They say you can’t get better, but Meeting of the Minds VII (MOM
VII) has once again proven that statement very wrong. The depth and professionalism of the
topics and speakers was over-the-top. Many thanks to the one person that
without her Meeting of the Minds once again could not have been possible; her
name is Monica Tanksley, a.k.a. “Parking
Barbie”. Without Monica’s tireless dedication and attention to
every detail, from coordinating air and ground transportation, to
securing speakers, ordering tasty meals and making preparations for our visit to Niagara Falls, this event
wouldn't have been as enjoyable, entertaining and well-put-together as it was.
It was great to know that even speakers with many years of experience in the
parking and transportation industry, were able to learn something new at Meeting
of the Minds VII. In today’s downward economy, attendees got more than their
value for the topics that were presented. Personal thanks to all the
presenters for their time and efforts in making Meeting of the Minds VII
“Where the Rubber Meetings the Road...Taking Parking Back To It's Roots” yet another successful
year, 7 years in a row.
Richard Pifer, AVP of Facilities and Services at the University of Rochester, opened Meeting of the Minds VII welcoming guests and speakers. David Lieb, from Cornell
University followed with “Economic and Environmental Sustainability and TDM”. Bernie Pitchke, Regional VP from 1st Transit presented on "Ways to Encourage More Use of Campus Parking and Transportation". Andrew Vidor, Design
Engineer from Walker Parking Consultants then took the stage with
“Traffic and Pedestrian Safety”. Robert Milner, MS, CAPP, from University Maryland wowed the audience with his presentation on “1st Observer". Judy Clay, Trainer from University of Rochester presented five 1-hour sessions over the course of the two
days, entitled "It's Ok To Laugh..Having Fun in the Workplace", reaching over 60 University Parking and Transportation staff.
All the way from Tim Haahs and Associates in Philly, Jim Zullo, CAPP came back a 2nd year in a row and spoke on the topic of "Parking Planning for Downtown Development". On
Friday, the conference opened with guests taking a 1 hour tour of the University of Rochester, the Medical Center, and off site locales. They returned to be taught by Sue Olley, CAPP from the City of Rochester who spoke on "How to Study, Plan and Implement a New or Renewed Parking System". The rest of the day was spent with Robert Milner, MS, CAPP from the University of Maryland who taught a 3-hour session on giving excellent customer service. Meeting of the Mind VII’s
host, Glen Sicard, Director of Parking and Transportation at the
University of Rochester again hosted the ever-popular “Area Parking and Transportation Meeting”. This round table
discussion touched upon subjects such as U-Pass, PCI Compliance, How to Market a Parking Program, New Incentives for Carpoolers, Signage, Lighting and other Hot topics in the Parking and Transportation
industry.
Conference attendees came from many different states to as close as the area colleges surrounding Rochester, NY.
It was a great time had by all. Guests were entertained by dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, in beautiful Niagara Falls where they ate, drank and visited the magnificent Niagara Falls until wee hours of the morning. (A special thank you to 1st Transit, for providing the charter for this exciting trip). Once again, guests were shown that you can
work very hard and play even harder!
Meeting of the Minds is able to
do a quality show at no cost to attendees other than their participation. We
would not be able to do this without the continued support of our generous
sponsors that make it all possible. Thank you to all our sponsors and vendors:
University of Rochester, College at Brockport, NYSPA, IPI, JPMorgan
Chase, Bernational Automation, Transcore, First Transit, Midcity Signs, T2
Systems, Simon School, KBH, Walker Parking Consultants, Zipcar, Advantage
Federal Credit Union, DDS Construction, Villager Construction and O’Connell
Electric.
The 3-day conference concluded on Saturday with a
Golf Tournament and all-you-can eat-buffet at Island Oaks Country Club. For 3
days we learned, laughed, and enjoyed great company from across the country! Come Join us next year, at Meeting of the Minds VIII, where the learning, networking and fun never stops!