NEW ORLEANS – There’s been a revolution in parking technology – smart parking meters, using technology to reduce traffic congestion and improve cities, connectivity, parking deck solar panels, mobile apps to find, pay for and reserve parking spaces, robotic garages and enhanced real-time parking communications. Smart approaches to parking coupled with new technology contribute to reducing traffic congestion, fuel needs and carbon emissions and and more livable, walkable communities.
The International Parking Institute (IPI) Conference & Expo, the world’s largest parking conference and expo hall, will convene in New Orleans from Sunday, May 21 to Wednesday, May 24 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Halls C-D.
The event attracts more than 3,000 parking, transportation and mobility professionals and more than 250 exhibitors. The conference’s Expo Hall will be the size of four football fields.
The Opening General Session takes place Monday, May 22, with a panel on “The Future of Parking” from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The panel will address how the connected car, the sharing economy (smart/connected cities), intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and the autonomous vehicle will shape the world around us.
Panelists include:
• Dr. Amitai Bin-Nun, Ph.D., director of Autonomous Vehicle Initiative at Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE)
• Stephen Smyth, CEO, FLOW, a Sidewalk Labs company focused on urban mobility
• Arvind Kannan, Sr. Mgr., Strategy and Business Development, ZipCar, the world's largest car-sharing network, a division of Avis Budget Group
• Brian Shaw, CAPP, executive director, Dept. of Parking/ Transportation, Stanford University, specialist in sustainable transportation
• Moderator: Laurens Eckelboom, VP, head of business development, Connected Vehicles, SAP, enterprise application software. Eckelboom, currently an IPI Board member, is one of the founders of Parkmobile.
The Dept. of Homeland Security/Transportation Services Administration will host First Observer Anti-Terrorist Training on Tuesday, May 23, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., in rooms 255-257. Organizers said parking assets are prime targets for terrorism and vehicle bombs.
There will also be a Parking Solutions College Student Competition on Tuesday May 23, from 4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., at the LaNouvelle Orleans Ballroom – 2nd level.
College students competed to find an innovative new way to reduce the use of single-occupant vehicles and maximize land use, increase mobility options and decrease congestion, emissions, and pollution through parking solutions. Four finalist teams will compete for a grand prize.
