Capitalize on your strengths, manage around your weaknesses. I was given this advice when an association I represented was being threatened with a regulation for a problem which, at that time, had no visible solution. The knee-jerk reaction from the board was to mount a defense to fight the regulation—that is until a group of volunteer members came forward and convinced the association’s leadership to capitalize on our industry’s strength (the membership) to spearhead an effort to find a remedy to the problem. 

These visionary volunteers created a coalition of experts from multiple disciplines and proceeded over three years to test numerous scenarios until they found a solution to the problem. It was this collaborative spirit that hooked me on association management. 

Solving a problem is how IPMI got its start in the 1950s, though at the time it was a group of volunteers from the American Municipal Association (AMA), the predecessor of the National League of Cities. During the 1950s, while people were driving cars and listening to Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and That’s Amore by Dean Martin, cities were inundated with congestion issues. The AMA formed a committee of mayors, city councilman, transportation engineers and planners to find solutions to a myriad of parking issues facing municipalities. This “parking committee” identified answers to municipal congestion by leaning on research, new construction, and best practices in parking management. While the committee did make many recommendations to address congestion, one of their most impactful recommendations to the parking profession was the need for a new association that would focus on parking management and provide specialized training for those who run these operations. These initial discussions led to the formation of the Institutional and Municipal Parking Congress, IPMI’s predecessor. And now, 60 years later, we stand as the world’s largest parking and mobility association.

While many in our industry claim that they “fell into parking,” IPMI has always capitalized on the expertise our members bring to their jobs by connecting individuals with those that are finding new ways to manage. Every year, IPMI trains legions of parking and mobility professionals who have made parking their career. At the heart of IPMI are more than 1,000 volunteers working on industry issues, sharing new techniques, creating an immense marketplace for equipment, technology, and service providers, and utilizing the industry’s most respected certification (CAPP) and accreditation (APO) programs. 

For 60 years, IPMI’s strength has been the legion of volunteers who focus on collaboration, cooperation, and building community, distinguishing us from others and allowing us to accomplish so much. 

So, when the industry gathers at IPMI in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 24–27, 2022 we have much to celebrate. Our celebration will not just center around what we’ve accomplished over the past 60 years, but more on the opportunities we have in the next 60 and the next 60 to collectively use our voices and expertise to guide future parking, transportation, and mobility discussions. 

Because at our core, that is how IPMI capitalizes on our strengths. We are thrilled to have you along with us for the ride.