At the beginning of the year the Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association (formerly Northwest Parking Association), announced its new name and broader focus.  Logo changes, a new website, and enhanced member communications were all early indicators of what the changes might mean.  Then July’s PIPTA ’09 conference, “The Art of Parking and Transportation Management,” left no doubt in attendees minds that their association was energized and ready to lead its larger geographic base and broader membership.

It was an extra long week for PIPTA board members who started with a full-day preconference strategic planning session led by PIPTA President John Shaheen.  The results included refined mission and vision statements, a SWOT analysis that helped to identify and define goals, and a prioritized list of eight goals for the association over the next five years.

The conference hosted nearly 180 attendees, including many first time attendees from other transportation and planning disciplines that partner with parking.  The conference featured 26 educational sessions, including three keynote speakers and three tactical communication training sessions targeted at frontline and supervisory staff.  Reed Keeney from the University of Washington observed that there was no quantity/quality tradeoff for PIPTA.  “It was a HOT conference in both subject matter and temperature outside.  The subject matter made choosing one breakout session over another extremely difficult as a participant wished to go to both sessions. It really was the best conference thus far.”

Keynote speakers Don Shoup, Helle Søholt, and Shawn Conrad set the stage with presentations that focused on the big picture.  Sandy Stutey from Seattle Children’s Hospital noted ‘keynote speakers did an outstanding job of ‘firing up’ the group to think of parking in the context of longer term strategies for improving the quality of life in our communities through collaboration, excellent urban design and advocacy.”

The understanding of parking as one critical tool in suite of resources for advancing access and mobility carried through the rest of the educational program as well.  Sessions on bicycle programming, bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian programming, traffic management, transportation mode integration, economic development, shuttle programs, and valuing transportation demand management contributions all joined more traditional parking management and operations topics.  Every Day from the Bicycle Alliance of Washington noted “I really came away from the conference with a better perspective on how parking affects the nation’s transportation culture and infrastructure, and the environment.”

Cindy Campbell’s training on “Tactical Communications for Parking and Transportation Professionals” kept attendees energized and engaged.  Laughter and applause could be heard well outside the room as attendees roll played the strategies they learned.  Teresa Kruger of Washington State University agreed, noting that “The customer service class was great, I will always remember that when dealing with customers (or anyone actually) that ‘if it feels good don’t say it!!’”

Even with the extensive educational program, attendees found plenty of time for networking and fun.  In addition to the receptions on the trade show floor, attendees checked out the local art scene on a “museum hopping” excursion, took a ferry boat ride to nearby Vashon Island, enjoyed a rolling workshop in the form of bicycle tour of Tacoma, toured the UW Tacoma campus, and gathered for daily sunrise runs.  Ryan McGowan of tradeshow participant Coalfire commented that the conference “created a great atmosphere for sponsors, exhibitors and attendees to forge relationships.”

In the end, the conference was an overwhelming success.  While the bar is set high for next year’s conference in Boulder, CO, PIPTA  is confident that they’ve found a formula for success.  The conference committee packed the schedule with compelling educational offerings and reached out to individuals in related professions.  This strategy brought the highest attendance in association history and resulted in a conference that finished squarely “in the black.”  More importantly, member attendees were unanimous in their sentiment that the conference delivered extraordinary value.

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This year’s PIPTA was truly outstanding. The guest speakers were exceptional!  The highlight for me was having all Commuter Services staff participate in the wonderfully applicable tactical training session. Cindy, the presenter, has a style that is both motivating and effective. I’ll be applauding her for months to come for the wisdom she has imparted to my staff.
– Mariann Woodland, University of Washington

As a newcomer to the parking business, this was a great opportunity to meet talented and experienced professionals in the field.
– Sandy Stutey, Seattle Children’s Hospital

It was a great conference and I found it very informative.  As someone who is new to the parking industry, I gained a lot of knowledge from the courses and the networking opportunities.  Thanks to all the committee members for their hard work and kudos on a job well done.
– Lynette O’Neal, City of Medford

Being new myself to the parking industry, and with bicycle parking facilities being a fairly new concept in America, I was surprised to learn that we have a shared interest in being good environmental stewards through better management practices. I look forward to next years conference in Boulder, CO, and to helping create an even bigger presence in presentations and vendors for bicycle parking.
– Every Day, Bicycle Alliance of Washington

Not only was it a great opportunity to see how other cities and Universities approch parking and transportation but to also see our own program on display. All of the seminars I attended were very informative, engaging, and inspiring. I would in particular note the keynote speakers from Monday, Dr. Shoup and Helle Lis Søholt as they provided a clear “big picture” idea which completmeted the “nuts and bolts” found in the seminars.
– Jean-Paul Willynck, University of Washington