There are over 450 booths represented on this floor plan from the IRE that cover all elements of roofing and roof technology.
The International Roofing Expo is considered by many to be the biggest and best of all roofing conventions. Established in 1955, it was the national conference for the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). This was the first year Total Pro Roofing attended, and we have to say that we agree too! Hosted in a different city each year, the IRE took New Orleans by storm for February 6-8, 2018. (Prior cities have included locations like Las Vegas and Orlando.)
Events this year kicked off with a community service day, a yearly tradition at the IRE to serve the local community of the hosting city. New to this year’s events, the NWIR (National Women In Roofing) hosted an Education Day on Sunday, February 4th, followed by a Mentoring and Networking Reception on Monday, February 5th. (Now in it’s second year, the NWIR strives to promote women in this industry. You can learn more about this fantastic group here: http://nationalwomeninroofing.org.) Also on Monday was a first time attendee reception hosted by the NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) which allowed attendees to meet many members of the NRCA staff that they might communicate with throughout the year. The National Roofing Contractors Association is the driving force behind education in our industry and membership allows access to an incredible amount of training and information for companies investing in growth and wanting to show their commitment to excellence.
International Roofing Expo 2018 Keynote Speaker: “Dr J” Julius Erving.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were a whirlwind of official International Roofing Expo events. The mornings were filled with fantastic education sessions on a variety of industry topics beginning at 7:45AM at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center. Topics ranged from leadership to technical elements and were designed for attendees across a variety of job roles in roofing. “Dr J” Julius Erving, of basketball fame, greeted everyone Tuesday as the keynote speaker. He brought a message of perseverance and drive.
Expo hours began daily at 11AM as the educational sessions wrapped up and featured over 450 exhibitors. Scattered throughout the day, there were also expo floor demonstrations and additional education sessions. Products ranged from traditional roofing materials to solar panels and technology from drones to measurement augmented realities. My friends, roofing has come a long way and we are firmly planted in the 21st century! Official numbers have not been posted, but last year drew 11,000+ attendees to Las Vegas, so it is probably safe to say attendance was approaching those numbers as well for this year in New Orleans.
Jena Carver (on right) joins other ladies at the National Women in Roofing event at IRE.
Total Pro Roofing highly recommends this event to anyone in our industry. The networking across all elements of roofing was incredible and it was a fantastic experience to put many names to faces from across the country. It was inspiring and a great way to kick off the new year as the spring season ramps up.
Jena Carver and Jason Carver waving “Hello” at Beacon’s event at IRE.
