AOS Conference Talking points Louise Parfitt reports on a packed two days at the AOS Conference Day one When I spoke to BPA director of operations and business development Steve Clark earlier this year about what he wanted the AOS Conference to achieve, he said he wanted it to provide a platform for in-depth discussion about AOS members concerns. He also wanted it to offer them the opportunity to get answers to their questions about the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. This conference delivered that in spades. It came just eight days after the government laid before parliament proposals for the Parking Code of Practice. This, noted AOS Conference chair and parking consultant Steve Thompson, was both perfectly timed and appallingly timed; had the BPA known when the government would make the announcement, they would have hosted the conference a week or so later, to allow time to get more clarity on the proposals. However, the conference coming when it did was clearly appreciated by attendees. In Clarks words, the engagement and interaction from members was cracking, I couldnt have wished for more. Update on the Code Day one generously sponsored by DCBL The first session of the day, Parking Code of Practice Act Update, dealt with 84 questions from the audience. These covered all areas, from signage to self-ticketing, transition periods, loss of the debt-recovery fee, and the amount of the parking charge. The expertise was provided by Clark, Thompson, BPA Lawlines Derek Millard-Smith, and ZatPark CEO Dave Herbert. Much still remains uncertain as discussions between government 18 britishparking.co.uk PN March 2022 pp18-21 AOS Conference.indd 18 22/02/2022 14:39