.” Key highlights of the playbook include: Expert Planning Guides: Step-by-step instructions for managing parking logistics before, during, and after the event. Industry Insights: Deep-dive interviews with experts, from industry veterans like Parkwell to the mastermind behind our home-grown event parking platform. Digitization Strategies: Tips on implementing smart parking solutions, including digital passes and app-based payments. Revenue Optimization: Proven techniques to maximize revenue through dynamic pricing, enhanced customer communication, and streamlined operations. Customer Experience: Best practices for improving the parking experience for attendees, ensuring a smooth entry and exit. The Event Parking Playbook caters to parking operators of all sizes, from those new to the industry to seasoned professionals. Download the Event Parking Playbook today. About Get My Parking Founded in 2015, Get My Parking is an award-winning startup that has grown to a team of 100+ members across five continents. GMP provides essential technology to parking operators – ticketless AI-PARCS, white-label parking apps, an IoT gate kit to retrofit old parking gates for modern capabilities, and an interoperable cloud platform that enables centralized and digital operations across a network of parking facilities. GMP spearheads new trends like AI-powered license plate matching, EV charging,  and shared mobility hubs on parking-related real estate with Plug-N-Play API integrations. GMP’s solutions have been deployed across 3,500 locations worldwide, enabling millions of parkers every month. Would you like to be a part of our next playbook? Share your insights with the industry! Reach out to us at teammarketing@getmyparking.com to be a part of our next parking playbook.

New Partnership will Elevate the Guest Experience at Sports and Arts Venues with Gateless Digital Parking Solutions New Orleans, LA - Premium Parking, the leader in full-stack digital parking solutions, today announced a partnership with ASM Global, the world’s premier venue management and services company, to provide free-flow parking operations and technology for ASM Global-managed venues across North America. This strategic alliance underscores ASM Global’s commitment to enhancing guest experiences while leveraging cutting-edge technology to streamline parking operations. “ASM Global is renowned for utilizing innovative technology to provide an extraordinary fan experience,” said James Huger, CEO, Premium Parking. “We are honored that, after a thorough assessment process, ASM Global has selected Premium Parking as their free-flow parking operations and technology partner. This partnership assures that the wonderful experience enjoyed by fans at the iconic venues managed by ASM Global will extend to the parking facilities that serve those venues.” With its headquarters in Los Angeles, ASM Global manages a portfolio of more than 400 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention centers, and performing arts venues across five continents. The company selected Premium Parking as its free-flow parking operations and technology partner because Premium Parking offers a unique free-flow parking model that helps patrons get out of their cars and into their seats faster to maximize their experience. “As we continue to innovate across our diverse venue portfolio in driving frictionless experiences from street to seat to benefit both our attendees and staff, the ability to collaborate with Premium Parking and leverage their free-flow solution is a key component,” said Doug Thornton, ASM Global executive vice president, arenas, stadiums, and theaters. “Leveraging Premium Parking’s free-flow parking operations has enabled us to substantively improve the overall flow of vehicles into the lots while also lowering our staffing needs, allowing us to generate an elevated revenue stream,” said William Breuer, General Manager, Boeing Center at Tech Port. “In tandem, attendees are getting into the venue faster creating an enhanced guest experience that is key for the venue.” The partnership between Premium Parking and ASM Global marks a major step forward in modernizing parking management at major venues. By using digital-first, gateless technology, the companies will create smoother and more efficient parking processes, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and operational benefits. This partnership reflects the shared vision of Premium Parking and ASM Global to deliver top-tier experiences from the moment guests arrive at the venue, aligning with both companies’ missions to innovate and create value. About Premium Parking  Premium has rethought the entire value-creation chain for properties, from the way parking is designed and managed (without gates), how offices and campuses manage permits, to how residents and visitors integrate with businesses and venues, and how new value is distributed among stakeholders and clients. This paradigm shift uses modern cloud infrastructure, AI camera technology, mobile payments; clear, friendly policies, combined with service excellence, to make cities and places everywhere more discoverable and accessible. Headquartered in New Orleans, Premium Parking operates in over 40 cities across the U.S. and focuses on transforming parking through gateless, mobile-first technologies. The company can be found online at www.premiumparking.com. About ASM Global Award-winning ASM Global is the world’s No. 1 development and full-service venue company focused on client-first approaches for driving significant financial success. The company’s elite network spans five continents featuring a portfolio of more than 400 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention/exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. ASM Global translates its unique visionary ownership experience into innovative project development, planning and execution, content programming, curated guest-immersive experiences, locally tailored solutions, and optimized revenue streams for our client’s properties and surrounding communities.  Focused on value creation and economic growth, ASM Global realizes venue business potential to elevate the profitability and profile of our clients and partners.  We cultivate strong, inclusive relationships with the communities we work and live in while championing the welfare and development of our employees and small business partners, resulting in a more cohesive, resilient and vibrant community. ASM Global’s expertise extends across existing venue management, new venue development, and transformative renovation projects across the most exciting properties in the industry including: Kai Tak Sports Park (Hong Kong), Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, LA), The Moscone Convention Center (San Francisco, CA), AO Arena (Manchester, UK), Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA), Desert Diamond Arena (Glendale, AZ), and Fishers Event Center (Fishers, IN).For more information on ASM Global, visit: www.asmglobal.com Media Contacts: Premium Parking: Bill Smith Smith Phillips Strategic Communications (for Premium Parking) bsmith@smith-phillips.com ASM Global: Jim Yeager Breakwhitelight (For ASM Global) jim@breakwhitelight.com This free, comprehensive resource is designed to equip parking operators with the strategies, tools, and best practices needed to streamline event parking operations, boost revenue, and enhance the overall parking experience. The Event Parking Playbook is packed with actionable insights, step-by-step guides, and expert advice on everything from pre-event planning to post-event follow-ups. Whether you're managing parking for a concert, sports event, or festival, this playbook provides operators with the knowledge to optimize traffic flow, implement digitized access and payments, and deliver exceptional customer service. “We understand how critical parking is to the overall event experience,” said Chirag Jain, CEO at Get My Parking. “Our Event Parking Playbook was developed to help parking operators deliver seamless, stress-free experiences for attendees while maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.” Key highlights of the playbook include: Expert Planning Guides: Step-by-step instructions for managing parking logistics before, during, and after the event. Industry Insights: Deep-dive interviews with experts, from industry veterans like Parkwell to the mastermind behind our home-grown event parking platform. Digitization Strategies: Tips on implementing smart parking solutions, including digital passes and app-based payments. Revenue Optimization: Proven techniques to maximize revenue through dynamic pricing, enhanced customer communication, and streamlined operations. Customer Experience: Best practices for improving the parking experience for attendees, ensuring a smooth entry and exit. The Event Parking Playbook caters to parking operators of all sizes, from those new to the industry to seasoned professionals. Download the Event Parking Playbook today. About Get My Parking Founded in 2015, Get My Parking is an award-winning startup that has grown to a team of 100+ members across five continents. GMP provides essential technology to parking operators – ticketless AI-PARCS, white-label parking apps, an IoT gate kit to retrofit old parking gates for modern capabilities, and an interoperable cloud platform that enables centralized and digital operations across a network of parking facilities. GMP spearheads new trends like AI-powered license plate matching, EV charging,  and shared mobility hubs on parking-related real estate with Plug-N-Play API integrations. GMP’s solutions have been deployed across 3,500 locations worldwide, enabling millions of parkers every month. Would you like to be a part of our next playbook? Share your insights with the industry! Reach out to us at teammarketing@getmyparking.com to be a part of our next parking playbook.

