Meggan Spehar - Getting Ready for IRE 2022 - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with Meggan Spehar from Informa. 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 from Roofer's Coffee Shop. My name is Heidi Ellsworth, and we are on a podcast today that is going to give you some amazing information for one of the biggest events in roofing that's going to be happening in February of 2022, and that's the International Roofing Expo. Every year, it just gets bigger and better. And we've been through so much the last two years, everyone to be together. And so I am very privileged today to be here with Meggan Spehar, the senior marketing manager from Informa and the International Roofing Expo. Meggan, welcome to the show.

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

Heidi Ellsworth:
You know what? I love this. I love when we get these sneak peeks. I love upfront, what's going to happen so that people can start making plans. It's not too early. In fact, I think you were just telling me registration is open, right?

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. It just opened, so people will be able to start getting their passes and hotels are also open. So you can start booking their hotels and making their plans to come to the show in February.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. We're in process. We're booking. We'll have all the RCS crew there like we did this summer. We're going to have the sound stage again. We're going to be doing live on RCS YouTube with interviews. So Meggan, we're doing this great podcast today, but I'm expecting to be able to visit with you again at the show. Hopefully we'll get you on camera for our live presentations.

Meggan Spehar:
We will be there.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I love it. Well, let's just dive in because there's so much to talk about. So what are you seeing? What will you see IRE looking like in new Orleans compared to Vegas in August?

Meggan Spehar:
We have a full event planned for IRE 2022, which is going to include over 60 educational sessions. That's part of both of our conference program and our show floor education. We'll have a full, robust expo hall that's got hundreds of the top suppliers in manufacturers showing their latest products and services. We'll have some live product demos on the show floor. Some of our products clinics have come back. We'll have our product showcase again on the show floor. We're going to have those outdoor exhibit events again, like the wonderful SRS tailgating event. Our networking events are going to be there, the welcome party and first time attendees reception, as well as the NRCA events and the National Women In Roofing day.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
Yeah. So excited. It's going to be such a full event. And some of the things that we're super excited about to have back that we unfortunately weren't able to have at '21, but we're going to have back here at '22 is the keynote session is coming back. So on that opening morning at 9:30, we are going to have our keynote session back featuring [inaudible 00:03:11].

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes, I love that.

Meggan Spehar:
And then we're also super excited that this year our community service day project, we hold one every year. This is our 13th annual community service day project event. Last year, we weren't able to hold our in-person volunteer day. This year we can. So we'll be doing our in-person volunteer day, as well as taking those donations to help out and help rebuild New Orleans, and they desperately need it after the hurricane last year. The other thing is NCA events are back and full force. They're going to be holding their training sessions, their most popular ones, which is the fall protection from A to C and the foreman leadership level one. We'll see the roof pack reception, the NCA roof pack reception is going to be there as well as the NRC awards ceremony and cocktail reception is coming to the show. We're going to have the Roofing Alliance Construction Management student competition back at the show. And again, like we had last year, you're actually going to be able to watch those hands on pro certification exams on the show floor.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Meggan Spehar:
And then like always that Sunday before the show, so Sunday January 30th, National Women In Roofing are going to be holding their fifth annual NWIR day, which is the premier conference for females in the roofing industry. And the one thing I do want to mention about National Women In Roofing Day that's a little bit different this year than last year is that the registration for that event is actually be held through the National Women In Roofing's website this year. So we just wanted to call attention to that so people were aware that when they go through the IRE registration, for that event you'll have to pop over to their website and register for that one.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I think everyone's used to that. National Women In Roofing is constantly doing a lot of events, webinars and everything. So people are used to registering and getting there. But it's good to know, and everybody needs to be aware of that because we don't want to lose any registrations if you think you'd do it here and not there. So really cool.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, I want to back up a little bit too. I mean, so much information, Meggan. That is just excellent. So some of the things, the community service day that is really going to be big and that kind of goes with Reid Ribble too, because Reid, as a keynote speaker, which I am so excited about. I think Reid is just a fantastic speaker and I always am just glued to what he's saying. But he is really promoting this also and the community service. So let's just go into that real quick. How can people be involved and how do they sign up and then how do they donate?

Meggan Spehar:
Sure. So here we're doing the in-person volunteer day, which that's going to be on Monday, January 31st. So you can sign up to do the volunteer day through registration. So when you're registering for your pass, you can select if you want to register to do that volunteer day. It's $30 to do the volunteer date and that $30 helps cover the expense of providing food, lunch, beverages, and transportation. Then you can also make donations through registration when you're signing up for your pass for the show. Or you can also donate directly through the IRE website on our community service day page.

Meggan Spehar:
This year, our goal is to... Well, last year we had a goal to raise $10,000 and we were just a little under $8,000. So we're really excited we got that much donations for last year. So we have that same goal for the year to raise $10,000 in donations in conjunction with that volunteer day to really help revitalize and rebuild New Orleans.

