Put ting the future on show

Parkex 2023 saw parking professionals gather to check out bright ideas and discuss the big issues

Birmingham became the focal point for the world of parking for three days in June when the annual Parkex exhibition landed at the NEC.

The event is a shop window for the latest innovations in parking payment, traffic management and the rapidly growing arena of electric vehicle charging. The show was also home to a theatre space that hosted debates organised by the British Parking Association on themes such as skills development, staff safety and preparing car parks for electric vehicles.

The event opened with a video address by transport minister Richard Holden, who said: “The government has worked closely with the BPA to develop smarter parking and want to maximise the benefit of real-time data.” Holden praised the development of the National Parking Platform. “Speaking as a motorist, on behalf of several million others, I look forward to a world where I can pay for parking the same way wherever I am. The platform will reshape the market, putting the emphasis on attracting the customer with the best product.”

The next Parkex will be co-located with Traffex and takes place at the CBS Arena in Coventry on 22-24 May 2024.

Parking technology companies competed for recognition on the Innovation Trail at Parkex 2023. The competition highlighted innovative systems and services on display in the show at Birmingham’s NEC. A group of nine companies exhibiting at the three-day event were selected to form the trail: AES Global, AppyWay, Barbour Logic, Buchanan Computing, ControlFreq, Metric, Planet, Unity5 (Zatpark) and VertexGIS.

The Judges’ Award saw the entries assessed by an expert jury while the People’s Choice winners were voted for by exhibition visitors. Once the decisions had been made and votes cast, a pair of trophies were presented within each category, one for small businesses and the other for medium or large ones

Barbour Logic was a double winner for its AI-powered Voice Master driver advice helpline, which picked up the Judges’ Award for small businesses and the People’s Choice Award. Jason Barbour, managing director of Barbour Logic, said: “We were thrilled with our double win at the Innovation Trail awards. Voice Master is an AI PCN helpline that increases inclusivity. People in digital poverty need a PCN helpline because they can’t get help online. People who struggle with literacy need a helpline too. I think Voice Master won the people’s votes as an innovation to help solve this social injustice.”

AppyWay won the Judges’ Award for medium and larger businesses. Dan Hubert, founder and chief executive of AppyWay, said: “It’s a great honour to win for a second year running. The Parking Platform demonstrates how truly innovative our approach is and how much the market is ready for it.

“The Parking Platform impressed the jury as it can immediately solve daily problems for parking managers, as well as help them prepare for the National Parking Platform (NPP). With digital Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) at the heart of the platform, parking managers are able to manage emission-based tariffs, view multiple datasets from third parties, and manage bay suspensions, to name a few. The most impactful part is its ability to consolidate third-party data and place it into the hands of UK drivers wanting more sustainable services from the kerbside.”

AES Global won a People’s Choice Award for its e-Loop wireless traffic detection system. Glenn Ball, country manager at AEG Global, said: “The e-Loop is a true innovation in access control, and the applications across parking are wide and varied. It has all the hallmarks of an innovation: simplifying an existing process (triggering a barrier, gate, ANPR camera or anything with an electronic relay capability) and making it easier than ever to accomplish (doing away with underground wired loops), saving time, effort and destruction to existing surfaces.”

The competition is overseen by the British Parking Association, with the jury comprising Conor Greely (Carflow), Stuart Harrison (IntelliPark), Louise Parfitt (Parking News), Sarah Randall (Newham Council), Manny Rasores de Toro (MR Parking) and Kelvin Reynolds (BPA) Conor Greely, chair of the BPA’s Technology, Innovation and Research Board, said: “It is testament to the brilliant innovation occurring in the parking sector that there was such a strong field of entries this year, including AI, natural language, low power wireless kit and sophisticated software platforms.”