Judy Geller - METALCON 2024: Innovations in the Industry - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Judy Geller of METALCON. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the recording.

Intro: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of MetalCast from MetalCoffeeShop. I'm your host, Karen Edwards and today we are going to do a deep dive, as deep as we can in 30 minutes, into the exciting world of METALCON that's coming up this fall in Atlanta, Georgia. I am really excited to welcome Judy Geller. Judy, welcome.

Judy Geller: Thank you, Karen. It's great to be with you.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. There is so much happening with METALCON. First of all, how about you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about what you do with METALCON and, most importantly, tell us the dates of the show.

Judy Geller: Okay. First I'll start with the dates. The dates are October 29th through November 1st. As you said, it's taking place in Atlanta, Georgia. I am Judy Geller. I am the show director for METALCON, which means I get to work with an amazing team of people who put together the incredible show year after year. I think this is my fifth year doing it now.

Karen Edwards: Oh, wow. METALCON is such a great show. I always enjoy going. Just maybe from a high level, you have a theme for this year's show. What's new and exciting? If someone's never been to METALCON or even if they have, what can they look forward to?

Judy Geller: Yeah. There is a lot going on at METALCON this year and it's going to be impossible to talk about everything in just 30 minutes because I don't think we've ever packed so much into a show before. To answer your question about themes, we actually have three themes this year. Let me share with you what they are. They are... Connections is one of our major themes because building strong, professional relationships is absolutely crucial to the metal construction industry. What we've done is we've designed a whole bunch of things related to connections to be taking place at METALCON this year. For example, we're launching our first ever speed networking program. We are having a Metal Mash-Up Welcome Party on the first day of the show. We've got small group hot topic roundtables that will be taking place. We have an international matchmaking program going on so our international exhibitors have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with US distributors. As you can see, we're working really hard to on every level we possibly can connect people, but that's only one of our themes.

Karen Edwards: [inaudible 00:03:01].

Judy Geller: Another one of our themes is innovation. Innovation is at the heart of progress in any industry, as you know and construction is no exception, so focusing on innovation allows us to highlight all the major advancements and achievements that are going to be shown in more than 250 exhibitor booths that will be going on this year. We also have our Innovation Award winners who we will be revealing this year. By the way, everybody listening, you get to vote. You can vote pre-show, you can vote at the show, but your opinion counts a lot when it comes to innovation in the industry.

Then the third theme is about inspiration. There's just a lot of groundbreaking projects that are going on. We're going to be sharing our visionary keynotes with everybody, we're going to have kickoff speakers, we're going to have the Metal Construction Hall of Fame Awards, we have our future leaders getting together. On so many levels, the event is going to be so inspiring. If you've never attended the show before, it's really a great year to dive in. To get more details about any of these themes that I've talked about, it's all on our website.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. The website is packed full of information, and I would suggest that you sign up for the email updates because I get them every week or so and so I know what's new, I know what to expect, I know what's going on because it's a huge show. This is the biggest show I think for the metal construction industry, right?

Judy Geller: It is the biggest show for this industry, yeah. We really believe that the education and the exposure to the exhibits, the industry leaders, the brain trust that's going to be presenting education and just to see and touch the equipment and the innovation that's going to be on the floor. If you are involved in metal construction or you're thinking about getting involved in metal construction, you're just going to find at METALCON what you really can't find anywhere else. It's truly a unique experience, as you know, Karen.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. There's nothing better than being able to see things in action, to demo, to talk to the teams there, to educate yourself about what's new in the industry. Sure, you can look up online, you can go to a website, but just to see it and understand how it's actually going to help your business is just really powerful.

Judy Geller: Absolutely.

Karen Edwards: Let's talk a little bit about what's happening on the show floor because I know in past years, you've had educational sessions on the show floor, you've had workshops. What's that going to look like this year?

Judy Geller: Okay, so we have education and workshops again on the show floor plus a whole bunch of new things. For education, one of the great things about METALCON is almost all of the education on the show floor is... It's free. We have three learning centers in the exhibit hall. They're conveniently located, so you don't have to take a lot of time away from touring the exhibits to drop in and check out one of 35 free education sessions. The learning centers focus on... Back to the theme theme, we have best practices, building performance and tech know-how. We've kind of built the education around those three areas. In addition, there are some in-depth workshops that will be taking place. I believe we're offering seven of them this year and there is a small fee to attend those. They're either half-day or full-day workshops, and they are really truly in-depth. You're going to roll up your sleeves, you're going to in some cases leave with a certificate or a certification and you're going to just get a level of education that you just can't get in an hour on the show floor, so definitely check those out.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, that's exciting. I'm curious, what level of knowledge and experiences... Were these for beginners, are they for intermediates or are they open to anyone?

