PIE 2018 finished on Thursday last and the PT crew is back in the office, attending to our normal duties. It is impossible to thank all who worked tirelessly last week to make PIE the best show ever. However, my kudos go to the PT Staff: Eric, Marcy, Astrid, Kelley, Robyn, Francine, and Sandra, plus all those great folks at the Hyatt who made the event happen.
With over 1000 parking pros on site and tons of new seminars and programs, the event has been receiving kudos from all quarters. I want to personally thank all the exhibitors, particularly the Platinum sponsors (Toledo Ticket, Integrapark, and Park Assist) and the Gold Sponsors, (Amano McGann, Barnacle, Designa, Flow, IP Sens, Parkonect, Passport, Skidata, TIBA and T2). Thanks to IDA and NPA our institutional sponsors and again to T2, our Smart Parking/Smart Cities Symposium Sponsor.
We had great networking parties and they wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of Eco Lighting Solutions, Passport, and Southland Printing Company.
Thanks also to Flowbird (Parkeon/Cale) for their support of our Keynote Speakers.
A very special thank you to all those who gave seminars and shared their knowledge with their peers. Our presentations are the best in the industry.
PIE 2018 had a buzz, a ‘feel’ that we hadn’t felt before at a Parking Industry Exhibition. That was due, I think, to a combination of a positive vibe that is sweeping American business today and an influx of new, young, attendees and exhibitors who brought their brand of excitement to the event.
I’m told that I was a bit grumpy at the show and on reflection I feel that it was due to a personal feeling that we were doing our job very well, but that we hadn’t included much ‘new and exciting’ activities to our agenda. It was a good, journeyman, production.
I met with Eric this morning and we are beginning work on PIE 2019 this week. Rest assured that we will be reaching out to you shortly for input and ways we can provide and even better experience to those who attend PIE.
We have come a long way since that first PIE back in 1999. Next year will mark two decades of parking excellence in Chicago (with quick trips to Baltimore and Las Vegas). Yes, in 2019 we will have been producing the Parking Industry Exhibition for 20 years.
I am excited by change. And I will be excited by PIE next year. We will be back at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare March 11-14, 2019, a full five weeks before Easter and well before spring break. We will be reporting on the new PIE 2019 shortly. A Hint – More people are transported by cars than any other transportation mode. Parking isn’t just a part of transportation, it integral to transportation.
See you then.
JVH
