Meggan Spehar and James Ellsworth - IRE New Technology and First Timers - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with Meggan Spehar of Informa and James Ellsworth of RoofersCoffeeShop. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast. 

Speaker 1:
Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a longterm professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Hello and welcome to another roofing road trips. My name is Heidi Ellsworth with Roofer's Coffee Shop. And today we are road tripping to Texas, but we're really going to be talking about Las Vegas. We're going to be talking about the 2021 IRE from two very special people who have been working together to get ready for IRE, but also one, Megan Spehar is in charge of marketing for Informa. And so all that great stuff you see out there in the IRE world, you can thank Megan for that. And also, a special guest we have today is James Ellsworth with Roofer's Coffee Shop, and James is going to be a first timer. First IRE. Do a lot of you remember that? That very first trade show? Well, this is what James is looking forward to in August for the 2021 international roofing expo. So Megan, welcome to Roofing Road Trips.

Meggan Spehar:
Thank you so much for having me on today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I am just thrilled. This is so cool, James. Welcome to your first Roofing Road Trips.

James Ellsworth:
I'm super excited. Thanks for having me. This is my first podcast with the coffee shop.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Yeah. First of all, you've heard about a lot of them, but this is the first one. So before we get really started, I know I gave a little bit of an introduction there, but I would really love it, Megan, if you could share with us a little bit more about you and your role with the IRE.

Meggan Spehar:
Yeah. I'm Meggan's Spehar. I'm the senior marketing manager for the International Roofing Expo. I've been with Informa for about three, almost four years, and I've been with the International Roofing Expo and this'll be my second year.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Awesome. And you know, just real quick. So Megan, do you have any other shows that are as great as roofing?

Meggan Spehar:
If you're asking me personally, roofing is definitely my favorite, but we did [inaudible 00:02:08] in the office.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I'm asking personally, I know Informa can't say which ones their favorite, but we all know it's roofing. So that is cool. James, why don't you give us a quick introduction?

James Ellsworth:
My name's James Ellsworth. I am in charge of business development here and the chief of staff with Roofer's Coffee Shop. And basically that means is I try and find all the different ways I can connect with the industry and make sure that everyone is able to access the Roofer's Coffee Shop all the time. I'm super excited to be able to go to my first IRE and first trade show. So this is going to be a lot of fun and it's just been amazing to work with Megan on this, and she's been able to help walk me through all these little details that keep showing up that I'm like, oh, well here's another one we've got to figure out. So it's been great.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I'm happy to help.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. You know what? Before we get to, I have some new questions about the new stuff that's coming up, but Megan, why don't you just share with us a little bit. I know you work with all of the exhibitors out there really, and your partners and media, and I mean, there's just so much that goes into a show. Just give people a little bit of an idea of how much you have to do to make sure that everybody's going the right direction, gets everything done, all the information.

Megan Spehar:
Yeah. I mean, every year we've got a lot of stuff that we have to do to make sure the show happens. So I work to make sure that all the information's put out there for attendees on the website, emails, communications. Making sure everybody's aware of what's happening at the event. I also communicate with the exhibitors and work with the sales team closely, so we can have all of our exhibitors can have a great experience at the show and know what's happening. We work with the press and the media to make sure that they're knowing what's going on with the show and getting them there. It's a lot of little details to make sure that the show happens every year, but it's a lot of work, but I love doing it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, I have to tell you, one of the first things, as James joined Roofer's Coffee Shop last December and getting ready for the first show, James, one of the things I had recommended was you need to become best friends with the folks over at Informa. And so how has that experience been for you?

James Ellsworth:
Well, like I said earlier, it's been really great, because I come into this from a very different background, and this has been really amazing having a team at Informa and working directly with Megan to have someone I can always go to when I don't know what the right answer is, or what I need to do. So it's been amazing knowing that I have that support team and group behind me, and that it's not just on me, it's I have a group of people I can go to and get that help from. So I couldn't be more grateful to have that team support.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, that's how we feel too. We feel over all over Megan. But we are here to talk a little bit, and a lot actually about some new features that are happening this year. And one of the big ones is a new technology that you were rolling out for the show. Can you tell us what's going on with that?

