Roofing Road Trip with Heidi- Ray Giovine Podcast Transcription

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an interview with Ray Giovine show director of the International Roofing Expo. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast here.

Heidi: Hello. Thank you for being here today for another Roofing Road Trip with Heidi podcast. Today it's really kind of fun because this is not going to be a conversation with someone that I've seen before, or who I've met on the road, it's actually going to be with the new show director of the International Roofing Expo, Ray Giovanni. He is going to be visiting with us for the first time as he joins the roofing industry. I'm very excited about this. We're going to get this podcast out before the IRE, so you build it here, you get some insights and also meet the leader of the team of the IRE. Ray, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here.

Ray Giovanni: Thanks, Heidi. Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here with you today. Well, today is day three for me here at Informa. My work history is rather short for being here at the industry, but I'll tell you a little bit about myself. Previously, I was the senior vice president of sales for Hanley Wood, the premier media event data and strategic marketing service company for the residential and commercial construction industries. I led the concrete construction and pull media groups and worked closely with my colleagues that ran Builder and Architect magazine. So I'm somewhat familiar with the roofing industry and the manufacturers that attend our exhibits, but I still have lots to learn, and I intend to learn quickly.

Heidi: That is awesome on the trades of the trades, whether you're doing swimming pools, you're with Builder magazine, like you said, the Hanley Wood Brown is so well known, but we are a little prejudiced. We love our roofing community, and we're really glad that we got you to be a part of it. I know you do more than just roofing. Informa, which handles the IRE, but it's really great to have you joining us and being a part of this industry. You'll find it's pretty phenomenal. It's a great place. One of the things that I'm interested in, and I think everybody out there is interested in too is, what should contractors be expecting and why should they attend the International Roofing Show in Dallas, Texas in two weeks? What's happening? What's some of the new stuff?

Ray Giovanni: Okay. Well, first off, the International Roofing Expo is the number one event for roofing contractors and the leading event in the nation for the roofing industry. This is the place where contractors can annually find all major manufacturers, service providers, relevant education and numerous network opportunities throughout the entire week. You ask why should they attend? Well, they should attend because contractors and attendees should, first off, check out our website at theroofingexpo.com for all the latest information. But some of the highlights of why they should attend are education. Education is a top priority. The IRE provides a conference program that's brimming with ideas that contractor's really used to improve their business and along with finding new products and services. The IRE is a place where manufacturers launch their new product services and attendees can see firsthand what's happening in the roofing industry.

Heidi: I have to tell you, Ray, my first, it wasn't called IRE then, but my first national show was in 1994. That's a lot of years of going to the show. I just think you have done, the team in Informa, all the teams over the last years have just done such an amazing job. I'm really growing it, and so what you're talking about is with the education and all the events, I really feel it's something you can't miss every year for sure. But for some of our listeners, they may not, maybe some of the older ones like me who were attending when it was called the NRCA show, they may not know what the relationship is between the IRE and the NRCA. Would you mind just explaining that?

Ray Giovanni: Sure. Good question. The NRCA is the official show sponsor of the International Roofing Expo and the former owners of the show. They remain an integral partner with us and we work closely with them basically daily to produce the event each year. We enjoy a strong strategic partnership with the NRCA.

Heidi: Well, we have a lot of contractors out there who are members of the National Roofing Contractors Association. I work with them really closely and I know that, just like myself, they have found that the show just keeps getting better every year. It just keeps getting better. You already talked a little bit about those top events, so let's jump down to something that near and dear to my heart, National Women In Roofing Day. I'm very involved with that, but I would love for you to share with the audience what you are hearing about it and what's going to be happening.

Ray Giovanni: Okay. Well, the National Women In Roofing Day is on Sunday, February 2nd. This was a day-long education program produced by the NWIR and it goes from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and it focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities that women face in the roofing industry. The registration is $65 for members and $125 for non-members, and it can be purchased online through the IRE website. The program covers breakfast, lunch, snacks, evening activities and, of course, the education program itself. And as always, you can find more information online on the website.

Heidi: Your team there has done an amazing job on really helping National Women In Roofing with registration, making this easy, helping with facility. So I can tell you as I'm a founder of National Women In Roofing how much I personally, and I know the executive team and the board of directors, appreciate the partnership we have with Informa. It's been amazing and it continues to carry on through the week because I know we have National Women In Roofing on Sunday, and then Monday is Community Service Day. What's happening that day?

Ray Giovanni: Well, on the Community Service Day, it's sort of really sets our events, the IRE, apart from other events here at Informa. This is the day that you can come into Dallas early, roll up your sleeves and give back to the local community. This year it's on Monday, February 3rd, from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM and it's sponsored by Sika Sarnafil in conjunction with Rebuilding Together North Texas. The volunteers will spend the day repairing and renovating homes of low income homeowners in need. We're still looking for volunteers, so you can sign up on the IRE's website and absolutely no experience needed whatsoever.

Heidi: That's good to know. You're still looking for volunteers, we need to get that out on the coffee shop. Let people know that there's still slots. A lot of times people think it's sold out at this point, so that's great information.

Ray Giovanni: Yeah, come on down.

Heidi: Yeah, that's really good. What are some of the other top events that are going to be happening during that week?

