Parkex 2024 is just around the corner, marking the return of Europe’s must-attend parking event. Hosted annually by the British Parking Association (BPA), Parkex is the flagship conference and exhibition for the parking sector, attracting industry leaders, innovative suppliers, and parking professionals from across the continent who unite for two days of strategy, networking, and product evaluation.
As we count down to this unmissable event that starts on May 22nd we’ve been inspired to sit down with some key members of our expert team to discuss the importance of the conference to Cammax.
Between them, Ron Buck (Parking Business Development Manager), Nick Lye (Head of Sales) and Sam Pryor (Solution Sales Specialist) have years of experience in sales and business development, whilst all three are acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the parking industry, which they discuss in this exclusive Q&A.
Whilst speaking to the team, Ron, Nick and Sam also offer a sneak peek into some of the exciting solutions Cammax are set to unveil at Parkex 2024. Tips and advice for car park operators, as well answers to some of the most common questions we get from our parking customers are further discussed in this insightful sit down!
Ron Buck: For us at Cammax, Parkex is a highlight of our year and undeniably one of the most significant events on our expo calendar. It’s an exceptional opportunity for us to connect face-to-face with both existing partners and potential new clients, including operators, local authorities, and technology partners. The event allows us to discuss new innovations and specific solution requirements, which is crucial for steering our product development in the right direction.
Furthermore, Parkex is a fantastic platform for receiving direct feedback, which is vital for continuous improvement of our products and services. It also enables us to meet with industry players we haven’t worked with before, to understand their challenges and explore how our solutions could enhance their operations. Importantly, it’s a chance for us to explore the arena, keeping abreast of emerging technologies and trends that could influence our future offerings.
Nick Lye: Cammax has always used Parkex as a platform for showcasing our newest and most innovative parking solutions, and every year we exhibit, we are striving to set a new benchmark. For Parkex 2024, we have an exciting lineup of products and solutions that our team will be demoing.
Attendees can look forward to us showcasing the CamPay v3, which is one of our most popular parking payment machines for clients who need to cater for cash and card-paying customers. This hybrid unit features a large full-colour touch screen interface, intuitive navigation, and accommodates various payment methods and validation devices, making it ideal for organisations seeking safe and secure payment options.
We are also really excited to unveil our new Orion pay station, which represents the latest in parking payment technology, combining cashless payment options with large colourful screens designed to deliver a brilliant customer experience. Easy to use and versatile, the Orion can be deployed to cater for cashless-based parking facilities who are looking to leverage their payment infrastructure to introduce new revenue streams such as advertising.
At Cammax, we recognise that both our existing customers and potential new customers are constantly on the lookout for sophisticated software solutions that can increase efficiencies and enhance customer experiences. At Parkex 24, we will also be guiding visitors through our intelligent parking management systems including Pay on Exit – ANPR, Pay on Entry and Pay and Display.
Sam Pryor: My top advice would be to carefully consider the speed of technological change when making any major investment decisions in parking infrastructure. The parking sector is evolving rapidly with new payment trends and customer expectations emerging all the time. It’s critical to opt for flexible solutions that can adapt as needs change over their lifecycle.
I’d also advise operators to thoroughly compare the full life cycle costs of the various parking systems they are exploring – not just the upfront capital costs. The lowest priced option isn’t always the most cost-effective in the long run once you factor in maintenance, customer support, payment processing fees and more.
Finally, I’d encourage parking providers to explore ways they can leverage their payment equipment and systems to deliver additional services and benefits beyond just parking. Whether that’s accepting payments for other municipal services, providing advertising/marketing opportunities, enabling loyalty programs, or other revenue-enhancing capabilities. The most forward-thinking parking operators view their infrastructure as a multifaceted platform, not just for parking.
Nick Lye: Cammax’s parking systems and solutions are designed to provide ultimate flexibility and scalability to streamline operations for operators. One key advantage is that our multi-functional parking devices allow the same units to be reconfigured for any parking setup – pay on exit, pay on entry, pay and display – without having to change the underlying hardware.
This multi-purpose functionality provides parking operators with much more agility to adapt to changing needs or parking configurations. It avoids operators being locked into rigid, single-purpose parking equipment that can quickly become outdated or require complete hardware overhauls for relatively minor changes.
Additionally, Cammax’s solutions allow for faster adoption of new technologies and quicker deployment of software innovations across the parking operation. Our cloud-connected systems mean new features and capabilities can be rolled out seamlessly with over-the-air updates, keeping parking systems future-proofed.
Importantly, we believe in supporting our clients every step of the way. Our partner support programmes are designed to assist operators in managing their parking solutions effectively. From project management and technical architecture planning to software road mapping and ongoing support and customer service, we provide a full spectrum of services. This end-to-end support helps parking operators optimise their operations from initial design through to daily management.
Ron Buck: To answer this question we can only rely on what our customers tell us but we believe it’s our relentless drive for innovation combined with an unwavering commitment to delivering tailored solutions that prioritise our clients’ needs above all else.
While other suppliers may rest on their laurels, we continuously push the boundaries of what’s possible, rapidly bringing new products, services, and product updates to market through our agile development approach. This ensures our offering remains at the cutting edge, providing our clients with a distinct competitive advantage.
However, we recognise that innovation alone is not enough. We take a true partnership approach, working hand-in-hand with parking operators to intimately understand their unique challenges and requirements. Our solutions are then meticulously tailored to address those specific pain points, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
Crucially, we deliver this level of customisation and innovation while also providing exceptional value for money. Our focus is on optimising the total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the solution, ensuring our clients receive high-quality products at competitive prices.
