T minus 4 days - are you ready?

The TPTA host committee is in full gear preparing to welcome all attendees for the 2017 Annual Conference and Tradeshow!

Booths are SOLD OUT! So if you are buyer seeking a product or solution - there will be no shortage of either on the Exhibit Floor. Software, hardware, services, products - vendors will be here to help answer your questions.

If networking is on your list of to-dos - you will not be disappointed. In addition to shop talks for universities, hospitals, municipalities and airports, the host committee is running two tracks for sessions - so you can pick between 20 different presentations.

Finally, the host committee has ensured that you are going to thoroughly enjoy networking over a fine meal catered by Reata at the Will Rogers Arena for the Wednesday Night Event.

So pack your bags, make your lists and get ready to conference next week. We can't wait to see you!

Let's Rodeo

It’s Rodeo time in Houston, Texas, and as thousands of people descend on the NRG complex grounds to partake in the country-western merriment I’m reminded of how important having adequate and efficient parking is.  As a volunteer for the rodeo which raises money to fund college scholarships, I’m fortunate to be given a pass to park on the grounds, but as other volunteers and the general public jam the surrounding streets and fill up the lots, sometimes I can’t even park in the designated areas.  The complex contains over 26,000 parking spaces but sometimes that isn’t even enough to hold us all.    Not being able to find a space to park in often leads to frustration and puts an initial damper on parkers’ moods.  Luckily, there are alternate options that can save the day, parking is available at one of several facilities conveniently located on or near the Metrorail line and take the train all the way to the stadium, hassle-free!  With so many people convening into one place at the same time, communication is key regarding knowing what alternatives there are instead of braving the congestion at the NRG complex.  Not only is this more convenient for the parkers, but it’s also an opportunity for parking operators to generate income…a win-win for both sides!    But no matter how one chooses to get to the fun, don’t pass up the chance to put on some cowboy boots, check out some animals, listen to some great bands, and enjoy the show.  Let’s Rodeo!

Evelyn Alonso
Corporate Director of Administration
Winpark
 

2017 Conference App!

We’re ready for an amazing experience at 2017 Annual Conference & Tradeshow! Are you? Get started by downloading our event app to your iPhone, iPad, or Android at https://crowd.cc/s/xS5S.

Gamers - put your game face on!  

We have an app for the conference and because we have to have some fun and games – we encourage all attendees to come prepared to win!

Participants use their own mobile device running either iOS or Android to participate in the TPTA Mobile App Game.  You need to download the app at the Google Play Store or iTunes store and you must be a 2017 registered attendee to play and WIN.

We want to encourage engagement and conference participation but we also have some rules that need to be followed, so play nice! Check in at sessions, provide feedback, tweet about the conference and see your points rack up on the leaderboard. The first 4 leaders to collect the maximum points will get prizes!
Prizes:
• Grand Prize: $100 gift card and 2018 TPTA membership
• First Place:  $75 gift card and 2018 TPTA membership
• Second Place:  $50 Amazon Gift Card
• Third Place:  $25 Amazon Gift Card

The rules are pretty simple – read all about them here!

The TPTA Board of Directors are ineligible, and therefore excluded from winning any prizes associate with the TPTA Mobile App Game. 

Good luck gamers!
 

We're expecting strong voter turnout!

The TPTA board of directors candidates are all staying on message and the race is too close to calll! Are you a regular member - have you voted?

Your vote counts! The board guides the future of our association. We have 6 positions to fill in the 2017 elections and the deadline to cast your vote is March 30, 2017. The elected board members will be announced at the 2017 Conference and Tradeshow.

Note: Voting is limited to regular TPTA members who have the voting rights for their organization. Each organization must have 1 regular members and all others are Associate members (no voting rights). VOTE NOW!

Proposed bylaws and voting timeline

As part of the TPTA Vision and Mission, we are always looking at ways to improve and bring value to the organization and our members.

The bylaw committee has recommended updates to the TPTA by-laws. While some of the updates are a simply cleaning up of the language, there are some substantial changes that are outlined here.

You may review the current bylaws online. The proposed bylaws are available here.

We will be asking regular members to vote on the proposed bylaws by e-mail starting March 21, 2017. Voting will close on April 1, 2017 and the result will be announced at the annual business meeting on April 4, 2017 in Fort Worth.

We thank you for your participation! 

Important reminders. Have you crossed these items off your list?

Register for the 2017 TPTA Conference?

Reserve your hotel room? Book by March 13, 5 pm to get special room rate.

Submit a nomination for the TPTA Annual Awards? Deadline March 8.

Submit a nomination for the Distinguished Service Award? Deadline March 8.

See you in Ft Worth!

Do you know the history of the TPTA Conference Hotel?