Ray Giovanni: Well, the NRCA has a variety of events taking place that week that give attendees a great opportunity to network. Again, like I said, I keep saying, but you can find all that information online, but to highlight some of them, the NRCA ROOFPAC, NWIR, has an evening in the Lone Star state, which is a Monday the third and it starts at 4:00 PM. That's at Gillies. It's a reception and a comedy show. All the proceeds go to ROOFPAC and the NRCA's PAC. There's a silent auction sponsored by NRCA and ROOFPAC that's on Tuesday and Wednesday the fourth and fifth and that takes place at the NRCA's booth, which is number 5715. So you can stop by there to bid on a wide selection of prizes, vacation packages, jewelry, electronics and all that sort of stuff. Again, all proceeds to benefit FOOFPAC and NRCA's PAC. There's a student competition on February 5th, and that goes from 7:45 in the morning till 11:15 in the morning. Then, finally, there is the NRCA industry awards ceremony and reception, and that is the fifth from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM after the show closes.

Heidi: I'm going to be at every single one of those events. They are amazing. They are great events. Ray, I mean, with your background with Hanley Wood and everything, I know how busy you are during that week, but if you have a chance to come to the student competition Wednesday morning, I'm telling you, it's one of the best events of the week. To see these young professionals, these young college construction management students bidding, doing proposals, estimating, selling this roof to this group of judges on. Then the winner gets awarded that night at the awards ceremony. I'm telling you, if you can sneak away, you should be there. It's awesome.

Ray Giovanni: All right, cool. Thanks for the heads-up.

Heidi: Okay. I think you've already kind of answered this, but I was going to ... What's the best way for contractors, maybe not, because I know you have some new technology that you're going to have out there. So what is the best way for contractors to plan for the show to get the most out of it?

Ray Giovanni: The best way is, would we should all do at every show, is to plan ahead. Take the time to look through the show's schedule, the exhibitor list, the education offerings that we have, the app that we have, download the app, go to the website, download the app and then plan out each day is the best way to make the most of your week. It's only three days and those three days will go by quickly.

Heidi: It's true and they're full and there's a lot going on. One of the things I would like to really point out too is that theroofingexpo.com site is amazing. You can go in there and you can read about all the educational things. We find it great, and then we take a lot of that working with your team and we get it on the coffee shop so that we have full ... On rooferscoffeeshop.com we have on blogs on what's happening with those events, and the education, and the different things that are going on. So I think really taking that time over coffee in the morning to sit down, make your list, you're right, that's how you get the most out of a show. Then you make sure you see, and the trade show floor. Knowing the suppliers you want to go talk to ahead of time really makes a difference on what you find and what you can do.

Ray Giovanni: Also too don't forget the app because that's really where all the latest information is. All the education programs, the exhibitor lists, the boots, everything like that. They can find everything inside the app.

Heidi: Yeah. I think you can favorite things too and you can start making your own lists. I know I used it a lot last year. It was awesome. Okay. Is it too late for people to register? How does that work?

Ray Giovanni:  Absolutely not. It's never too late to register. Obviously, we recommend registering in advance and you can do that online at theroofingexpo.com, our website. Or you can also register in person, showing up the morning of the show or whenever at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the convention center.

Heidi: Great. I know there's some promo codes out there too. I would say to contractors, check with your state local associations, they're all helping to promote the show. We're helping to promote the show, getting out the roofingexpo.com. It's hard not to see what's going on with all of the great promotions that are out there and information. Just to kind of tease, coming up after 2020 looking beyond that and into '21 and '22, can you give us any insights on where we're going next?

Ray Giovanni: Yeah. We do have our dates and city set for the next couple of years, so a little sneak peak. In 2021, in mid February, February 24, 26, it'll be back in Vegas at Mandalay Bay. In 2022, the first week of February, it'll be in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. We'll go back to Nashville in 2023 from February 15th to 17th at the Music Center. Those are the next three cities that we'll be at.

Heidi: Those are some of my favorite cities too. I think the industry feels that way overall. You guys always do a great job picking it. I'm very honored to sit on your advisory council, your advisory board. I have to tell you, the experiences I've had working with IRE, working with Informa, just top notch. Thank you so much for everything you and your team are doing for our industry.

Ray Giovanni: Well, thank you. I definitely look forward to meeting you at the show.

Heidi: Yeah, I am too. Well, that's part of this roofing road trip, is that we're going to meet on the road in Dallas in two weeks. Ray, thank you and thank you to your team, to Shelby, to Brandy. I mean, just amazing group and we are looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. I will be getting there the 31st and staying that whole week, so we're going to have a nice time there. From the road, I would recommend everybody, if you haven't already made plans to go to Dallas, it's not too late. You can still register. There's still great airfares, there's still hotels. You just need to be here. You can't miss it. It's that great. So, look for information on rooferscoffeeshop.com. This podcast you'll hear on our Read, Listen, Watch, RLW, pages where you can learn, be informed and have fun whenever you want, however you want. We are looking forward to seeing every single one of you in Dallas. Please, be sure to come by the Roofer's Coffee Shop booth at 5347 because we're going to have great new information and fun stuff going on and some pretty cool mug. Ray, thank you again and we'll see you in Dallas.

Ray Giovanni: Thanks. See you soon.

Heidi: Okay, bye bye.