2020 International Roofing Expo Breaks Attendance Record

The 2020 International Roofing Expo (IRE), held February 4-6 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, finished with record-breaking attendance in the largest expo hall on record.

Sponsored by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), the IRE is the premiere roofing construction and maintenance event. Roofing professionals from across the globe gathered to explore new products and services, participate in educational sessions, and network face-to-face with their industry peers.

The IRE returned to Dallas for the first time since 1988 and had another record-breaking year with 17,060 in attendance. The exhibit hall continued to expand with 170,980 square feet of booth space featuring over 541 companies displaying thousands of products and services. Booth space sales for 2021 also opened on-site at the show and next year’s event is already 80 percent sold out. “Cutting-edge education, influential show-floor demos, and emerging technology helped to drive record numbers at IRE 2020,” said Ray Giovine, Group Director for IRE.

“The 2020 IRE has once again exceeded attendees’ expectations. With a record crowd, record number of exhibitors and record attendance at the education classes, the IRE has become the must attend event of the year! Plan now to attend the 2021 IRE in Las Vegas,” said Reid Ribble, NRCA’s CEO.

This year’s event included over 44 educational sessions as part of the conference program. Attendees could select from sessions that covered technical skills, business management, industry trends, legal, safety, sales, marketing and more. The NRCA hosted some of their popular sessions including CERTA Train-the-Trainer, Fall Protection from A to Z, and Foreman Leadership Training classes.

In addition to a strong core conference program, those in attendance participated in over 35 free sessions on the show floor. Areas like the GAF Education Center, The Roofing Institute sponsored by Johns Manville, and exhibitor-presented seminar classroom provided solution-based sessions to help roofing professionals learn new ways to tackle everyday problems. The show floor was also packed with live product demonstrations. 

During expo hall hours, attendees could head to the parking lot and experience special events outdoors. SRS Distribution hosted the SRS Extreme Tailgate Party, where attendees could enjoy a beverage and cigar with their senior management team. Lifting Equipment Solutions conducted live crane demos, while Duro-Last demonstrated some of their top products. You could also watch as roof system installers took their hands-on NRCA ProCertification exams.

The IRE was excited to host the event’s first ever female keynote speaker, sponsored by Malarkey Roofing Products. Charlotte Jones, the Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, shared strategies about setting high expectations and continuing to raise the bar. 

The National Women in Roofing (NWIR) hosted their third annual one-day conference program designed for multidisciplinary women professionals in the roofing industry to learn about the latest business strategies and tactics and share their secrets to success. “With a sold out third annual NWIR Day, we are so pleased to be able to use the resources of our sponsors, the interest of our members, and the passion of our board of directors to empower women in the roofing industry,” said Ellen Thorp, NWIR Executive Director, and Jennifer Stone, Johns Manville; NWIR Co-Chair. 

On Sunday, February 2, the IRE in conjunction with Rebuilding Together, hosted the 11th Annual Community Service Day, sponsored by Sika Sarnafil. “The International Roofing Expo Community Service day was a huge success! Over 65 volunteers across the country came together to repair two homes and perform improvement projects at a nearby elementary school. The school staff and students were watching out the windows all day and ecstatic to see their new outdoor classroom, stage, garden shed, and new coop for their chickens. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were so relieved to have a new roof and the interior ceilings repaired from damage from the old leaking roof. Mrs. Trevino could not be happier to have her home sealed and secured with the exterior siding of her home replaced and repaired. It was a big day with a lot of moving parts and the volunteers jumped in and worked incredibly hard to get everything done. The last part of our mission statement is that we are rebuilding lives and that’s exactly what was accomplished during the service day. Lives were changed that day and there will be a lasting impact of the work completed during the service day. It was a beautiful day,” said Garrett Jones, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together, North Texas. In addition to materials being donated by many manufacturers, K-Post Roofing & Waterproofing and CertainTeed donated materials and labor to install a new roof on one of the homes. Sika Sarnafil provided Rebuilding Together North Texas with a donation of $15,000.

During the IRE there was no shortage of networking events. First-time attendees gathered together for the opportunity to connect at the First-Time Attendee reception on Monday, February 3. On opening night of the show, February 4, the IRE hosted its annual Welcome Party sponsored by Tremco. Held at the Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum, the lively party featured music from local Hall & Oates cover band, The Rich Girls. The NRCA also hosted its annual Industry Awards Ceremony and Cocktail Reception and NRCA ROOFPAC partnered with NWIR to present “An Evening in the Lone Star State,” a three-hour reception featuring a live auction and comedy show.

The IRE debuted a new interactive feature, Regina the Roofer, the show’s chatbot. She was available on the IRE website and through SMS text messaging. This feature allowed IRE participants with the ability to send her questions about the event and receive an instant response. “We are beyond thrilled with the level of interaction Regina received pre-show and onsite,” said Shelby Snelson, IRE Show Manager. “Providing attendees and exhibitors with instant access to show details was a great way for us to improve our level of service we provide them.”

The show will return to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas February 24-26, 2021. As the show and the industry continues to grow, the IRE is expanding the areas on the show floor for next year. A new Siding and Window Pavilion will include manufacturers and suppliers showcasing products that service these segments. This new pavilion will allow the IRE to better serve the exterior contractor market.

Attendee registration for the 2021 International Roofing Expo will open this fall. Attendees interested in attending the 2021 IRE can sign up for the IRE newsletter at www.theroofingexpo.com. Exhibitors interested in booking a booth at the event can contact the IRE account executive team at [email protected].

Be the first to comment on "2020 International Roofing Expo Breaks Attendance Record"

Leave a Reply