Paul Lewis (left) and Tony Jones (right) representing Designa at Retail Destination Live in Manchester
At the beginning of March, Designa participated in two industry events in the United Kingdom: the North East Parking Show in Durham and Retail Destination Live in Manchester. Representing Designa on site were Tony Jones and Paul Lewis, who spent two days connecting with operators, local authorities and stakeholders from across the parking and retail sectors.
Although the events took place only a day apart, they highlighted two very different perspectives on parking operations in the UK.
The North East Parking Show brought together parking professionals and representatives from municipalities across the region. For Designa, the event offered an opportunity to engage directly with local authorities responsible for managing parking infrastructure in cities and communities throughout North East England.
Many discussions focused on the structure of parking operations in the region, where on street parking and pay and display systems still play an important role. At the same time, several councils operate off street facilities that remain a key part of urban mobility and city centre access.
The event also provided a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with industry partners and to better understand regional priorities and operational requirements in municipal parking management.
The following day, the perspective shifted to a different environment. Retail Destination Live in Manchester brought together stakeholders from the retail and property sector.
The event created space for conversations around how parking supports retail destinations and visitor experience. For many shopping centres, parking operations remain closely connected to the overall performance and accessibility of the location.
During the event, Tony Jones and Paul Lewis exchanged perspectives with professionals from shopping centre management teams as well as managing agents, discussing developments shaping parking operations in retail environments.
Industry events like these remain an important platform for exchange within the parking sector. They provide opportunities to reconnect with partners, meet new contacts and gain insight into the different operational realities across parking environments.
Across both days, the events in Durham and Manchester highlighted how diverse the parking landscape can be depending on the context, whether municipal infrastructure or retail destinations.
A big thank you to Tony Jones and Paul Lewis for representing Designa and for the many conversations across both events.