The deadline for reserving rooms at the TPTA Conference rate is 5 pm on March 13, 2017. Have you booked your room yet?

Reservations can be made online at the Hilton Fort Worth, use TPTA in the group code to receive the conference rate of $175 per night.

Interesting fact - this historic hotel hosted President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy the night before his tragic assassination. His last address was made in the Crystal Ballroom the morning of Nov. 22, 1963. 

News

In bad parking news, a driver in Houston was hospitalized after driving off a parking garage. While terrifying for all involved - how prepared are we as parking professionals to handle this sort of situation?

Here's a way for municipalities to deal with parking citations. What do you think? Outside the box programs, like Food for Fines, offered by the Lexington Parking Authority, are great ways to engage the community.

Parking professionals like paid parking - but our customers are usually on a different page.

In member news...

CONGRATULATIONS to Debbie Hoffman, Associate Director, Transportation Services, Texas A&M University, who recently obtained her designation as Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) from the International Parking Institute! Well done, Debbie!

If you are in the job market or know someone who is - check out our

Also, the RFP portal has been updated - check it out!

And the Oscar goes to...

Ok, it's not the Oscars - but the Distinguished Service Award is no less important!

Each year, TPTA recognizes the contributions of individuals to our industry. The call for 2017 Distinguished Service Award nominations will close at 5 pm on March 1, 2017.

Your nomination must include the items below and cannot be longer than 800 words.
 
Name of nominee; Title; Organization
Name of person nominating, Title, Organization
Please provide a statement (800 words or less) that entails the individual’s accomplishments and why they are deserving of the Distinguished Service Award.
Criteria for selecting the Distinguished Service Award recipient include:
1.    Professional reputation
2.    Contribution to the parking industry/organization
3.    Creative solutions and innovations (include outcomes)
4.    Public Relations and Customer Service
5.    Peer Interaction
Please include items that will address the criteria in your nomination statement.
 
Email all nominations to Mary Mabry.
All nominations MUST be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on March 1, 2017. Good luck!

Teamwork makes the dream work

Do you have a colleague who is an All-Star? Did your organization put a new program in place that elevated your operations? Maybe you were at the helm of a new parking garage design?

If so - we need your nomination for the TPTA 4th Annual Awards. The deadline to submit nominations is 5 pm, March 1, 2017.

ELIGIBILITY

Projects submitted must have been completed between November 1, 2015 and January 31, 2017. You can find all the details here. Either the project or organization submitting the project must be located in Texas. You are invited to submit nominations in the following categories:
1.    Parking Structure - New
2.    Parking Structure - Restoration
3.    Parking Program
4.    Parking Technology and Equipment
5.    Parking Employee

We are pleased to be working with the Pennsylvania Parking Association whose board has graciously agreed to serve as judges for the competition. Thanks PPA!

Social Media - Don't be scared

Social media has become a valuable outlet in our daily lives. We use it to stay connected to family and friends; we share the photos of special moments of our lives on Facebook and Instagram. Twitter has now become the go to source for breaking news. On Snapchat…. I refuse to open an account, so I do not really know what they do but those filters are really weird.

Melonie Curry, MBA

Go to Twitter and search the name of your organization. You may find out that you are already on social media even though you have not established an account. If you are going to be on social media, take control of the message.

Using social media for business is an evolving art. Since many of us do not have the ability to make daily updates to our website, why not use social media?  You can share information about parking for a special event.  Use the #WednesdayWisdom hashtag to share tips about your services. Use the #MotivationalMonday hashtag to promote sustainability or suggest an alternative mode of transportation. Some of our most popular posts are when we feature a team member that has been recognized for great customer service. It’s a great way to recognize them and they can share it with their friends and followers.

For ParkHouston, most of our communications are with customers who they are unhappy about a parking citation. Because we were on Twitter and responded, we were able to turn a complaint into a compliment.

To make social media work for you, it’s a team effort. So, get with your team and discover ways you can benefit from this popular method of communication.

Who is in your network?

Can you pick up the phone or shoot a quick email to a colleague in another city to pick their brain about your most recent parking challenge?

Do you have industry pals that spend time with you on the exhibit floor at a conference or maybe you both serve as co-presenters on an education session? Have your parking colleagues now become your close friends?

If you said yes to any of the above questions - then you must have taken advantage of TPTA Roundtables where we offer free education sessions on a quarterly basis for parking and transportation professionals in the region.

Houston is excited to host the Spring Roundtable from February 21-22 in the Texas Medical Center - the largest medical center in the world. The roundtable filled up pretty fast, so keep your eyes peeled for the Summer session if you are interested in attending in the future.

You are invited to the network mixer on Tuesday, Feb 21 at 6 pm - details are below. We look forward to seeing you in Houston!

Punk's Simple Southern Foods
5212 Morningside
Houston, TX 77005