Trends Revealed at the 2026 IPMI Conference

From June 15 – 17, the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, played host to the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI) Annual Conference & Expo, one of the parking industry’s most prominent tradeshow events. Most of the prominent technology and service providers were in attendance. 

Vista’s executive team was on site (Booth #911) to showcase the relaunch of our parking management software and mobile payment solution (formerly Concord CTRL and SMRTpass). This was our first year as an exhibitor, and it provided us with an excellent opportunity to showcase our modular system’s innovative configurations and custom capabilities. 

After one cancelled morning flight and subsequent rebooking later in the day, the Vista team arrived in Chicago late morning on Sunday. From there, we embarked on the 90-minute drive from O’Hare International to the hotel in Milwaukee with all tradeshow gear in tow. 

Here’s a breakdown of what we observed at the show and our overall impressions of our time spent in Brew City, USA.  

What Happened in Milwaukee 

Over the course of the event, we met with many of our vendor partners.  We learned about new ways to integrate with other hardware and software providers to help better serve our clients. 

As an end-to-end service provider, our offerings often overlap with those of other vendors our clients also use. We find that the best approach is to collaborate with other companies to support our clients' goals, even when those companies might be our direct competitors. 

During our 4 days at the show, we had the chance to hear about the permitting and parking enforcement needs of numerous municipalities, airports, and post-secondary institutions, many of which were located in the Illinois/Wisconsin region. 

The visitors to our booth were interested in our system’s ability to be customized to their specific needs for reporting, exporting data, and special permits. 

Although there wasn’t much time for sightseeing outside of the show, the city managed to impress with its picturesque downtown area, featuring the Milwaukee RiverWalk and vibrant neighbouring communities. 

Not only were we surprised by how scenic the city was, but by the end of the conference, we also learned that Milwaukee has a great dining and entertainment scene, with more theatres per capita than any other city in the United States. 

Takeaways, Buzzwords, and Observations 

AI Remains Top of Mind 

With the permeation of AI into all areas of business, companies with high-volume parking assets are currently seeking new ways to integrate informed data into their decision-making processes. 

The purpose of implementing any parking management tool is to help the organization stay operationally nimble and financially scalable. When integrating AI into operations, it’s critical that companies do everything they can to maintain parking customer trust. 

Tools that can analyze data and predict trends are becoming increasingly essential within the industry. However, these same innovative tools need to be finessed internally to ensure the convenience they offer doesn’t supersede the quality of service customers have come to expect.

At Concord Parking/Vista, we are using AI internally to guide our human resources team in evaluating potential candidates prior to hiring. We are also in the testing stages of using AI software for responding to commonly asked questions by parking customers. 

The prevailing talk around AI certainly aligns with Vista’s centralized framework for reporting on collected statistics and using accumulated data about violation hotspots to inform enforcement routines. 

Parking solutions that enable data processing for predictive analytics will continue to be in high demand.

Flexibility 

Fixed parking solutions no longer work for most lot operators and municipalities.  

For example, parking demand on university campuses varies greatly throughout the year, and even full-time students may not require full-time parking each day of the week. In the business sector, with so many companies having adopted work-from-home policies, there is less need for conventional fixed-term permits for staff parking. 

This explains why so many organizations are adopting virtual permits to improve space utilization. The allowance of flexible passes purchased in smaller bulk quantities allows frequent parking customers the option of pre-paying and only using those credits on the days they are physically on site. 

More flexible, virtual permitting functionality is being adopted by municipalities of every size, with many looking to supplement (or entirely eliminate) conventional cash payments (coin meters) altogether. 

Interoperability 

For larger forward-thinking municipalities, seamless transit — the idea of creating frictionless experiences between modes of transportation — is a key area of focus. 

Providing commercial parking spaces for commuters will continue to play an instrumental part in prioritizing eco-friendly, efficient public mobility. Think bike sharing, EV charging stations, and other green initiatives. B2B parking service platforms capable of seamless integrations with other vendors will continue to thrive. 

When it comes to parking and transportation solutions, you need companies capable of facilitating productive collaborations between agencies. In the end, good parking is about supporting people’s preferred form of mobility. 

Handling Special Events

Whether it’s the first week of university, game day on campus, or your city is playing host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup (such as Vancouver, which Concord Parking calls home), municipalities and parking operators need ways to accommodate anticipated spikes in usage and fluctuating levels of demand.  

Special zone-based parking allocations, digital vehicle count displays, emailed validation codes for special guests prior to arrival, and the elimination of gated access and entry points through License Plate Recognition (LPR) are just some of the ways congested areas can better orchestrate the flow of traffic on busier days. 

Good communication is a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of parking management. Having a centralized information system shared by admin staff, department heads, and enforcement officers is often the first step in overcoming the common parking missteps large organizations make when it comes to permitting.

Compliance-first Strategies 

Concord Parking has long endorsed the long-term benefits of fostering parking compliance rather than aggressive ticketing and enforcement policies. And it seems more municipalities are following this approach. 

Violations will always occur, but as a parking management services provider, we view our goal as making the parking process as simple, fair, and transparent as possible for everyone.

Prioritizing Staff Retention

Even with the absolute best tools at your disposal, if you don’t have the right personnel in place, the work will suffer. Parking enforcement companies depend on the good judgment and powers of observation of their staff.

It is no wonder then why growing numbers of parking service providers are pursuing “thrive-by-retention" strategies to hold on to their best people. This approach starts during the recruitment stage and is fueled by strong leadership, recognition, and employee engagement.

At its core, good parking management is about providing excellent customer service. In order to do that, you need to start by empowering staff with a positive working environment.

Final Thoughts 

No matter which show we attend, it is inevitably worth the trip to engage with our fellow exhibitors and attendees. IPMI is consistently a reliable indicator of emerging trends in parking technologies. 

Based on the type of questions we received from the various attendees, we left even more confident in our company’s service approach.

Were you at the show? What were your impressions? 

If you’d like a personal demonstration of our Vista permitting and parking management software, simply send us a message to indicate your interest, and we’ll get back to you right away. 

Otherwise, we may just see you at next year’s IPMI Conference & Expo in Orlando!