Industry leader presentations, networking opportunities and NFL football stadiums

By Dani Sheehan. 

Trade shows are great but see why Project Map It loved this new workshop series offered by CertainTeed. 

CertainTeed LLC recently held their first-ever Business Building Workshop for certified contractors at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was filled with educational sessions led by industry leaders on various topics including the sales process, digital marketing, lead generation, media promotion and more. It was a great opportunity for networking and sharing knowledge, and they continued the series in November at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We interviewed Stephen Spence, managing director of Project Map It, to talk about his experience during the event and see how contractors can get more involved. 

As a partner vendor, Stephen had the opportunity to present at the event. He introduced his company to other contractors and industry leaders and spoke about the social proof Project Map It provides to homeowners. He explains, “Project Map It is an interactive mapping portfolio that allows a roofer [among other scenarios] to put a pin of all the jobs they’ve ever installed onto a map... Every pin has the ability to have photos of the work. So, you can upload photos, YouTube videos and have a written description of the job... It can also have the review of that customer on the pin.”  

Not only does this improve a company’s search engine optimization (SEO), but it provides multiple layers of information for the homeowner at the touch of a button. They can check Google and Facebook reviews, and roofers can show them what shingle colors have been popular in their neighborhood. Stephen continues, “[The map] provides the social proof to the homeowner that the roofing contractor is the best one for the job because they’re always competing against two or three other roofing companies that are providing the same estimates. And it gets embedded right onto a website.” 

With over 35 people attending his first presentation, Stephen felt like this event was a success and he’s looking forward to future events. He says, “For me, a small company that doesn’t have a ton of money in the budget to go to these trade shows, this CertainTeed event is really helpful... I’m in front of CertainTeed contractors and we’re a partner of theirs. So, when I’m presenting to this group of people, I’m presenting to people that literally are trying to learn more about Project Map It.” It’s a great way to gain potential new customers, and to network with other partners. 

Stephen’s advice for future CertainTeed workshops and trade shows in general is to bring two to four employees with you to divide and conquer so they can get more education throughout the day. He’s already created a list of a few presenters he missed at this event and hopes to catch up with at Lambeau Field.  

Learn more about social proof and how to get the most out of Project Map It by scheduling a demo, or become a certified CertainTeed contractor and catch Stephen’s presentation in person.