Megan Spehar:
Yeah. So this year we're excited to be rolling out new digital badging technology at the show. As Informa started to return to live events, we wanted to take the best of what we learned this year about our digital solutions to better in-person experiences, and digital badging helps create a seamless, efficient, and modern experience, much like the digital boarding pass has for people. And it's contactless, which supports our continued efforts to prioritize health and hygiene while also benefiting our sustainability efforts by eliminating paper and plastic waste.
And I know one of the biggest questions everybody has out there about the digital badge is how does it work? So in addition to your registration confirmation email, a couple of weeks prior to the show, everyone that's registered is going to get a separate email that will contain your digital badge. From your smartphone, you're going to want to access this email, and follow the instructions to add your digital badge to either your Apple Wallet or your Google G Play app. This is going to allow you to easily access your badge from your wallet at the show, and it will also allow you to access it from a smartwatch.
The digital badge will get you into the expo hall, the education sessions, and networking events. And then if for some reason you don't have a smartphone or you're having issues with your digital badge download, you can visit the registration customer service center onsite, located in the Bayside lobby at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for help, and a registration ticket can be printed if needed.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, because I was going to say, roofing is just really adopting, I mean, especially after the last year and a half, adopting technology, and we pretty much all use our phones now for boarding passes to get on airplanes, but there's still going to be some folks that this is going to be a little difficult for. So it's good that everyone knows they can print out something if they need it.

Megan Spehar:
Yes. And we'll have lots of signage on site too. And people onsite to help if you're needing assistance with your digital badge.

James Ellsworth:
And I'm looking forward to the smartwatch feature. I think that's great. I love the idea of just being able to walk up to something, put my wrist next to something, just like in Star Trek. It sounds really nice.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I think even less people have smartwatches, but they're all going to want to get them after that.

Megan Spehar:
Makes it a little bit easier.

Heidi Ellsworth:
James, kind of along that lines too, we're talking about technology all the time, the digital world we live in with Roofer's Coffee Shop. How do you see, I mean, and especially with your background in policy and environmental studies and everything that you've done in government, this is pretty impressive that Informa, that such a huge company is making this kind of commitment.

James Ellsworth:
It is. It's really exciting. I think this is a big step in the right direction. It makes things easier. I understand there might be a few people who want to stick with the old ways, and that's great, I get it. But I think this is going to make things a lot easier for everyone. It'll make the registration faster. I understand that in the past years you had wait in line to get your badge every month, and that sounds, I'm not a big person to wait in line. I don't enjoy it, and so this means I don't have to do that.

James Ellsworth:
I also understand, Megan, that we're not going to have carpet this year, which I think it's a great thing. It's such a huge environmental piece that we're not buying carpet just to throw it away. I'm thrilled by that. So I think this is a really great commitment by Informa, and I'm thrilled to be part of it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Megan, why don't you talk about that? I mean, it is a big environmental difference and people are going to be a little surprised when they walk in with no carpet in the aisles. How's that going to work?

Megan Spehar:
Yeah. I mean, we are making a number of different changes this year in regards to sustainability in addition to the digital badges. Another one is that change in the carpet. And what we found is our sustainability team did a study and found that carpet is one of the most significant contributors to waste at our event. And the simple act of removing the carpet would save hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste each year. And carpets also very difficult to clean thoroughly and removing it will allow us to ensure consistently clean surfaces throughout our events. So this year you won't see carpet in the expo hall aisles and in the show floor feature areas. But we do want to mention that exhibitors will still have the option to place flooring in their booth if they choose. It's just no longer a requirement.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. I think that's cool. I mean, that's pretty, I think everybody needs to buy really comfortable shoes.

Megan Spehar:
Yes. Always. Even when we had the carpet, we still encouraged comfortable shoes. This year more so.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I know, because that's going to be just such a difference, but I love the progressiveness of this, and that it's not only sustainability, but it's also a health issue. I mean, we all know how dirty carpet can be, and when you're looking at all that, so that's pretty impressive. Any other environmental or sustainability initiatives?

Megan Spehar:
Yeah, one of the other things that we're doing is to help reduce more paper consumption is in waste, is that you're not going to find a printed show guide or floor plan at the show this year. These items have also gone digital. So this year we've introduced a new digital show guide that's available on our website now, and we'll be updating that show guide a couple more times before the event happens. And the digital show guide contains all of the details about the show and will help you plan your trip.
We also have a new tool on our website called the My Show Planner Tool. This allows you to create an account and favorite your exhibitors that are going to be at the events, to add special events and conference sessions you've registered for to your personalized schedule, and a few more other things that you can do with the tool. And the great thing about the My Show Planner Tool is that it's going to sync with our mobile app. So you'll be able to access your account on site. And while you're navigating the show, you can be able to find those exhibitors that you favorited, quickly access all of the sessions and events that you've added to your schedule so you can easily walk through the show. And you can sign up for a My Show Planner account today on the website and start favoriting and building out that schedule. And then when the mobile app is available later in July, you'll be able to sync your My Show Planner Account with the mobile app.

