They say, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” But when our Rebecca Blose, business development manager, returned from two major building industry events, she had plenty of juicy details to share about opportunities for tapes.
The “City That Never Sleeps” recently played host to two of the building and construction industry’s most important trade shows: the 2024 International Roofing Expo (IRE) and International Builders Show (IBS). Both took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the IRE running from February 6-8 and IBS from February 27-29.
These events were attended by Avery Dennison’s own Rebecca Blose, business development manager, Building & Construction. And although Las Vegas visitors are often admonished that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” she offered up plenty of juicy details about opportunities for tape converters and building and construction OEMs in this growing segment.
IBS -© Oscar Einzig Photography
International Roofing Expo: Metal buildings need cold-performance adhesives
The IRE bills itself as the largest roofing and exterior event in North America. The show has a primarily commercial focus. This year’s event had 600 exhibitors representing building material OEMs, builders, architects, engineers and others.
“It’s all of the industry’s leaders with superior resources in the roofing and building exterior segments,” said Blose. “And they’re focused on learning about the industry’s evolving trends and goals to address customer experiences, sustainability and innovation.”
One of the main areas of focus for the show was metal building construction. According to a recent report by Data Bridge Market Research, the global metal roofing market is forecast to grow at a 5.7% CAGR between 2022 and 2029.
“The IRE partnered with the Metal Construction Association and the Metal Roofing Alliance for the show,” said Rebecca. “The metal roofing segment is really growing, as the industry drives towards sustainable and more durable solutions. And OEMs expressed a lot of interest in high-performance adhesives for metal building applications, including cold temperature and acrylic adhesives.”
“So, I had a lot to tell them,” she added.
Products in the Avery Dennison Cold ToughTM Adhesive Portfolio are engineered for performance under extreme weather conditions, including installation temperatures down to 0F (-18C) and service temperatures of -40F (-40C). It also performs well in humid and wet conditions, and on substrates that tend to accumulate heavy condensation. Tapes featuring Cold Tough are a sound choice for a wide range of building applications, including metal roofs.
International Builders Show: Lots of energy as the industry is growing again
Magic was in the air as the IBS opened for its 80th edition. “For real,” said RebeccaBlose. “The show’s opening included a performance by magician Mat Franco!”
“There was just so much energy,” she continued. “I walked the show floor on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, and there were times when we were packed shoulder to shoulder.”
The energy and excitement are understandable. After a couple of rough years, the building and construction industry is really rebounding. According to the 2024 Dodge Construction Outlook, overall construction starts are expected to rise by 7% in 2024.
This year’s edition of the IBS hosted more than 70,000 attendees and 1,800 exhibitors. About 45% of those exhibitors were first-timers. To help attendees navigate this maze, the show’s organizers divided the show floor into three segments:
Building materials
Interior finishings, business management and professional services
Construction tools, systems, outdoor living, leisure, modular buildings, global exhibitors
Blose noted many IRE exhibitors also set up booths at IBS, though often to showcase different divisions of the company. And many of the OEMs used their booths to perform in-exhibit product demonstrations. Whereas the IRE had a commercial focus, IBS was more about the residential market.
“The key themes of these demos were sustainability, green building, and overall performance,” said Rebecca. “These are huge opportunity areas for tapes and tape converters. More OEMs are understanding tapes’ benefits of ease of use, durability, and flexibility, and finding that they’re a great solution for bonding their innovative products.”
So much good stuff coming out of Las Vegas
Las Vegas may be the “Sin City,” but it was a source of goodness in February. In other words, opportunities abound for high performance tapes and tape converters. Building and construction OEMs are seeking bonding solutions that are lightweight, easy to use, versatile, durable, and that perform over a wide range of environmental conditions. Tapes are that solution.
Blose and the team at Avery Dennison Performance Tapes welcome the opportunity to discuss how you might leverage your expertise to grow in the industry. She can be reached through the contact information listed below.
Rebecca Blose is a business development manager for Avery Dennison Performance Tapes. As a 25-year engineering and quality influencer of technical PSA tape solutions, she focuses on strategic, innovative and future trend design opportunities within the building & construction segment. Platforms, collaboration and creativity drive her contribution. Contact Rebecca at Rebecca.blose@averydennison.com or via LinkedIn.