State & Regional Spotlight

The Southwest Parking and Transportation Association (SWPTA) annual conference is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and unlike other regional organizations, our annual conference location does not change from year to year. The SWPTA Board of Directors is extremely engaged and passionate about providing value for our membership and making our conference and annual events better every year. We do not restrict membership based on geographical region; instead, we welcome all parking professionals to be part of our community. Our annual membership fee includes everyone on your team. You might have noticed the orange “Wanna SWPTA?” conference ribbons at IPMI’s Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo in June—ask us how you can become a part of SWPTA!

One of the aspects I love about SWPTA is its ability to provide a robust forum for conversations among parking professionals. Our annual conference, webinars, social events, and other activities all combine to nurture a culture that encourages individuals to step out of their comfort zones, broaden their knowledge, and expand their professional networks.

Last year’s SWPTA conference was so popular that we had to graduate to a much larger conference facility at the Golden Nugget (SWPTA’s legacy conference location) for this year’s event. We have plenty of room for you and your colleagues to come and join the SWPTA family. Maria Tamaya-Soto, City of Las Vegas Parking Manager, oversees our award-winning social media promotions on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Maria always posts interesting, relevant, and often very amusing parking content, so we encourage you to follow us on social media and stay in touch (#SWPTA). It is a great way to stay aware of our upcoming activities, including free quarterly educational webinars that cover a wide range of topics for you and your entire team.

We also host fun social events like the extremely popular SWPTA Annual Gingerbread Garage building contest hosted to celebrate the holiday season. What started as a pandemic virtual activity was so entertaining that we instituted it as a holiday tradition. It is a great time, and many of our competitors collaborate with their family members, even involving their kids in the fun. Some participants spend countless hours crafting and constructing their creations to compete in categories including tallest, most realistic, and people’s choice. Last year, the UNLV parking team blew us away with an exact replica of a campus garage; it was spectacular. Each entrant provides an entertaining walkthrough of their garage creation, highlighting design features and enhancements. The laughs are endless, but you must be a SWPTA member to qualify for a prize, so get your colleagues and family involved and do not miss this year’s Gingerbread Garage competition on December 14^th.

In April, we introduced the first SWPTAstic Egg Decorating Contest. SWPTA members gathered on Zoom to present their decorated eggs. Just like the Gingerbread Garage event, participants worked with their families and officemates to prepare their creations. Looks like we have another annual event because it was fun and hilarious!