Judy Geller: Yeah, no, you know what, there is something for anyone there. Honestly, if you want to brush up on your skills or if you're new, it doesn't matter. There is something in all of the education for you and in the workshops for you. Definitely.

Karen Edwards: Okay. Let's go back to the connections theme because one of the things I love most about attending events is just networking and making those connections and meeting people. Last year was the first year that you held a women in metal construction breakfast. I would love to hear how that went and if you're going to do it again this year.

Judy Geller: We are definitely doing it again this year. It was met with a resounding success, so we are offering it again on Wednesday morning. We're starting early at 7:30. It is required, registration is required I should say and any woman who is interested in joining us can come and join us for a networking breakfast. We have a fantastic speaker who will be sharing her experience with us about what it's like to head up a company in the metal construction industry. If you would like to register, just go to the website and under Show Highlights and Networking you can find the program there. I will say seating is limited. I think we're limited to about 50 attendees, but it is really fantastic. We just had a blast with it last year.

Karen Edwards: Is that what we're calling Metal and Mimosas?

Judy Geller: Yes, it is.

Karen Edwards: Okay. Yeah, unfortunately I was not able to attend last year, we had a conflicting event, but I just heard such good things about it.

Judy Geller: You did.

Karen Edwards: If you are a woman in metal and you're thinking about attending, you definitely should.

Judy Geller: I will share with you the speaker who's going to be sharing her experience with us. Her name is Stacee Lynn. She is self-taught in building, design, interior design and general contracting and she runs a company on barndominiums. She is just incredible. She's also doing a session, and we just think that she is going to be so inspirational for our attendees.

Karen Edwards: Oh, wow. Barndominiums are just so hot and so popular right now, so good for her.
Judy Geller: They're cool. I want one.

Karen Edwards: I know. They're beautiful. I can see why they're so popular. Okay, so you also have... I believe it's on the show floor, a networking zone called The Deck.

Judy Geller: Yeah. We've got a few networking areas. The Deck is kind of... Everybody's going to pass through The Deck as they come into the hall once they pick up their badge and registration, and The Deck is kind of where show management hangs out, we have our raffles and games and networking and all kinds of things going in there, but we also this year introduced a new area to complement The Deck called The Backyard. In The Backyard, we thought it would be fun to put some golf simulation over there. There'll be a pro in there on Thursday, we'll be hosting a reception at The Backyard, you can relax on some Adirondack chairs. It's just a place to just kick back and network with peers and have some fun.

Karen Edwards: That sounds like a lot of fun because when you're at a trade show all day, sometimes you just need to relax, have a little fun, maybe sit down for a bit. Offering those areas I think really says a lot about the experience that you're providing for the attendees.

Judy Geller: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. When you're checking out 250 booths, at some point you're going to need to take a break.

Karen Edwards: That's for sure, that's for sure. Okay, so I'm curious to learn a little more about the speed networking that you mentioned. What does that look like and how's that going to work?

Judy Geller: Okay. I think that a lot of people are familiar with the concept of speed networking. What we did is we've actually built an area on the floor this year called The Exchange, and it's where a lot of networking programs are going to take place, including speed networking and those roundtables that I mentioned earlier. Basically, the speed networking is going to be one-on-one face-to-face meetings for a limited amount of time so that you have an opportunity to kind of sit down and introduce yourself to other people who are attending the event, exchange business cards, talk for a few minutes about what you do, hopefully set up a time where you can reconnect after the show and then you can move on and you're going to do the same thing with somebody else. In an hour, you're going to get to meet and network with several new people.

That's going to take place on Wednesday, and this is all on the website and then on Thursday we have these... We're calling them Metal Mastermind Roundtables. Small groups are going to meet around roundtables on hot topics that are really kind of creating a lot of buzz and a lot of questions in the metal construction industry so, "What are some of the things that are going on where? How are people dealing with some of the workforce and labor issues that are happening in the industry? How are some companies using or adopting new technologies, including AI? I'm brand new to metal, for example. How do I get started?" The MCA, the Metal Construction Industry, is going to be facilitating that roundtable. There's a total of eight or nine topical roundtables and we expect eight to 10 people at every table and, again, informal networking to share ideas and find out how peers and experts are dealing with some of these same issues that a lot of the people listening today are probably scratching their heads over [inaudible 00:14:36].

Karen Edwards: Yeah. It's so powerful to bring those people together because attendees are from all over not only the country, but the world, right?

Judy Geller: They are.