James Ellsworth:
So I'm hearing we need to make sure we keep our phones fully charged, maybe a backup battery on us, so we can always have all the information we need.

Megan Spehar:
Yes, for sure. The mobile app this year is going to, we've got a new mobile app provider. So our mobile app is getting more robust every year. And so we really encourage everyone to download the mobile app this year, because it's really going to be the primary tool and a great tool for you to be able to navigate the show floor, see what's happening, find your session, your session room numbers, and everything else. Access that digital show guide. So the mobile app and having that phone charged is going to be important.

Heidi Ellsworth:
James, I mean, this is kind of cool because at Roofer's Coffee Shop, we've been all digital, all the time for a long time.

James Ellsworth:
Right.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So with nothing printed, but to really now be seeing that this is just becoming the norm. That's kind of exciting for us. Just coming new into the roofing industry, this has to be pretty cool for you, all these new things that are happening. Not really under, you know, we don't think of it that way.

James Ellsworth:
Well, I'm really enjoying it. One, it lightens the bag I have to carry around with me, which I appreciate greatly. In my past job, I had to keep reams of binders and paper with me for all the different policy bills we were working on. And now everything can be kept on my phone, tablet, or laptop, and it makes my world a lot easier. And I really just appreciate that. Things are faster to get to, I'm more organized, and I think that's going to translate into an IRE that makes it more enjoyable and more productive.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I think so, too. I think so too. I think it's going to be good. And okay, so Megan, while we've got you too, let's talk about a couple of the cool events that are going on. Of course, I always have to make sure everybody knows National Women in Roofing Day is the Sunday beforehand, that's the eighth. So if you haven't registered for that, you need to. But let's talk about the first timers event. That's one of the first fun events and we are so proud to be sponsors of that. So you'll see Roofer's Coffee Shop all around. James, why don't you tell everybody what we're going to be doing for those first timers? Because it's going to be kind of fun when they walk in.

James Ellsworth:
Well, I'm excited because this will be my first time. So I'll be a true first timer at this event. And we're going to be handing every first timer a Roofing and Respect backpack, a little draw string backpack filled with some fun swag. And so it's going to be a great way for everyone to feel really welcomed into the community and be a part of the show and just have that great, the first day over with, and maybe you go to end the day with nice little libation and I understand [inaudible 00:14:38] going to be by a pool.

Megan Spehar:
Yeah, so the first time attendees reception, which again, thank you guys for sponsoring that event, is it takes place on opening day. So Tuesday, August 10th at 5:30 to 6:00 PM at the daylight beach club at the Mandalay Bay. So we're going to be poolside this year, be a little bit warm, but we're really looking forward to being outside. And it's like you mentioned, it's a great event to come and to connect with other first time attendees and really just kind of get to know other people in the industry. And then right after the first time attendee reception closes at 6:00 PM, the welcome party is going to kick off right there at the club as well at six.

James Ellsworth:
I'm really excited about that. To end the day at the pool and get to know everyone and see everyone who's there. It's just going to be a really great way to start the whole show week off.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And the welcome reception is being sponsored by ABC Supply.

Megan Spehar:
Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Megan Spehar:
This year the sponsor is ABC Supply.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So we're super excited about that because ABC Supply is also our sponsor for Live Coffee Conversations at IRE. This is the first time we're going to be live, bring you coffee conversations with some great leading experts in the industry. So I'm telling you, this is going to be fun, and we've got a lot of different people who are all coming together.
So I think we should talk just a little bit about why anybody who's listening to this who maybe hasn't registered yet, who is a first timer, why you should go to IRE. I'm going to start, because my first, I'm going to date myself really bad here, but my very first IRE, which was then an RCA show, was in 1994. And I have never missed a year. I've been at every single IRE since then. And I have to tell you, there is no better place to network, to get continuing education, to find out new products, to see what's going on, and to just have fun. Just really celebrate. It's kind of like homecoming, when you walk onto that show floor and you see all your friends, or a high school reunion maybe. Who knows what, as you put it, for some of us who've been since 1994 and longer, it does feel like a reunion. But Megan, what are some of the other things, if you were sharing to James, who is that first timer, what are some of the things that you would be like you need to sign up and register and be there in Vegas?

