>> EPA NEWS 20th European Parking Association Congress and Exhibition Welcome note In 2021 EPA will be celebrating 38 years of activity and is holding its 20th International Congress and Exhibition in Brussels. Dear friends and colleagues, The 2021 Congress theme is “The EU Green Deal and the Future of Parking – Integrated solutions for Dynamic Urban Manage- ment” and will be the most complete and multidisciplinary event involving operators in the parking industry, national and local public administrations, representatives of European Commissions and Projects, experts in the field of mobility, urban logistics, electri- cal mobility, the data world, ITS, Apps and much more. We will be examining the overall parking and urban mobility situation in Eu- rope enabling us to address wider issues of urban mobility alongside detailed parking matters, indicating that EPA is positively promoting parking solutions for sustainable mobility, contributing to the reduc- tion of congestion, pollution and improving accessibility. 500 thousand professional employees, 41 million on- and off-street parking spaces, 23 billion euros turnover The European Parking Association today represents the national as- sociations of 21 countries and their 41 million on- and off-street park- ing spaces, almost 500 thousand professional employees and an esti- mated annual turnover of €23 billion. This stimulating cultural, oper- ative and economical context with its vast range of parking and mobility realities and solutions is being used to increase the awareness of the enormous potential and opportunities that parking manage- ment offers in contributing to sustainable towns and cities generating liveable, accessible and competitive centres. The EPA professionals today contribute by managing the static component of the mobility chain in the on- and off-street spaces for individual, collective and logistics vehicles, and the technological revolution that we are part of today is a stimulating challenge for the parking industry that is part of the fast moving world where the digital, technological, clean energy and behavioural developments are generating new opportunities. Many illustrious personalities from the political, scientific, aca- demic and industrial fields have been speakers during recent con- gresses, and to name a few confirming the level of prestige: Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission and Commis- sioner for Transport, Prof. Donald Shoup, Professor of the Depart- ment of Urban Planning – UCLA, Los Angeles, José Viegas, Secre- tary General of the International Transport Forum, Transport and Mobility Ministers and Mobility Councillors from many countries, leaders and experts from the automotive industry and its associa- Roland F. Cracco Laurence A. Bannerman tions, the transport authorities and their associations, the ITS world and of course public and private experts from the parking industry and internationally renowned academics. The EPA Congress combines a well-attended scientific confer- ence with a trade exhibition for the parking and mobility industry. The recent events have seen an average presence of over 500 dele- gates, 50 top-level national and international speakers and 70 ex- hibitors from 32 countries worldwide. The professional trade exhibition alongside the Congress offers the opportunity to the manufacturers, suppliers and others active in this field to promote their products and services. We ask you to con- sider this exceptional showcase event for gaining information, ex- changing ideas and networking with the European Parking Industry. As always, the Congress marks the biennial presentation of the prestigious EPA Awards introduced in 1994, in five different catego- ries, illustrating the state of art solutions combining management, technology and environmental attention. In 2021 the Congress will reach a new level and will mark a fur- ther strategic change in EPA’s development. EPA together with BPF, the Belgian Parking Federation who will be hosting the event, is making every effort to ensure the Congress is a worthwhile, enjoya- ble and memorable event. Most important combined international parking and mobility event in Europe Today the EPA Congress is unquestionably the most important combined international parking and mobility event in Europe and we look forward to meeting you all in Brussels at the 20th EPA Con- n gress and Exhibition. Roland F. Cracco President Belgian Parking Federation Laurence A. Bannerman President European Parking Association 16 16 Parking trend international no. 4-2020