Meggan Spehar:
The other great thing about it is we already also have some great sponsors this year for that events. [inaudible 00:07:14] is coming back and they're donating $15,000 to the project. GAF has committed to replacing multiple roofs for people who are in need. ICP Building Solutions is helping us sponsor the breakfast and we have Demato Enterprises is our shuttle sponsors. So we have some great sponsors, but we really need those volunteers and those donations to really try to make a big impact for the city.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And like you said, after Ida, there's so much need and there's so much out there. The people I've talked to who have done the community service love it. So be sure to register early, get out there because it does fill up, right Meggan?

Meggan Spehar:
It does. We can only take so many volunteers, so it does fill up quick. So if it's something that you want to participate, we definitely encourage you to register early and sign up for that volunteer day so you can secure your spots. And then the other note about the community service day in addition to the volunteers and donations and all of our generous sponsors, IRE is very committed to this project as well. So we are also going to be donating an additional $10,000 ourselves to the project.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. That's awesome. Wow. So you're matching. That is great. That is so cool. Wow. Okay, so let's talk a little bit. We're going to come back and talk more about all the events and everything like that, but let's kind of get down to some of the nitty gritty that a lot of people are probably asking out there. What is it going to look like around safety? You did such a spectacular job in Las Vegas. I know there were some things that were a little hard, but everyone worked so hard. What's it going to look like in New Orleans?

Meggan Spehar:
So currently there are no masks nor proof of vaccination or negative COVID test mandates in place for attending the International Roofing Expo. To ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in the IRE, we are going to be following all state and local regulations and guidance. So just like we did last year, we'll continue to update everyone should any of this information change between now and the show. And we also have the informal, all secure policies and guidelines that we follow for the show. So for anyone who wants to learn more about our all secure and our IRE health and safety measures around the show, we encourage you to pop over to our website and visit our health and safety page on our website. That's where you're always going to be able to find the most up to date information.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That's great.

Meggan Spehar:
And then also as part of our safety protocols, registration this year is going to continue to be contactless. So please, everyone register online before coming to the show. But we do have one new change in regards to the badges. Last year, we implemented the digital badges. This year, we do have a slight change to the badges. Everyone who participates in the show is actually going to be given the option this year. So you can either choose to utilize the digital badge on your smartphone to allow you to access all the show floor sessions and events, or you will actually be able to go and print a traditional physical badge if you'd like this year at one of our mobile printing stations. All the physical badges will be printed on recycled paper, and we do encourage everyone to please recycle them after the show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Excellent. Excellent. I know there were some mixed feelings about the badges. I personally really like it on my phone, but I travel to airports all the time and I now do keyless locks on my hotel room. So I'm using my phone for that stuff all the time, but not everybody does. So I think it's really good to be able to have that option, to have a real where people can have a comfort zone. And it is kind of nice sometimes when you can't remember somebody's name to have a badge right there, I have to say.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes, it is.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So, okay. That's awesome. And then let's talk along that same line, what about social events? Like what we saw in Las Vegas, there weren't any hospitalities and I know IRE is not in charge of those, but are you hearing any word on social events around with the exhibitors?

Meggan Spehar:
So we'll be hosting our first time attendees reception and our welcome party like we do every year.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
Our first time attendees reception, which is sponsored by Roofer's Coffee Shop. Thank you so much.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
And the welcome party this year is going to be held at Mardi Gras World. And if you're not familiar with what Mardi Gras World is, it's the famous place where all the floats for Mardi Gras are constructed. It's world famous. It's been around for really long time. So that's where we're going to be hosting our events on Tuesday evening. The first time attendee reception will start at 5:30 and then followed by the welcome party at 6:00. So we're going to be able to have a tour of their float den. So we'll get to see some of the floats and we're right before Mardi Gras World, just a month away from Mardi Gras World. So hopefully we'll get to see all the floats being built. Then we'll have our traditional reception and cocktails. So you'll have drinks and appetizers and music. So we're really looking forward to that one.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is great.

Meggan Spehar:
Yeah. So then obviously also SRS is hosting their annual charity events or charity concerts.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Meggan Spehar:
The SRS, each year they host their Raise The Roof Foundation Charity Concert, and it's become such an extremely popular event over the years and we're so excited that they hold it in conjunction with IRE. And this year, SRS, their event is going to be held at the Sugar Mill on Wednesday, February 2nd. And it's featuring Willie Nelson, the Randy Rogers Band, Parker McCollum, and a special guest, which is Bradley Cooper. So we definitely encourage everyone to check out the event as well. SRS has details up on their website. And I believe you were telling me that the VIP tickets are already on sale and regular tickets go on sale in December. Is that correct?

