'A jack-of-all-trades'—that’s how you could describe Grace Boeren, coordinator of parking management at Interparking at Eindhoven Airport. Grace creates work schedules, coaches and supports her colleagues, checks the quality of the parking lots and garages, and discusses possible optimizations and pain points with Eindhoven Airport’s parking experts. Grace regularly contacts the Technical Service to resolve minor parking issues. She is also the point of contact for Interparking management.

Grace has been working in parking management at the airport since July 2021. As parking management coordinator, together with a team of eleven colleagues, she is responsible for the entire parking operation. It’s a versatile role that gives her great satisfaction. “We have a fantastic team, my work is varied, and every day is a surprise because you never know what’s going to happen.” She coaches her team, holds meetings, and makes sure she stays informed about what’s happening at the airport so she can anticipate accordingly. And when traffic at the airport comes to a standstill, she puts on a jacket and helps direct traffic.

Grace knows the ropes. She started as a customer service representative. In that role, she had a lot of contact with parkers—manning the parking desk, answering calls and emails, and serving as a go-to resource. The most frequently asked questions are about parking availability and prices. Grace tries to reassure people with questions or concerns. “In my role, you really need to stay calm because customers are often stressed.” According to her, this happens when they don’t know the way or set off unprepared and then struggle to find a parking spot.

According to Grace, the additional parking spaces from the expansion of P3 are badly needed—especially in summer when demand is high.

“Some people have a short fuse, and others have no fuse at all.” This usually happens when they can’t quickly find a parking spot because they didn’t book in advance or when they have to pay extra for staying longer than 15 minutes at Kiss & Ride. But she also regularly receives thanks when she helps people find their way quickly.

Grace thrives when she can help. “We’ve assisted many drivers who had trouble navigating the ramp.” That says a lot about her: “We always try to think along and find a solution.”