The International Roofing Expo (IRE) understands that roofing contractors are busy people. In that respect, it is offering a multitude of educational sessions and seminars to be viewed at their leisure.

The IRE Virtual Edition, scheduled for March 2-4, is releasing a number of sessions aimed at providing roofing professionals the latest information and techniques that will boost their operations and business. Whether it’s training, managing workflow or info on how shingles are tested for resiliency, registrants will gain access to a wealth of knowledge. Online access to the platform for on-demand viewing until April 2.

Below is a list of the on demand sessions as well as the seminars held by exhibitors.

NOTE: All event information provided by IRE. Times are listed for EST. Schedule and events are subject to change.

On Demand Sessions

Training and Sustaining Your Workforce
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: NRCA 

Speaker: Jared Ribble

Today’s tight labor market has resulted in a shortage of skilled, experienced workers in the roofing industry. As a result, some companies often have found themselves with unskilled or undertrained laborers on roofing projects, which can lead to quality issues and high rates of turnover. With real testimonials from roofing industry professionals, presenters will describe how contractors can foster workforce development and use NRCA ProCertification® and Training For Roof Application Careers (TRAC) with Qualified Trainers to address their need for a competent, sustainable and high-performing roofing workforce.

A College-Level Course on Roofing! Who Knew?
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: Roofing Alliance

Speakers: Bill Good, Dhaval Gajjar

The Roofing Alliance and Clemson University have partnered to develop – and implement – a roofing-specific course into the university’s curriculum. This session will focus on the background of the partnership, students’ perception of the course and how industry stakeholders can capitalize on this new opportunity in their own communities. You will discuss how the course was developed within the university structure, identify strategies industry members can use to partner with local educational institutions, discuss how industry members can assist local educational institutions in offering a course on roofing, discuss how to partner with schools of construction management, e.g., by serving on advisory boards, offering to be a guest lecturer or developing an internship program.

Exhibitor Seminars

Roofing it Right with Dave and Wally
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: GAF

Speakers: David Scott and Walter Brown, RRO, CDT, LEED GA, CSRP, NRCA Pro-Certification Trainer/Accessor

Dave and Wally review and provide guidance on the importance of various roofing applications.

Shingle Systems for Sales Consultants
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: GAF

Speakers: Andres Beltran, Erasmo “Mitos” Fuentes

Are you a beginner or an experienced salesperson in the roofing industry? Have you been faced with challenging questions that you cannot answer in a simple, yet professional and credible way that makes sense to the homeowner? Join this webinar to expand your knowledge by mastering the basics of the roofing system and the correct installation of each roofing component.

How to Build a Resilient Contracting Service
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: GAF

Speakers: Danny Kerr, Benji Carlson

Join us to get some battle-tested infrastructure that transforms you from a doer-of-all-things to a builder of great systems and a leader of great people. Learn how to navigate through this transition, and what it takes to truly work on your business.

How HOVER powers the full contractor workflow
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: HOVER

Speaker: Brad Morgan

Learn how HOVER transforms smartphone photos of any home into an accurate, interactive 3D model and detailed measurement report that power every step of a contractor’s workflow - from generating estimates, to sending proposals, to placing material orders directly with distributors.

Three Keys to Designing and Building Durable Roof Systems
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: Huber

Speaker: Fred Malik

“Three Keys to Designing and Building Durable Roof Systems” provides guidance for design and construction professionals to reduce the avoidable financial loss, hardship and disruption experienced by homeowners due to roof failures that occur during natural disasters. Research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has shown that as much as 90% of claims filed following natural disasters involve damage to the roof or resulting from some form of roof failure, including water intrusion. For those with adequate homeowners insurance, the impact of roof failures often extends beyond financial loss, and includes avoidable emotional consequences from sudden hardship as well the potential of being displaced from their home. For those who are under insured or uninsured, frequently the most vulnerable, these impacts are magnified significantly with the risk of catastrophic financial loss.

Partnering to Maximize the Value of Roofing Guarantees
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: Johns Manville

Speaker: Rick Gusti

Join us and discover how clear communication can reduce confusion and build lasting relationships. Learn how to navigate the challenges Roofing Guarantees present. Join us and discover how clear communication can reduce confusion and build lasting relationships. We’ll examine how a partnership of manufacturers, contractors and owners can extend the life of a system and improve customer experiences.

6 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Customer’s Experience
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: thryv

Speaker: Kevin White

Today’s modern consumer has high expectations when it comes to doing business. Think about the Amazon effect — the demand for instant, exceptional experiences has never been higher. Unfortunately, small businesses can get lost trying to keep up. In this workshop, you’ll learn 6 simple ways to surprise and delight your customers and build long-lasting relationships (and referrals) along the way.

UL Collaborates With IBHS for Testing for New Shingle Performance Ratings
Starting Tuesday, March 2, 10 a.m.

Presented by: UL

Speakers: Dwayne Sloan, Dr. Tanya Brown-Giammanco

As a natural outgrowth of UL’s involvement with fire performance of roofing products dating back to the early 1900s, UL worked with industry to also evaluate roofing for impact resistance. This work developed into ANSI/UL 2218, the Standard for Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Covering Materials first published in 1996. This evaluation results in the well-known ratings of Class 1, 2, 3, 4 that have served the roofing and insurance industries well for decades in helping to mitigate losses due to hail. The UL 2218 assessment examines the type of roof damage that will likely lead to water leakage, but does not factor aesthetic damage, such as denting and granule loss.

Recently, the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) combined their scientific knowledge of hailstone composition, study of field data, and laboratory research to develop a new test protocol. The objective of the new protocol expands on test methods, such as UL 2218 and FM 4470 and FM 4473, to a test that does factor in damage such as denting and granule loss, because these damage modes do often lead to major insurance claims. The outcome of the new test protocol is shingle performance indicators that are published online at IBHS.

In this presentation you will learn about the background and science that led to the new IBHS impact resistance protocol of roofing shingles; gain an overview of the IBHS test protocol; understand the differences between UL 2218, FM Standards, and the IBHS protocol; gain an understanding of the Shingle Performance Rating Program and the published performance indicators; learn of UL’s role in providing developmental testing and IBHS evaluation testing to this new protocol.