But our commitment extends far beyond just the technology itself. We provide comprehensive business support encompassing dedicated project teams, collaborative product development, proactive issue identification and resolution, and extensive customer support – covering extended warranties, all parts and labour. This end-to-end support ensures our solutions are seamlessly integrated and continuously optimised to drive maximum value for our clients.
Finally, we understand the importance of flexibility and agility in today’s rapidly evolving parking landscape. That’s why we build and hold dedicated stock for customer call-off, as well as offering tailored commercial agreements to meet the specific needs of each client relationship.
Sam Pryor: At Cammax, customer support and service are paramount to our overall offering. We understand that world-class technology alone is not enough – it must be backed by responsive, proactive support to ensure optimal performance and value for our clients.
We aim to deliver the best customer support in the parking industry through a multi-faceted approach. Proactive system monitoring allows us to remotely identify and resolve issues before they escalate. We also ensure rapid response times for any ad-hoc service calls that arise.
Crucially, we foster close relationships with our partners, taking the time to deeply understand their unique setups. This enables our support teams to provide contextual solutions drawing on that critical operational knowledge.
Our support extends across the full solution lifecycle – from collaborative design and implementation to continuous optimization as requirements evolve. We strive to be a trusted partner providing the expertise and resources to drive lasting success.
Nick Lye: This is a great question as we do often encounter operators who face challenges with their infrastructure. At Cammax, we’ve built flexibility and adaptability into the core of our product portfolio to ensure we can deliver tailored solutions no matter the location constraints.
On the hardware front, our payment machines are engineered with challenging environments in mind. Their compact footprints allow deployment in space-constrained areas, while optional solar power and 4G connectivity enable operation completely off-grid where utilities are limited or non-existent. This versatility ensures our solutions can be implemented successfully anywhere from underground spaces to remote car parks.
However, hardware is only one part of the equation. The true power lies in our highly configurable software platform that allows us to facilitate any type of site-specific setup or workflow imaginable. Need a particular flow for staffed entry? A certain validation sequence for gated spaces? Our software can accommodate it all with ease.
Crucially, we understand that every parking operator’s situation is unique, which is why we take a collaborative approach when addressing infrastructure challenges. Our experts work closely with each partner’s team to first gain a deep understanding of their specific environment and operating requirements. We then devise tailored solutions that draw from our full suite of hardware options, software configurability, and seasoned deployment expertise.
Ron Buck: We fully understand that payment preferences can vary significantly across different locations and customer demographics which is why flexibility and choice are core tenets underpinning our parking payment solutions. We believe in providing options that allow our partners to implement systems catering to any payment scenario or customer need.
Our philosophy centres around avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. For parking operators looking to continue accepting cash while also offering contactless and digital payment methods, our core payment terminals like the CamPay v3 are hybrid units capable of handling both cash and cashless transactions seamlessly.
However, we also recognize the growing demand for fully cashless and contactless parking experiences. For sites looking to go cashless and leverage the latest digital payment technologies, we offer cutting-edge solutions like the Orion pay station. Designed for a brilliant user experience, the Orion prioritizes contactless payments via card, mobile wallet, QR codes and more, all through an intuitive touchscreen interface.
Ultimately, our goal is to work as a collaborative partner with each parking operator to deeply understand their unique situation – their location dynamics, customer demographics, operational requirements and more.
Sam Pryor: We totally agree that the user experience is crucial in driving adoption.
From the very outset, our team of engineers immerse themselves in extensive user research and testing to deeply understand the pain points, mental models, and needs of the people who will be interacting with our payment machines. We study real-world usage patterns, behaviours, and feedback to identify opportunities for simplifying and streamlining the payment journey.
These insights feed directly into the iterative design of our intuitive user interfaces. We use large, bright, full-colour touch screens that make interactions simple and engaging. These screens are designed to provide clear visual prompts and instructions, which help in reducing confusion and speeding up the transaction process. We also include supportive imagery and multilingual options to cater to diverse populations, ensuring that our systems are accessible to everyone, regardless of their primary language or level of tech-savviness.
Moreover, we engage in a constant feedback loop with our partners and clients. This ongoing dialogue helps us to understand and implement changes that improve user interactions based on real-world usage and customer feedback. Whether it’s tweaking the interface to make it more intuitive or adjusting the physical components for better ergonomics, we are committed to refining our products continually.
Nick Lye: We do understand that this is a very hot topic at the moment but we can assure both existing and potential customers that security is engrained into the core of our product design and development processes. We draw from over 15 years of experience deploying robust cash handling systems in harsh, unmanned environments to continually refine our approach against both cyber threats and physical risks.
Our payment terminals utilise secure operating systems, encrypted communications, anti-skimming technologies and tamper-evident designs to protect against fraud and vandalism attempts.
However, we understand security is an ongoing journey. We proactively monitor the landscape, rapidly implementing improvements if new vulnerabilities emerge. Collaborative feedback loops with partners allow us to share intelligence and develop coordinated responses.
Ron Buck: Parkex attendees interested in connecting with Cammax can easily get in touch with us both before and after the event. You’re welcome to email any of our parking team members—Myself, Nick, or Sam. Additionally, each member of our team is available via mobile and you can find our details below:
Ron Buck
Nick Lye
Sam Pryor