Ready….Set….Network!

TPTA wants to make sure that you have a FANTASTIC conference experience. Here are the top ten things to remember to enhance your conference experience:

1. Bring business cards.

2. Walk the exhibit hall multiple times. The conference guide has the layout and listing of exhibitors. Check out the companies in advance. Come with questions about the products that interest you. 

3. Don’t just hang out with friends. Make it a goal to meet 2-3 new people per day.

4. A good trick is to take notes about the other person on the back of their business card! 

5. Take pictures! Use your phone to take pictures of old and new friends or parking innovations, then post them to Facebook, or Twitter @TexasParking, #TPTA2019

6. Look at the speaker list. Read their bios. Does their topic or background speak to one of your challenges?  If so, make it a goal to speak with them.

7. Talk to speakers before their presentation time. Everybody has questions after the presentation. Connect with them in advance! The conference guide has their pictures and bios for your benefit.

8. Download the conference app - you can see the attendee list, setup meetings with colleagues and personalize your schedule.

9. Have fun, enjoy the conference and bring lots of energy. There is time to sleep when you get back home!

10. Follow up with each person you meet after the conference. Connect on LinkedIn, send an email or a link to an interesting article.

We look forward to seeing you in Houston!

#TPTA2019 

Two more weeks until the TPTA Conference & Tradeshow!

Don't forget to register for this fantastic opportunity to learn from and network with other parking, transportation, and mobility professionals from throughout Texas and beyond! Register here - https://bit.ly/2MWaRcc

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Driving Smart Cities

Driving Smart Cities - Seven Critical Trends Impacting Parking, Transportation, and Mobility

Offered by IPMI's Parking Research Committee, this presentation will discuss seven key trends and innovations in our industry that are fundamentally changing our business. This presentation will explore disruptive and innovative trends, including TNC's and the demand for the curb, the journey toward autonomous vehicles, and more.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

TPTA Conference Session Feature: A One-of-a-Kind Pay by Plate Integration in Galveston

Learn about how an integrated plate-based parking solution can streamline parking enforcement, parking logistic issues, preserve geography, and create a simpler customer experience. Also hear about how LPR can enhance a city's efficiency and how LPR data can assist in enforcement.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

Three Weeks Until the TPTA Conference & Tradeshow! Register Now and Plan for Pre-Conference Networking.

We are just three weeks away from the largest gathering of parking, transportation, and mobility professionals in Texas. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn about the latest trends, technologies, and solutions from around the industry, as well as network with and learn from professionals who share your same daily experiences and challenges.

The TPTA Conference & Tradeshow will include numerous sessions from industry experts designed to provide attendees with valuable information and education to enhance their organizations and operations back home. The event also includes numerous networking and professional development opportunities. In addition, the tradeshow will feature opportunities to meet and network with some of the top industry product and solution providers from around the country.

Also, don’t forget to register for our exciting new pre-conference networking event – the Texas Style Skeet Shootout. This will be a great opportunity to network with fellow conference attendees in an “outside-the-box” way.

 View the entire agenda here, and register today! Don’t miss out on this important event!

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Enforcing through the Storm: How Parking Survives a Natural Disaster

Following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the City of Houston's parking enforcement team experienced something few parking organizations ever will: the complete shutdown of a major city and the recovery effort that followed. Learn about the ways they faced this challenge, including lessons learned and strategies for future emergencies.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Offering a Payment App Only Gets You to the Starting Line

This presentation will offer organizations who have implemented a parking payment app strategies for assuring widespread adoption. Attendees will learn why it's essential to promote adoption of mobile parking payment, and how cities have created and implemented strategies to assure that parkers are using their mobile payment apps.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

Counting down to the Conference - have you registered yet?

We are officially one month away from the TPTA Conference & Tradeshow! Register today to take advantage of the great education, professional development, and networking opportunties this event has to offer. Register here - https://bit.ly/2MWaRcc

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Curb Management: Strategies and Tech to Define, Manage, and Enforce the Curb

Offered by IPMI's Technology Committee, this session will explore how various technologies will support curb management activities in four areas - defining the curb, managing the curb, charging for curb access, and enforcing the curb. It will also explore the activities an organization will consider and how current and future technologies will be applied to support an operation as they develop plans to manage the curb.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Strategic Planning

TPTA Conference Session Feature: Strategic Planning: Guiding Principles for Propelling Your Business into the Future

This presentation will highlight the stages of creating a mission and vision, including examples of the importance of creating organization goals. It will also focus on the importance of implementing an effective SWOT analysis to achieve your organization's goals.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ

Member Profile - Peter Lange, Texas A&M University

We’re excited to introduce our new TPTA Member Profile blog series! This feature will highlight Q&As with TPTA members offering their experience with the organization, including how it has impacted their careers and their organizations, and the value that TPTA membership provides. We’re kicking off this series with TPTA President Peter Lange. Peter is Associate Vice President of Transportation Services at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.

Check it out below!

How long has your organization been a member of TPTA?

Texas A&M University Transportation Services has been a member of TPTA since the organization’s inception.

How did you learn about TPTA?

I attended my first TPTA conference in 2000, while still working at Georgia Tech. The conference was held in College Station. Little did I know then that I would later work at Texas A&M!

What value has your TPTA membership provided you for your career?

It has provided a great opportunity for me to build peer relationships through networking, presenting together, and serving together. I’ve been able to learn about trends in the industry, apply lessons learned from others, and enhance my own professional knowledge base.

What value has your TPTA membership provided your institution?

The value of peer networking has been invaluable to our ability to gather valuable benchmarking data. Because we are part of a regional group of parking professionals, we can bring industry ideas and trends that are unique to Texas to our university leadership.

What would be your advice to those organizations who are not yet a TPTA member?

TPTA offers a unique, regional perspective on the industry. We are small enough to get to know others in the industry across a wide spectrum of parking operations. Our conferences are a place to grow peer friendships and take time to drill down into topics and we have a lot of fun! Sometimes the national conferences are too large to offer such opportunities.

TPTA Conference Session Feature: How Parking Plays into Mobility at Large

This presentation will discuss how to make a user's experience with mobility one that is interconnected, efficient, and frictionless. Also learn how to employ mobility solutions that address the growing traffic problem in many cities.

Check out the full agenda and register here: https://bit.ly/2GkLdxJ