The first day of the PAA went well – It was an exhibit opening with a reception and waiters moved through the crowd with wine, beer, and delicious hors d’oeuvres. The exhibits were shining. Some of the same companies we see in the US but most were in distributor’s booths. Zeag, Federal, Skidata, Scheidt and Bachmann, Designa, all were in their local rep’s spaces. Duncan, now being an Aussie company had its own digs, as did Tagmaster. There are a number of local manufacturers of parking equipment and I’ll outline them after today’s event.
Its Monday here and we will have the keynote address by Don Shoup. At least a dozen people have asked me to introduce them to the “rock star.” I’m not sure I can get through the Shoup Dog’s security, but we will see. Sometimes you just have to stand back and bask in the glow that comes off such a renowned presence.
Casey Jones is around but didn’t seem in attendance yesterday. He is going to issue a few bon mots to the assembled group today from the IPI. Barbara Chance is up today and then again tomorrow. We also have the director of security from Shopping Center Giant Westfield speaking on security in car parks (they don’t have garages here, or surface lots, they have car parks.)
I am particularly interested in hearing the woman from the Royal Institute of Technology speaking on the Swedish city’s venture into congestion pricing. She will have to go a long way to change my opinion of it, but who knows, those Swedes can be persuasive.
Tomorrow I’m looking forward to going to a local car park and seeing a video in and out system – no gates, no spitters, no ticket acceptors, just cameras taking pix of license plates and tracking them that way. I understand its first two hours free and if you go over you input your license number into a terminal and pay. The inventor has a booth at the show. It seems like the only thing that’s really “different” here so thought I would check it out. Will report back.
JVH
