IPMI conference The American dream Yasmin Jefferies-Soor, the BPAs membership development manager, visited the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI) conference in New Orleans in July. She tells us what surprised her most about the event, some of the challenges parking colleagues across the pond are facing, and why everyone went mad for buttons was slightly sceptical that there would be enough to do to warrant spending four days at one event. But within minutes of arriving at the IPMIs event, I knew exactly why they needed this amount of time. First of all, it is massive. I have never been to such a big parking event. It attracts parking professionals from all over North America and beyond so rather than firms having to fly staff to several events over the year, it gets rolled up into one big parking celebration, conference and exhibition. There were two awards ceremonies held during the event: the first one was for IPMI staff and board members, recognising their contributions to the industry. The second was all about people: lifetime achievement awards were presented, and also all those who had achieved qualifications related to parking were presented with their certificates. Everyone who received an award or certificate had their name on a star lined along on a walkway like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was really something special. The awards were presented during breakfast sessions, and then the mornings were devoted to seminars and presentations. The exhibition floor did not open until lunchtime on day two, and even then, it was only open in the afternoons. This meant there was no conflict when it came to choosing between looking after the stand or attending information sessions, so people had time for absolutely everything. I Everyone who received an award or certificate had their name on a star that lined along on a walkway like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was really something special Is that the future? One session that blew my mind was on the rise of cryptocurrency and how it could be the next big disruptor for the parking sector. In Ecuador, bitcoins 26 PN Sept 2022 pp26-27 IPMI.indd 26 22/08/2022 09:28