Get My Parking, a global provider of cutting-edge smart parking software and solutions, is excited to announce the launch of its highly anticipated Event Parking Playbook. This free, comprehensive resource is designed to equip parking operators with the strategies, tools, and best practices needed to streamline event parking operations, boost revenue, and enhance the overall parking experience. The Event Parking Playbook is packed with actionable insights, step-by-step guides, and expert advice on everything from pre-event planning to post-event follow-ups. Whether you're managing parking for a concert, sports event, or festival, this playbook provides operators with the knowledge to optimize traffic flow, implement digitized access and payments, and deliver exceptional customer service. “We understand how critical parking is to the overall event experience,” said Chirag Jain, CEO at Get My Parking. “Our Event Parking Playbook was developed to help parking operators deliver seamless, stress-free experiences for attendees while maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.” Key highlights of the playbook include: Expert Planning Guides: Step-by-step instructions for managing parking logistics before, during, and after the event. Industry Insights: Deep-dive interviews with experts, from industry veterans like Parkwell to the mastermind behind our home-grown event parking platform. Digitization Strategies: Tips on implementing smart parking solutions, including digital passes and app-based payments. Revenue Optimization: Proven techniques to maximize revenue through dynamic pricing, enhanced customer communication, and streamlined operations. Customer Experience: Best practices for improving the parking experience for attendees, ensuring a smooth entry and exit. The Event Parking Playbook caters to parking operators of all sizes, from those new to the industry to seasoned professionals. Download the Event Parking Playbook today. About Get My Parking Founded in 2015, Get My Parking is an award-winning startup that has grown to a team of 100+ members across five continents. GMP provides essential technology to parking operators – ticketless AI-PARCS, white-label parking apps, an IoT gate kit to retrofit old parking gates for modern capabilities, and an interoperable cloud platform that enables centralized and digital operations across a network of parking facilities. GMP spearheads new trends like AI-powered license plate matching, EV charging,  and shared mobility hubs on parking-related real estate with Plug-N-Play API integrations. GMP’s solutions have been deployed across 3,500 locations worldwide, enabling millions of parkers every month. Would you like to be a part of our next playbook? Share your insights with the industry! Reach out to us at teammarketing@getmyparking.com to be a part of our next parking playbook.