Megan Spehar:
Yeah. One of the first things that I always like to let first time attendees know about is, we have our conference program that includes over 40 sessions. And then we have our expo hall that features hundreds of the top manufacturers and suppliers. But I always like to point out that both the conference program and the expo hall have dedicated hours. So that way you can get the most out of the event, you can attend your education sessions in the morning, and then you can head over to the expo hall each day at 11:00 AM. I really like to make sure that everyone's aware that those hours are separate so they know that they can take advantage of everything that the show has to offer.
In addition to, the conference program in the expo hall, I wanted to let everybody know this year we're going to have a ribbon cutting ceremony on the first day, on Tuesday at 10:45 before the expo hall opens for the first time. The ribbon cutting ceremony is going to be in the Bayside Lobby and we're just going to have a quick, special welcome from NRCA in the IRE team. And then right after that following, we'll open the expo hall at 11:00 AM.
Another thing for first time attendees, especially for this year, is that I wanted to call attention that we have a new windows and sightings pavilion at the show this year. We are expanding the show to include more content, and windows and sightings was a natural fit for our attendees. The pavilion's going to feature some new exhibitors as well as an education theater. And so, we do have that education on the show floor as well as our conference program. So we've got the windows and sightings education theater, as well as our exhibitor presented seminars theater on the show floor, where even if you're just purchasing an expo hall pass, all of that show floor education is included. So you definitely want to make sure you check out those sessions and try to stop by some of those.
We also have a great couple of events taking place out inside in the parking lot this year during the expo hall hours, including the annual SRS extreme tailgating event. So we're really excited that event's coming back this year. And then on the show floor, in addition to making sure that you stop by and see the Roofer's Coffee Shops live broadcasts. We also encourage everyone to stop by our product showcase in the exhibit hall. This is where you can see some of the newest and best products available on the market in one place. And then you'll also get a chance to vote for some of your favorite products in a few different categories on Tuesday and Wednesday. And then on the last day of the show, we'll announce the winners.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Okay, James, you just heard all that. What are you looking most forward to as a first timer?

James Ellsworth:
I'm looking forward to the new products. I always enjoyed checking out what the newest and greatest thing on the market is, and seeing why we need this new gizmo that makes your life so much better. So I'm really looking forward to taking some time and browsing through the new products pavilion and just learning about what's going on and what is going to make a roofing contractor's life easier, because someone has made the newest, best gizmo.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I like that. That's really true. And there's also, I know you've been working with our team. We're going to Roofer's Coffee Shop is going to have, I think, seven or eight people there. We are bringing our team in for continuing education, and also to just learn more about the roofing industry and meet all the customers. And we're really excited about that, and they're all checking out those continuing education morning classes, Megan, because we're going to be sending some of our teams.
So if you're out there listening, different contractors, I think now's the time. Now's the time to bring more of your team members, bring more folks to the show. We're doing that, because we just think this is a good time to get back out there and to see everybody and to really jumpstart after all this craziness of the last year and a half.
So I'm really excited about that. I know I'm presenting at two different on panels, and one's on technology. Super cool. And the other one is on the president's panel, which is the board members from all the regional and RCAs. And so, we have folks from [NERCA 00:21:25], and from Florida, and from Western states, and Midwest who are going to be talking about what's going on. So that's just a sample, but being on the IRE advisory board, which is such an honor, I get to hear about all these classes and I'm telling you, there are some amazing, amazing continuing education classes.

Megan Spehar:
Yeah, and I really like our program because we offer everything from if you're new to the industry, or if you've been in the industry for years, we offer a variety of different education and it covers a broad range of topics from general education, to sales and marketing, to technical specs. So there's really education for everyone there at the event.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And it's done so well. So I think we should, we talked about the first timers event. So everybody, if you haven't been before, you've got to come to this event, you're going to get some cool swag. You're going to see some smiling faces and it's going to be at a pool. I mean, come on. And then everyone's comes to the first timer can just like go, it goes right into the welcome party. Isn't that right, Megan?

Megan Spehar:
Yes, absolutely. It'll be the exact same location that Daylight Beach Club. And we'll just transition from the first time attendees reception straight into the welcome party.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. And I'm also going to encourage everyone to look at the SRS concert and that is on Wednesday night, and it is going to be Darius Rucker and Little Big Town, a very cool concert. But the cool thing about this, and this was on an earlier podcast we had with Dan Tinker is the fact that proceeds from that concert, from the Raise the Roof Foundation, that is an SRS foundation. They are going to be donating those proceeds to National Women in Roofing, to help with scholarships and also initiatives for women in roofing, and to the Roofing Alliance, which is going to help with diversity scholarships. I have to tell you, I'm always so impressed with them and talking to Dan, if you haven't listened to that podcast about what they're doing, please go back and listen to the Dan Tinker podcast and learn about this concert because, Megan, it's going to be so cool.

