New Technology at IRE

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Get to know the details of this year’s IRE from digital badges to carpet-less floors and much more.

On Season 3, Episode 37 of Roofing Road Trips, RoofersCoffeeShop® President Heidi J. Ellsworth, and RCS Chief of Staff, James Ellsworth invite Meggan Spehar from the International Roofing Expo (IRE) to discuss what people can expect at this year’s trade show. The three also go over new technology that will enhance IRE as well as the First Timers Reception that will be sponsored by RCS.  

Meggan Spehar is the senior marketing manager for IRE. She’s been with Informa for four years and has been working directly for the IRE event for two years and has been on the forefront of the changes happening for this year’s much anticipated roofing industry event. This year, IRE is going to be rolling out new digital badging technology, among other advancements designed to maintain important health and safety standards as well as reduce waste. 

“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,” said Meggan. “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.” 

A few weeks prior to the show, everyone who has registered will receive an email containing a digital badge and instructions on how to use their badge. Registrants or Attendees will want to access the email from their smartphones and download their digital badge to either Apple Wallet or the Google G Play app. All iPhone users have an Apple Wallet or access to one via the App Store, for all other smartphone users, downloading the Google G Play app is quick and free. 

“The digital badge will get you into the expo hall, the education sessions and networking events,” said Meggan. “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.” 

Other changes happening at the IRE this year include no carpet and no printed show guides or floor plans. Instead, these have been digitized and are available now on the IRE website. 

“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,” said Meggan. “[And the] new digital show guide is available on our website now, and the digital show guide contains all of the details about the show and will help you plan your trip.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about this year’s new and improved International Roofing Expo.