Stay Up to Date on What’s New at Trade Shows

RCS Influencer McKay Daniels says that trade shows provide many opportunities for learning.

NRCA will have a presence at more than 20 events this year, and there’s no bigger event than the International Roofing Expo.® If you’re attending the 2020 IRE in Dallas, be sure to stop by NRCA’s booth #5715. Our team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have on all things related to the association.

We’ll have IRE-only membership discounts for those looking to join our nearly 4,000 members. These roofing contractors, manufacturers, distributors, architects, engineers, inspectors and other professionals unite together to improve their companies, employees and the roofing industry through their membership.

You also could learn about NRCA’s classes, products and worker certifications. We’ve recently launched a new online training program for individuals new to the roofing industry. TRAC, which stands for Training for Roof Application Careers, is available in English and Spanish for thermoplastic roof membrane and asphalt shingle roofing systems. We will have a scaled mockup of what an NRCA ProCertification™ hands-on exam looks like so you can see firsthand what it takes to become an NRCA ProCertified® roof system installer.

In addition to booth activities, we will be conducting dozens of hands-on NRCA ProCertification performance exams just outside the convention center. And NRCA’s education staff is teaching a leadership class for foremen during the show, as well as holding a number of classes for enrollees in NRCA’s Future Executives Institute program. We also will be conducting a CERTA Train-the-Trainer Progam as well as a Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z course. Our technical staff will be headlining a number of conference sessions during the IRE and discussing latest developments they’re seeing in the field. The Roofing Alliance, the charitable foundation of NRCA, is holding its fifth annual student competition. Collegiate teams from throughout the U.S. will compete in a project design competition. We do similar events and classes at a number of tradeshows throughout the year because we’ve found that it’s convenient for attendees.

If you’ve not attended a trade show before, I encourage you to do so. In addition to IRE, there are a number of regional, state and local events throughout the year. Although I’m relatively new to the industry, I come away from each show knowing more about the latest products and resources available to help contractors get their jobs done faster, more efficiently or more easily than before. And with workforce shortages continuing to grip the industry, any tip, trick, tool or product that helps is more than welcome!

McKay Daniels is the chief operating officer of the NRCA. See his full bio here.