Megan Spehar:
I know, we're really excited about the concert as well. And we love how much that the roofing industry gives back to the community and supports charities. Which, as you know, the IRE also has our annual community service day project. And this year we, unfortunately weren't able to physically work on a project, but we're trying to raise $10,000 for that project. So our annual community service day project, is each year we partner with a local chapter of Rebuilding Together to help make critical home repairs for those people who are in need.
And so this year we're trying to raise $10,000 for our charity to help make a roof repair, and repair some HVACs, and replace some HVACs for some local people in the Las Vegas community. And so people can donate to that event as well, or that project, when they register for the IRE. They can just quickly add a donation, or they can also donate online at the IRE website. And I know $10,000 can seem like a lot of money, but if you think about it, if everyone just added one dollar when they registered for the show, we would easily hit our $10,000 goal. And in addition to all of the donations that we receive, the IRE is going to be donating a portion of all paid registrations to help us finish off that goal.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. So for those of you listening to this podcast, I'm lucky enough to actually be seeing James and Megan right now. And I'm telling you, they are the next generation. This is the next generation that's coming up. And I think, I don't think, I know, you are all hitting all the most important things, giving back, the environment, sustainability, technology. I'm really impressed. I like where I see everything going. Megan, the team at Informa has really done an amazing job.

Megan Spehar:
Thank you. We appreciate them.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So James, you ready? We also have all kinds of exhibitor hospitalities. We have all kinds of education. It's going to be early mornings, late nights. I hope you have your tennis shoes for a first time and you're ready to do the show.

James Ellsworth:
I have some good comfy shoes. I'm ready to get the whole team there. So everyone keep your eye out for the RCS team, and do say hi to us if you see us. And we're going to have a great time. I'm super excited.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, it is going to be great. And I am going to do one last plug, because that team is going to be running our Coffee Conversations on booth. It's a sound booth number 835. So you come by and we'll interview you. You never know, stop in. Megan, you stop in. We'll have the team come by. We'll do some interviews.

Megan Spehar:
We will definitely come by. And if you don't mind, I'd like to mention one more thing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Megan Spehar:
Where we touched on all this digital and kind of like the new wave of things that are taking place. We did kind of want to call out attention to all of the attendees and the exhibitors that are coming that in addition to our digital badging and the mobile app that a number of the hotels, including MGM Resorts and the Hilton properties now offer through their mobile apps, contactless check-in and keyless access to your room. So if you download their apps and register in through there, you can just check in through the app when your room is available, you'll be able to access and activate your digital key card through there and access your room, which again, helps support that hygiene and safety, and health. And just makes it a little bit easier. Again, no more standing in lines at the check-in counter at the hotel.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, for some of us old timers, we have stood in long lines in Vegas. So if you can check in mobily, which we do now all the time, because there's nothing worse than waiting the lines in a Vegas hotel. So this is great. This is great. James, any last thoughts?

James Ellsworth:
Just my last thought here is about, I'm looking forward to seeing how this entire event comes together. The logistical, Herculean task of getting everything set up in a short amount of time, and I'm really excited just to see that happen. And then to see it go from a show floor to this amazing expo. And then back again, that, to me, sounds like just an amazing experience. So I'm really excited [inaudible 00:28:08].

Heidi Ellsworth:
One of my favorite parts. I love walking on the show floor when it's all at the very beginning, it's the best. Megan, final thoughts.

Megan Spehar:
We're really excited that we're able to reconnect the industry this year and bring everyone together in Las Vegas. This past year has been a little tough for a lot of people. And so, we're really glad that we're able to reconnect and we are looking forward to seeing everybody at the show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is great. And I want to share out to everybody listening to this, and at Roofer's Coffee Shop, we talked to a lot of people. We talked to a lot of roofing contractors, a lot of exhibitors, and what I'm hearing is amazing buzz. There's going to be a lot of people there. As you've already heard, amazing things are going to be going on that you really don't want to miss. So if you haven't registered, go register, visit us in booth 835, and we will see you in Vegas on a real life, in-person roofing road trip, no more virtual once we hit Vegas. So everyone, thank you, James. Thank you, Megan.

Megan Spehar:
Thank you.

James Ellsworth:
Thank you so much.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And thank you everyone for listening. We appreciate you being on these podcasts. Please find us on Roofer's Coffee Shop under the Read, Listen, Watch. In this section of the site, you can see all the Roofing Road Trip podcasts, or you can find us on your favorite podcast channel. Be sure to subscribe, because you don't want to miss a single roofing road trip. Have a great day. Thanks.

Speaker 1:
Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.