London, UK / Frankfurt, Germany - Kia has launched CarPay, the brand’s in-car payment service that enables customers to pay for items and services from inside the vehicle, starting with the EV3. The first application available will be with Parkopedia, which helps drivers in Europe locate available parking and pay for it conveniently through the vehicle’s navigation screen. “Adding an in-car payment service is a significant advancement for customer convenience as software and connectivity continue to expand the capability of a vehicle,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President Product & Marketing at Kia Europe. Though almost all journeys begin and end with a parking space, parking remains very challenging in big cities, with 92% of drivers finding it difficult to locate available parking spots across France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Any mistake with parking can be costly, with millions of parking tickets issued each year across Europe. This is especially problematic with electric vehicles, with 49% of EV drivers across France, Germany, Italy, and the UK receiving unexpected parking fines while charging. Parkopedia 2023 Global Driver Survey “Kia CarPay adds significant convenience and from launch helps to alleviate one of the key pain points for drivers, simplifying the process of finding and paying for parking,” said Hans Puvogel, COO at Parkopedia. “Not only does this reduce the amount of time drivers spend searching an area to locate an available space, but it also bypasses the frustrating process of having to find an operational parking machine or downloading various phone apps to try to activate and pay for parking sessions.” Parkopedia services are integrated into vehicle navigation systems for seamless operation and help drivers to find the nearest available parking spot at their destination, detailing the costs involved and predicting the likely number of available spots. Kia CarPay then enables the customer to pay for parking through a secure transaction via a securely stored payment card, with no additional apps necessary. Parkopedia’s parking payment service focuses primarily on outdoor and on-street parking, with the intention of expanding to indoor parking, such as parking garages, in the future. It currently provides access to more than 1.7 million transactable parking locations in 19 European countries. The EV3 and all future Kia models will feature Kia CarPay. This integrated system is a significant step for the brand towards expanding the range of in-car payments, add-on features, in-vehicle apps and electric vehicle-related use-cases. CarPay’s convenience for drivers is part of Kia’s commitment to enhancing the driving experience and improving customer satisfaction across all touchpoints of a journey. “Bringing an easy and streamlined payment method into the vehicle is a game-changer,” said Olivier Pascal, General Manager and Head of Connectivity, Kia Connect. “This is just the beginning, with CarPay set to expand in the future to include payments for a wide range of goods and services, to provide greater convenience for drivers and passengers.” About Kia Europe  Kia Europe is the European sales and manufacturing division of Kia Corporation – a global mobility brand that is creating innovative, pioneering, and leading sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies around the world. As a Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider, Kia is spearheading the popularization of electrified and battery electric vehicles and developing a growing range of mobility services, encouraging people around the world to explore the best ways of getting around. Kia Europe, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, employs in total over 5,500 employees from 40 nationalities in 39 markets across Europe and the Caucasus. It also oversees European production at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Zilina, Slovakia.  Kia’s innovative products continue to attract great acclaim, notably the EV6 battery electric vehicle becoming the first Korean car to be named European Car of the Year in 2022. Further information can be found here: https://www.press-eu.kia.com/ About Kia Connect Kia Connect is a subsidiary of Kia Europe that delivers connected car services to Kia customers across 28 markets. Kia Connect services consists of in-car and app-based features designed to make driving a more intuitive experience, in addition to vehicle data products for use cases such as fleet management. Features include accurate traffic and ETA prediction, ‘best-in-class’ data provision, remote access to vehicle information, remote commands, and over-the-air software updates. About Parkopedia Parkopedia is the leading connected car service provider used by automakers, organizations and millions of drivers around the world. Parkopedia helps drivers find and pay for parking, EV charging, fuel, and tolls across 90 countries. Parkopedia is also developing highly detailed indoor maps and corresponding algorithms to help drivers and self-driving vehicles navigate to available parking spaces and EV chargers. Visit business.parkopedia.com for more information. Parkopedia Global Media Contact Adam Calland Marketing Director T: +44(0)7838219129 E: adam.calland@parkopedia.com Kia Europe Media Contact Pablo González Huerta Manager Public Relations & Communications T: +49 69 850 928 342 E: pghuerta@kia-europe.com The new board members are: Leo Pelle, CAPP, City of Boulder Stephanie Zakis, Colorado State University Chance Abbey, Spokane International Airport Tobias Marx, City of Bend PIPTA would also like to express its sincere gratitude to the departing board members for their invaluable contributions: Laura Lierz, CAPP, Reimagined Parking Casey Jones, CAPP, PMP, Flash Parking Mike Estey, City of Seattle Cindy Patton, City and County of Denver Emily Kwatinetz, Dixon Resources Unlimited Additionally, PIPTA would like to thank Sara Becraft, DOWL for her exceptional service and dedication as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The Board of Directors has appointed Laura Lierz, CAPP to assume the role of CTO moving forward. About PlPTA The Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association (PlPTA) is a regional association dedicated to advancing the parking and transportation industry. PlPTA provides its members with education, networking opportunities, and resources to discuss common challenges, share information, and remain abreast of industry best practices.

