I was having a chat with a member of the PAA the other day and he told me a bit about its history. He said that it had a similar birth to the ANPSG, a group of Councils with common interests and concerns in the parking industry getting together to discuss these matters.
After the body was set up, they invited commercial operators and industry suppliers to join them. Over time it moved more and more to a commercial industry based organisation with the councils losing control over the direction it was taking.
The introduction of the Australian Road Rules became the catalyst for the formation of the ANPSG some years later, so we now have two organisations with similar interests competing for a limited sponsorship dollar.
His suggestion was that the two bodies should consider pooling their resources to eliminate this competition in the market place. Whilst some aspects of their focus are quite divergent, they do have some significant common ground.
As a number of a number of councils run off-street parking facilities, the suppliers of equipment are generally the same as those that are members of PAA and attend its Conference.
This year, the PAA and ANPSG had their two events only weeks apart, so perhaps they should consider getting together to cut costs to both organisations.
Whilst there are differences in focus, surely these are not insurmountable. A common exhibition hall with separate break-out rooms for presentations is one work around.
Worth a thought or two?
Comments