Heidi Ellsworth:
December 1st, regular tickets. In fact, I've been getting emails from people saying, "I put it on my calendar, because I'm going to get that ticket as soon as December 1st comes around." But the VIP tickets are pretty awesome too. So yeah, if you can, now's the time and you can find all that information about stuff on Roofer's Coffee Shop, but probably also on theroofingexpo.com, right?

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. We'll have that information up there shortly. Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I love that. I love all of... There's so many great things that are going on. I also have to... Roof Pack. You mentioned that at the very beginning, that's going to be another social event. And I'm hearing from a lot of different people that there is a lot of social going on. So really important to get with your manufacturers, your distributors, encourage them to exhibit, to be there, to be a part of this. It's just going to be such a great time.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. We're looking forward to it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
You mentioned at the very beginning, the Roofing Alliance student competition. I have to give a plug for that because every year the students, we have four or five student competing teams from major university construction management schools. And for anyone who has not attended that, it is phenomenal. It is so good. And I'm just so excited because the students are going to be back this year. They weren't in Las Vegas, but now they're going to be, and they're going to be presenting in New Orleans.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. We're excited to have that event back at the show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And it's in conjunction with a lot of the educational classes that are going on. So it's all in the same place. So it makes it easy. You can kind of pop in and out between classes if you want. But what are some of the top educational events that you kind of are excited about, Meggan?

Meggan Spehar:
Well, at this year's event, we are having some of our most popular sessions return every year, the ones that everyone loves to see, the metal roofing and ones about safety and everything else. But we do have some new ones coming up as well. In regards to solar, we have someone from Tesla coming in and speaking. So we're really excited. We have a mix, like I said, some of our most popular sessions, as well as some new sessions and new speakers on board. We continue to have our exhibitor presented seminars on the show floor. And last year, 2021, we introduced the new windows and sidings education as part of the show. So we'll continue that in '22. So on the show floor, you'll see that windows and sightings education theater, as well as the exhibitor presented seminar theater. So we've got a total of over 60 sessions in conjunction with both the conference and the show floor education.

Meggan Spehar:
And then that show floor education, I do like to just let everybody know that's included with all of the passes, the expo and the conference passes. And our conference program runs in the mornings before the expo hall opens. So everyone can really kind of take advantage of everything that we have to offer. You can attend the conference in the morning and then 11:00, pop over to that expo hall.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Excellent. That's excellent. And I feel very honored. I'm going to be moderating a panel on technology during the educational classes. So I invite everybody to come to that. It's part of the roofing technology think tank group that they're going to be there talking about what's new, what's hot in technology and how they're incorporating it into their business. And there's a lot of classes like that. I am so honored to be part of the IRE advisory board. And so I get to see what the great quality of speakers are out there. And I tell you, it's really something. It's going to be great.

Heidi Ellsworth:
As we're kind of looking at this too, just talk real quick about the exhibitor show floor. Like I said at the beginning, we are so excited to have our Roofers Coffee Shop Coffee Conversations live at the show. We have a sound stage. It's going to be great. But I've looked at the show floor and there is so many... I know people were kind of worried like, is everybody coming back? But we're seeing big exhibitors and a lot of small ones too. It's going to be just a great variety it seems like.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. Yeah. I mean, the show floor is really full and it's still every day faster. We've got hundreds of exhibitors confirmed. The big guys are there. Beacon, GAF, ABC, SRS. We've got them there in the show. We're really looking forward to it. And like you said, and the small guys. We've got everyone there who's committed to being there in February. So everyone will be able to walk around and see the latest products and technology from hundreds of the top suppliers and manufacturers.

Meggan Spehar:
Some of the other show floor features like we've talked about previously, we've got those education centers on the show floor. We'll have the new product showcase where you can just one specific area, see some of the latest and greatest products from some of the companies there that are at the show. You guys will be there with your podcasts on the show floor. That's always super exciting. And those pro certification hands on exams are going to take place on the show floor again. So people can sign to take those as well as check those out, which those always fun to stop by and watch. And we've also got some of our exhibitor products clinics coming back for this year. So you'll be able to check out some of those and see some of those products in full swing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. I love it. I think that is so good. So if you're listening to this and you are someone who's come to IRE for years and years like I have... I think my first was then NRCA show, but my first one was in 1994, if you can believe that Meggan. That was a long time ago. But if you are a veteran, you've been around or into a lot of shows, trust me, everything you're hearing from Meggan, it it's all going to be back. It's all going to be there. And it's New Orleans. Come on. This is just one of the best places around.

Heidi Ellsworth:
If you are a first timer, if you've never been, we want to do a very special imitation to you. As the sponsors of the first timer's event, Roofer's Coffee Shop, we are going to be putting a lot out of on the website. We're going to be really encouraging people who have not attended before to come. And last year's first timer event in August was the largest you'd ever had. Right, Meggan?