Some hate them, some love them, and yes, some may abuse them. I think they are great! Our department uses cameras as a force multiplier as well as a tool for situational awareness. We have our dispatcher in a room with a bank of 6 large screen TVs along with 6 monitors on the desk. The dispatcher watches over access control gates, carpool parking areas, timed and metered spaces, and even bus stops and traffic intersections. Our two on-campus parking structures have about 200 cameras covering almost every inch of space. Our department has a significant role in installing well over 50 other cameras around campus to oversee parking areas and major points of traffic and pedestrian flow. High volume bus stops and pay-station locations are top priorities, and our dispatcher routinely monitors and checks them for things amiss. Perhaps unusually, we are separated from the University Police Department which has shared access to the cameras providing a valuable safety resource. One person with a virtual presence across half the campus at same time, managing equipment and various situations. We are not cruel, though. One of the TVs in dispatch has the Weather Channel on all the time and sometimes we even let them have visitors! Harold Robinson, CAPP, is the Assistant Director of Parking and Transportation Systems for The University of Mississippi. Harold can be reached at hdrobins@olemiss.edu. Growing demand for EV charging: Global EV sales surge: in 2023, global EV sales hit a record 10 million, up 55% from 2022. EVs are expected to account for 18% of total car sales by 2024. EV adoption rates: the number of EVs on U.S. roads is projected to reach 26.4 million by 2030, compared to 2.6 million in 2021. Consumer demand for charging: 81% of EV drivers expect access to charging at places where they park for extended periods (such as parking lots, multifamily developments, and workplaces). EV charging as a competitive advantage: Attracting tenants and visitors: 40% of drivers have said they’re more likely to choose a parking facility with EV chargers. Increase in property value: properties with EV charging stations have seen rent premiums increase by 3-5%, and property values can increase by 7% in markets where EV adoption is strong. Parking facilities with charging stations: facilities with EV charging tend to experience higher occupancy rates, especially in urban areas where EV drivers actively seek charging options. Courtney Henry-Irwin is the Director of Partner Development for EVPassport. She can be reached at cirwin@evpassport.com.

How Digital Parking Providers Are Promoting Innovation

Although the internal combustion engine is not yet on life support, the lockstep march towards "zero emissions" is certainly well underway. The supply of petroleum-based fuels is finite and no one is arguing against cleaner air. California is leading the way with an executive order that mandates that all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state be zero emissions by 2035. It stands to reason that other progressive states, and ultimately an order at the federal level, are not too far behind. Major vehicle producers are announcing additions to their EV line-up, including a 1000HP Hummer by GMC. With electric vehicles come batteries - lots and lots of batteries. Research and development have been able to extend the life of these batteries, but ultimately these storage devices will continue to have a limited useful life for the foreseeable future. How many batteries are we talking about? An article in Pocket predicts "12M tons of lithium-ion batteries are expected to retire between now and 2030." What can be done with this tsunami of batteries that are past their initial useful life? The most predictable answer is recycling. However, there is another school of thought proposing that a second life as storage cells may actually be the better answer for society and for the environment. It would be interesting to see some of these batteries resurrected to store solar energy in meters or charging stations at the curb, in lots, or in parking decks. From an initial life in mobility to a second life in parking, it is an innovative idea worth considering. Leslie L. Stone, CAPP is the Director of Customer Success for WeDriveU. Leslie can be reached at leslie.stone@wedriveu.com.

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What comes next for parking, transportation, and mobility?