Lock in your WRE 2026 schedule

By Emma Peterson. 

This year’s show is coming up fast with the first day being September 27, 2026, and we wanted to help you build the ultimate attendee schedule.  

The Western Roofing Expo (WRE), which is sponsored by Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA), is one of the premier events in the roofing and waterproofing industry. Not only is it chock full of iconic moments, like the Roofing Games™ shingling competition and the live auction, but it also boasts 28 educational sessions, two keynote luncheons and more!  

That’s a lot of programming for just three days (the 2026 show will be held from 9/27/26 to 9/29/26), which is why we wanted to break down some of our must-attend sessions and events!  

Sunday, September 27, 2026 

The first day of the show will mostly be networking with industry experts and peers. There are a few events you can opt to attend, such as the Bob Porter Golf Tournament and Sporting Clays Tournament, but the main event of the day is the WRE Welcome event and auction. Sponsored by GAF, this event not only marks the beginning of the 2026 show, but also raises funds for the Davis Memorial Foundation, WSRCA’s charitable organization. 

Monday, September 28, 2026 

Monday is when things get really busy with a stacked schedule of more than a dozen education sessions. Here’s our shortlist of must-attend sessions from this day: 

• Roofing Trends That Matter: RoofersCoffeeShop®’s own Heidi J. Ellsworth will be presenting about roofing trends! This presentation will give attendees valuable insight into where the roofing industry has been and where it’s moving towards. 
• Ready or Not: Our friends Trent Cotney and Benjamin Briggs of Adams and Reese will be diving into ICE raids, 1-9 audits and managing roofing contractor exposure in our current immigration landscape. 
• From Hiring Fast to Hiring Right: In a Spanish-language session, Amparo Sancen of Latinos En Roofing explores how to build a roofing team that will help your business win. 
• Using AI in Roofing Estimating: John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group shares insight into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in roofing operations, specifically related to estimating. 

In addition to those education opportunities, Monday boasts two luncheon options, three demonstrations and the much-anticipated Roofer’s Feud event. Here’s a bit about those options:  

• Luncheons: There are two lunch learning opportunities on Monday. One is for Spanish-speaking professionals and features Victor Maya (Advantage Roofing, GAF) discussing how to maximize commercial roofing claims. The other features Craig Brightup (WSRCA political correspondent) and Chad Collins (chairman of the National Roofing Contractors Association board) as they give a political update. 
• Demonstrations: As we mentioned, there are three demos on Monday. The first kicks off at 1:30 p.m. is hosted by Polyglass U.S.A. The second (which starts at 2:30 p.m.) is from TAMKO Building Products and the last demo of the day is at 3:30 p.m. and features Johns Manville. 
• The Roofer’s Feud: Closing out the Monday schedule is the Roofer’s Feud. Sponsored by CertainTeed, this is a great chance to test your trivia knowledge and enjoy some friendly competition. 

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 

But wait, there’s more! Hit the ground running on Tuesday with breakfast and table talks with the National Women in Roofing team at 7 a.m. (please note, additional registration of $55 required for this event). After breakfast, it’s time to jump straight back into education sessions! Some of our must-attends for Tuesday include:  

• The Roofing Roundtable: Hosted by the WSRCA Young Roofing Professionals Committee and led by Rachel Garcia of Malarkey Roofing Products, this session is all about building multi-generational teams. 
• State of the Industry: Trent Cotney is back for another session, this time exploring the legal perspective of what’s going on the industry. 
• Mental Health and Addiction in the Roofing Workplace: Paul Reed of Roofers in Recovery takes the helm during this session about how contractors can better support the mental health of their crews. 
• The Cost of Disconnection: For this Spanish-language session, Monica Vornbrock of the GLO Group dives into how post-sale breakdowns are costing contractors customer trust and revenue. 
• Designing Durable Cold-Climate Roofs: In this session, Mindy Dahlquist of TRA Snow and Sun explores the role of snow retention in designing roofs in cold climates. 
• Escaping Reactive Service: The last session on our shortlist is Tracey Donels (Service First Solutions) talk about creating predictable business growth through service offerings.  

And just like on Monday, there are two options for lunchtime learning and some can’t miss events:  

• Luncheons: Imelda Perez of CertainTeed will be hosting Tuesday’s Spanish-language luncheon. The other lunch option will be in English and features motivational speaker Shereen Thor. 
• Sound stage: The RoofersCoffeeShop® crew will be taking over the demonstration stage after lunch for an insightful conversation with WSRCA President Stan Robinson and incoming WSRCA President Ron Lloyd. 
• The Roofing Games™: And closing out the day is the much-anticipated shingling competition! Sponsored by Malarkey Roofing Products, this is a great opportunity to bring the community together and maybe even win some fun prizes!  

These lists are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything going on at this year’s Western Roofing Expo!  

See the whole schedule and register to attend the 2026 show!