At the PIE show, I moved from seminar to seminar to see that all was going well. The round tables were no exception. We had four, dealing with handicapped parking, lighting, problem customers, and valet parking.
As I walked through the first three, there were no surprises — about two dozen people in each, lively discussions, and the like. In the fourth, valet, I was stunned. More than 60 people crowded the room. Leader Mike Pendergraft of American Valet Parking has his hand full.
When I asked about the popularity of the session, I was told it was simple. No one had ever had a valet session before. People want to talk about service — and what’s more service than valet. Well DUH —
I would also suggest that as traffic in garages becomes heavier, its better to add valet and valet assist at peek times than build a new garage to handle those few cars that need parking during rushes. On street valet has become popular in many areas, and using valet on airports, in hospitals, and other spots that previously didn’t have the service. Valet is on the move.
JVH
