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Record numbers at 2015 International Roofing Expo

Taking place from Feb. 24-26 at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, the 2015 International Roofing Expo (IRE), an annual tradeshow and conference for commercial and residential roofing professionals, drew a total attendance of 9,337 roofing construction professionals.

“The tradeshow floor was the largest since the 2000 show,” said IRE Show Director Tracy Garcia, CEM. “Exhibitors enjoyed steady traffic as they introduced hundreds of new and innovative products to high-caliber decision-makers.”

Participants came from all segments of the roofing industry, including commercial and residential contractors, builders, remodelers, building owners, facility managers, manufacturers, architects, engineers and other related industry professionals.

IRE08_cmyk“Business is strong within the roofing industry,” said Bill Good, Executive Vice President of the National Roofing Contractors Association, the show’s official sponsor, who had an 800 square foot booth at the event. “The enthusiasm was evident throughout the buying and selling activity on the show floor.”

In attendance were representatives from 15 of the industry’s top 25 roofing and construction companies. Attendees represented all 50 states, with the largest number of international attendees from Canada, Mexico and Seoul.

First time registrants made up 42 percent of all attendees. Returning attendees were equally enthusiastic.

“I have attended since 1980 and for a good reason — once each year I get to spend a few days gathering valuable information and resources,” said Alan Meier of Hi Tec Roofing Services. “It’s hard to imagine being in the roofing business and not being a member of the NRCA or attending the IRE each year.”

“This was my seventh year attending and I feel the IRE continues to improve yearly,” said Robert Andreu of Hunter Warfield. “The location, vendors and show management each exceeded my expectations.”

Comprised of 1,178 booths, participating exhibitors increased by 13 percent over the 2014 show.

“The IRE is the most important show of the year for us to engage our customers in person and showcase our new products and technologies,” said Karen Edwards of EagleView Technologies. “We expect to see a great return on investment.”

Of the 465 exhibiting companies, 87 companies were first-time exhibitors.

“We have attended many construction tradeshows in the past, and by far the IRE has been the most productive in terms of high attendance which has generated a great source of leads to grow future business,” said Eric Velliquette of Lakeside Construction Fasteners. “If you haven’t attended or exhibited at the IRE, you should!”

In addition to the show floor’s buying and selling activity, the show’s educational conference offered 44 educational sessions addressing a variety of industry issues.

Educational tracks included technical and workplace safety classes, as well as business-related sessions including leadership/management, green building, legal/HR, money matters, sales/service and general business.

“The IRE show is extremely valuable to our company because the seminars are packed full of useful information that we can apply immediately and improve our bottom line in 2015,” said Steve Pike of White Stone 1998. “We are very busy with our business, but this is time well spent with what we learned we are positioned to become a market leader.”

On the show floor, attendees found new products and ideas at the Metal Marketplace that featured 70 booths, the Business & Technology Pavilion with 49 booths, and Exhibitor Product Clinics from OMG, Equipter and Tremco.

Education was available on the show floor through The Roofing Institute. Sponsored by Johns Manville, these condensed classes covered topics from business strategies and leadership to increasing profits and more.

At the Product Showcase, attendees were able to see, try and compare the latest products in the following categories: new, sustainable, and Made in the USA.

“Business is strong within the roofing industry,” said Bill Good, Executive Vice President of the National Roofing Contractors Association, the show’s official sponsor, who had an 800 square foot booth at the event. “The enthusiasm was evident throughout the buying and selling activity on the show floor.”

Giving back to the New Orleans community, a pre-show Community Service Day took place on Feb. 23 where 50 attendees and exhibitors enthusiastically volunteered to help renovate the homes of two families in need.

The 2016 International Roofing Expo will be held Feb. 17-19, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

For more information, visit TheRoofingExpo.com

 

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