Meggan Spehar:
Yeah. Last year we combined the first time attendees in the welcome reception together to kind of just bring those two wonderful events together. And it was one of the biggest first time attendee and welcome party events that we had.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
I've got videos saved to congo lines and everyone having such a good time at that event. So we're really looking forward to heading over to Mardi Gras World for that event. Because like you said, it's New Orleans and what's more New Orleans than Mardi Gras?

Heidi Ellsworth:
It's so perfect. And the first timers get in a half hour early, so you're going to get to see all this great stuff early. You get to meet other first timers. I have to tell you, when we were there last year and we were handing out backpacks, it was just the funnest night. I'm going to kind of leave this podcast on that unless, Meggan, is there anything we've missed?

Meggan Spehar:
I mean, I think we've really covered so much. What the next steps really is just encouraging everyone to head over to the IRE's website and register for the show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
Like we said, registration's now open so you can head and get your pass for the show. We have our expo hall passes as well as our single day conference pass and our full conference super pass, which that's the best value because that gives you access to the conference program, the show floor. It includes a welcome party ticket, which is a $70 value, the keynote speaker event. So that's the best value. But we do have those different packages to fit everyone's needs. Definitely register early so you can take advantage of the best pricing. We have our early bird rates that are available through December 14th. So they'll go up after that date. So register early to make sure you get the best savings.

Meggan Spehar:
And then also make sure you get your hotel booked as well. We always like to remind everybody that our one and only official hotel provider is On Peak. So head over to the IRE website and under our travel section, you can go ahead and book your official hotels so you can get your stay. We also have travel discounts under there for some shuttles and rental cars and airlines if you want to take advantage of those as well. We have a whole section dedicated to visit New Orleans. So if you want to start planning out your trip in regards to what you want to do, where you want to go, what do you want to see while you're there, because it's New Orleans, you might as well have a little fun while you're there.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. Yeah.

Meggan Spehar:
And then shortly, our digital show guide will come out. So soon as that first version's available, we'll get that emailed out, which is an overview. But really just head over to the website and get registered.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I just can't say, do it. You can go on Roofer's Coffee Shop. We have it on there, how to register. We have some discount codes, some promo codes that you can use. So check that out. It's right on the top of every page, it says IRE, and you can find everything that's going on there. So please do that. The earlier you register... And then get the app. We didn't talk about the app, that My Exhibitor, right?

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. So the mobile app will be available in January. The mobile app this year, we are going to be integrating it so your schedule will pull into there. And so all you have to do is you can pop on either to our website or when the mobile app is available. We have something called the My Show Planner account. You'll be able to set up a My Show Planner account on the website, or like I said, through the mobile app. And this year it's actually going to pull over in your schedule. So if you're registered for the conference, you'll be able to see all of that information in there.

Meggan Spehar:
And the mobile app is really the best way to navigate the show. As part of our sustainability, we're continuing to forego printing show programs and floor plans. So those are all digital and it's all available through the mobile app. So there's the interactive floor plan, you can search for your conference sessions, which has handouts and surveys in there. You can see all the events that are going on, look at your own schedule, and just find all the show details as well as get push notifications to remind you of all the great stuff that's going on.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. I love it. And we are going to have the folks from Informa or IRE and some other very special guests on the first Coffee Conversations of January. And we will be talking about that mobile app then. So this podcast is just starting off all the great conversations and what's happening. We're going to be doing a lot, just to make sure everybody can get on there, can get involved, can volunteer, can attend all the great events and to really get the most out of a show because if you're going to go a week in New Orleans, you might as well get absolutely the most out of it that you can. And we want to help you do that.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So Meggan, thank you so much. Thank you for all this great information. I can't wait to see you in New Orleans.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes. Thank you so much for having us and your support. And we look forward to seeing you guys and everyone in New Orleans.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I can't wait. And don't forget, you need your register. Do it now before December 14th. Go out there and register for the IRE. Don't forget also to register for National Women In Roofing on the nationalwomeninroofing.org site. And also, your SRS tickets.

Meggan Spehar:
Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
VIP now for Willie Nelson. The regular tickets go on December 1st. So there's you to-do list from this great podcast. And I want to thank you more than anything for all being here today. We love it, that you're listening to these podcasts. We hope we bring you the information that you need and you can listen to all of our podcasts, including the most recent one we did with Dan Tinker all about the SRS concert, you can listen to all of those under Read, Listen, Watch on Roofer's Coffee Shop or on your favorite podcast channel. So be sure to subscribe and get notifications so you don't miss a single one. Have a great day. We'll see you on the next roofing road trip.

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 theroofer'scoffeeshop.com.