With the Mardi Gras festivities long over, New Orleans is jazzing it up again to welcome thousands of roofing professionals to the Morial Convention Center for the 2015 International Roofing Expo (IRE), taking place Feb. 24-26.

“The 2015 IRE is a unique opportunity for roofing professionals to get a first-hand look at the latest trends, the newest products and the most recent innovations driving the industry,” said Tracy Garcia, CEM, director of the IRE. “This is the must-attend event for the roofing industry.”

Show Floor

With more than 500 exhibiting companies and 16 hours of exhibit time, you will find a wide range of

multi-dimensional manufacturers and suppliers of all sizes displaying thousands of innovative, profit-driving, audience-engaging products, services, technologies and equipment in more than 1,000 booths.

On display will be the following products to help you profit: gutters, insulation, ladders, coatings/adhesives, siding, built-up roofing, fasteners, TPO, machinery equipment/tools, EPDM, metal roofing, modified bitumen, roof/decking materials, PVC, roof pavers, walkways/ballast, shingles, skylights, slate, spray polyurethane foam, tile, vapor retarders, ventilation, waterproofing and much more.

Find exactly what you need to keep your business on the cutting-edge in the Product Showcase, where you will see, try and compare the latest products in the following categories: new, sustainable, safety and made in the USA. Located on the show floor, this area is a must see for attendees to find great products in a direct, non-selling environment. A panel of industry experts will select the Best New Product and Best Sustainable Product based on innovation, productivity and cost effectiveness — it's like the Oscars for new roofing products!

Stop by the Metal Marketplaceon the show floor to find cutting-edge manufacturers supplying creative and innovative metal products, designs, building concepts, tools and services. Attendees specializing in metal will find what they need here. The Metal Marketplace is sponsored by Metal Roofing Magazine.

The latest business and technology products and services can be found in the Business & Technology Pavilion, as well as the suppliers that will help select the right trends to help businesses keep their sales up all year long.

Learn tricks, tips and detailed instructions from OMG and Equipter as they present Exhibitor Product Clinics of their products, equipment and materials. These small group meetings are presented daily on the show floor to get an up-close look at the products and services.

Find new products, meet new exhibitors and have a chance of winning $2,000 cash by participating in the Treasure Quest game! Pick up a Treasure Quest game card during registration, and then follow the map to each of the participating booths to receive an official stamp. Once all the required stamps have been secured and the card submitted, participants will be entered into the onsite drawing.

Experience small-group business training with executive-level professionals by participating in The Roofing Institute, sponsored by Johns Manville. Attendees will sharpen and hone their business acumen, as well as increase the effectiveness and productivity of their businesses through these condensed classes covering topics from business strategies and leadership to increasing profits and more. Held on the show floor, these Business 101 classes are free with all registration packages. Seating for up to 40 people is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Special Events

Ken Schmidt, the former brand visionary at Harley-Davidson, will provide the Keynote Address, “Make Some Noise: Open the Throttle and Dominate Your Marketplace,” sharing his expertise on brand building, corporate positioning and customer relations. Don’t miss this inspirational and motivating presentation about his turning around of Harley-Davidson from the brink of bankruptcy. Held Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 9:45-10:50 a.m., the Keynote is free with all registration packages, but advance registration is required. Sponsored by Malarkey Roofing Products.

Join us at historic Generations Hall for an evening of Louisiana culture, food and drink at the IRE Welcome Partyon Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 5:15-7:15 p.m. Originally built in the early 1820s as a sugar refinery, Generations Hall combines a unique glimpse into a bygone era with a state-of-the-art sound system that creates an energetic backdrop to mingle and dance while listening to the music of New Orleans-based party band, The Bucktown All-Stars. Come enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, soda and multiple opportunities to network with industry friends and leaders. Sponsored by USG and Tremco. All guests must be 21 years of age with valid ID and IRE name badge. Free admission for conference registrants; $45 admission fee for Expo Only registrants before Jan. 12; and $55 thereafter. Advance registration is required.

Put your hands to work in the New Orleans community by helping repair and rebuild the homes of families that are elderly, disabled or financially unable to support the renovation. Now in its fifth consecutive year, Community Service Day will take place Monday, Feb. 23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This home repair and revitalization project is the perfect way for the roofing industry to pay it forward by helping those less fortunate. Tax-deductible monetary donations are needed as well as volunteers to perform a variety of construction disciplines. Sponsored by Sika Sarnafil; lunch will be provided by OMG Roofing Products.

Educational Program

The IRE conference program is specifically tailored to give roofing professionals the specialized knowledge and training needed to win more bids and work more profitably.

Through the educational conference, attendees can choose from 44 knowledge-building sessions in eight tracks where they will learn the best practices and the latest technologies designed to improve skills and grow business. Forty out of 44 sessions offer new topics, with three of last year’s most popular courses back by demand.

Sessions will cover code revisions, TPO membranes, OSHA updates, technology tools, sustainability requirements and ratings, successful leadership practices, marketing strategies, employee compensation plans and much more.

Held Tuesday through Thursday, classes are 90 minutes in length and do not overlap the exhibit hall hours, allowing ample time on the show floor. Tracks cover technical, workplace safety, leadership/management, green building, legal/HR, money matters, sales/service and general business. Sessions are specifically targeted to commercial/residential/metal contractors, owners/CEOs/general managers, superintendents/foremen, architects/designers/consultants, salesmen/estimators, manufacturers/ suppliers and building owners/facility managers.

Houzz will present a session on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 1-2 p.m. titled “Maximizing Your exposure to local Homeowners with Houzz.” Attendees will learn best practices for creating a free profile on Houzz that is designed to build a company’s business reputation and attract new local customers.

The Department of Defense will present Hero2Hired (H2H) on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., to demonstrate how hiring a vet can impact a business. Participants will learn best practices and strategies through employment networks to connect skilled service members to construction and the building trades.

“Targeting Your Local Residential Roofing Replacement Market” will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. to provide residential roofing contractors information on how they can leverage local market data and reports from Metrostudy.

To read the session descriptions, click the Conference tab and then the Sessions link at www.theroofingexpo.comto search the full conference schedule by session title, track, date, speaker and/or keyword.

Designed to help attendees advance their businesses and careers, many sessions have been approved by Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Construction Industry Licensing Board, and RCI Inc.

Registration

All educational sessions require registration. Space in sessions is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information regarding registration, visit www.theroofingexpo.com,or call 708-498-2408 or 866-860-1970. To register onsite, proceed to the registration counter at the Morial Convention Center.

Communications

With all the technology available today, there are so many ways to stay connected to the IRE, such as the free mobile app which can be downloaded by searching IREin the iPhone, iPad or Android app store. The IRE is also on various social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+. Twitter users can follow the show using #RoofingExpo or @RoofingExpo. Show photos can be accessed at https://www.flickr.com/groups/2520159@N22/.

For more information, visit www.theroofingexpo.com.