IRE 2019: Education and New Products Take the Spotlight

Approximately 10 years ago, the marketing community was declaring conventions and tradeshows a dying industry. However, after attending the 2019 International Roofing Expo (IRE) in Nashville, Tennessee last month, this notion has not infiltrated the roofing industry. With more than 14,000 attendees and nearly 500 exhibiting companies, the roofing industry certainly supports tradeshows and continues to find value in bringing together like-minded professionals and friendly competitors pitching their products, and selling their services.

The most striking takeaway from the IRE this year was that professional education and new product launches took center stage. As one of many exhibiting/sponsoring companies that promoted education and announced new products, it was evident that the roofing industry continues to support these endeavors. With so much activity on the tradeshow floor and the energy that consumes Music City, it was easy to miss some of these excellent promotions.

This post is part one of two, and will summarize of some of my favorite sessions from Carlisle’s-sponsored Training & Education Center on the show floor.

Worker Training Programs and NRCA ProCertification™
As the roofing industry faces compelling workforce challenges, it is more important than ever to offer exceptional training and a career path for field workers. Guest speakers from NRCA presented this session that focused on their training and certification programs, and provided guidance on how to attract and retain workers while maximizing productivity—and the bottom line.

Unique Solutions for Challenging Situations
A commercial roofing installation is complex and ever-evolving. No two roof installations are the same. In this session, guests learned about various solutions to solve some of the unique challenges they may encounter. For example, alternative solutions to flash oddly shaped penetrations, how to achieve high R-values where you have height restrictions, and how to harness the power of the wind for a vacuum-sealed roof, to name just a few.

Proper Design & Detailing of a Metal Roof
Although not a single-ply presentation, this session - co-sponsored by Sherwin-Williams and CCM’s Drexel Metals-was worth checking out if you wanted to Make More with Metal. During this session, important factors such as wind speed and other environmental elements, positive and negative loading, roof slope, and roof height were all discussed. All of these elements require special consideration when planning a metal roof system.

How to Save Material Costs and Labor by Using EPS in a Single-Ply System
CCM’s Insulfoam brand sponsored this session, which discussed how to achieve required R-values with fewer insulation layers and less time overall on the roof. Attendees learned how to get the highest R-value per dollar with hybrid EPS and Polyiso insulation systems in a single-ply system to save time and money.

Liquid Applied Roofing: Sustaining Roof Assets
CCM’s Carlisle Roof Foam and Coatings sponsored this presentation that covered tools and systematic approaches for evaluating existing roof systems, understanding application constraints, and keys to successful liquid-applied restoration systems.

Understanding U.S. Energy Codes
This session dove deep into the current energy code landscape in the U.S. (state and local) and provided attendees with the resources needed to determine statewide and local energy codes. In addition, new construction vs. reroofing energy codes were discussed, and the pain points associated therein.

These are just a handful of the sessions that were presented in a jam-packed couple days in Nashville. And one thing is certain: the desire to learn and grown your business is still a domineering force in the roofing industry – and as long as tradeshows continue to deliver record attendance – innovative new educational opportunities will evolve.

Stay tuned for “part two” in a couple weeks.

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