Karen Edwards: We have international attendees, as you mentioned and you can learn a lot. Sometimes I think maybe as someone who has a company, who's working in the metal construction industry and you kind of get caught up in your area, your day to day, you sort of feel like you're on an island, but by connecting and meeting with professionals from different parts of the country and the world you can feel less alone and like you have some resources and maybe somebody to reach out to should you have issues come up down the road. It's great.

Judy Geller: Absolutely. You know what? For anybody who hasn't attended METALCON before, talk to somebody who has because it is really such a friendly environment. We have Oktoberfests, which are... It's essentially hosted beer in several of the exhibitor booths and it's a very social interactive event.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, it is. I believe I was at one a couple years ago that was over Halloween, which this is going to cross over Halloween and so you get some good Halloween candy and some handouts from the booths as you walk around.

Judy Geller: There'll be a lot of candy. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah.

Karen Edwards: That's exciting. Just advice for... I think it's great advice to tell someone if you haven't come to METALCON before, talk to somebody who has, especially if you are a member of your industry association like MCA, the Metal Construction Association. Reach out to fellow members and take the time. I think it's important to visit METALCON's website and check out the schedule Because you don't want to go into this without thinking through what you're going to do and where you're going to be and who you want to talk to because you probably have a complete list of exhibitors and a map on there, I'm sure.

Judy Geller: We have a complete list of exhibitors and a map. As we mentioned earlier, there's really a lot going on at this show so you're going to want to take advantage of the education in the exhibit hall, check out those workshops, you're going to want to participate in that speed networking, make some connections, join the roundtables and visit those exhibitors. I think honestly, Karen, this year more than ever planning is required and taking a few minutes to do that will serve you well. I would like to mention one other thing. Actually, kind of two other things because I know there are a lot of contractors who listen to your podcast and last year we introduced something that was really popular and we've brought it back. It's the METALCON Training Zone. John Sheridan, who I think is one of your frequent guests on MetalCoffeeShop-

Karen Edwards: He is, yes.

Judy Geller: ... brought last year and is bringing back a group of trainers who will be offering hands-on training and demonstrations in both English and Spanish. We're thankful that Sherwin-Williams, MetalVue division, is sponsoring that again this year. It's going to be even busier than last year. Then to your point about the Metal Construction Association, they are offering something new for the first time. It's called the Metal Mastery Zone, and they are going to be having their experts doing scheduled clinics on standing seams and all kinds of pertinent topics that are just going to be amazing. Their schedule of clinics is on our website as well.

Karen Edwards: Wow. There's a lot of roofing contractors out there that are seeing the growth in popularity of metal, and they might be thinking, "I ought to be adding this to my business." But they don't maybe necessarily know how, they don't know where to start. Those two things that you just mentioned, that's gold. If you are listening to this and you're not offering metal yet, this is where you want to be because you're just going to get all the help and resources and assistance that you need.

Judy Geller: Yeah. Definitely. Back to that earlier point that we talked about, it's a very friendly environment and the experts, the who's who of the metal construction industry, will be there and they are prepared and hoping to welcome new contractors into the industry. As I mentioned already, we have a round table that the MCA will be hosting for those who are new to metal, so yeah. It's a great opportunity.

Karen Edwards: All right, so I want to talk about innovation a little bit more as well. You mentioned that the people are deciding, they're voting on what they think are some of the most innovative things that they've seen over the past year, but how does one vote for that and where do they find the information?

Judy Geller: Yeah. They will be able to vote on our website. It's not live yet, but we will be putting word out and we'll let you know as well. There will be a link. They'll just simply go to metalcon.com and they can vote or they will be able to vote on-site as well, so you can vote at the show, which is kind of another cool way to do it because you can actually go see the innovations because they're going to be showcased in the booths of those who are being considered for awards. You can check it out and then vote on your favorite.

Karen Edwards: That's very exciting.

Judy Geller: [inaudible 00:20:48].

Karen Edwards: Do you guys have an app that is available for attendees?

Judy Geller: We do. We do. Again, not quite live yet, but it will be. You'll be seeing it out in our website, in our emails. If anybody is a reader of Metal Construction News, and if you're not, you should be, but they're going to have not only a full preview of everything that we just talked about that's going on at METALCON, but there will be a QR code to download the app associated with it as well and then we'll tell you how to do it on our website. It'll be easy to adopt that app.

Karen Edwards: Excellent, excellent. I know that on metalcoffeeshop.com we have a countdown to METALCON page, so we are counting down the days, hours and minutes until the event kicks off. As information comes in and is available, we will also populate it on that page as well to make it as easy as possible for everyone to find out everything they need about the show. Super exciting. We've got... You probably know the number of days. I should have looked at the countdown page before we got on here, but we've got about two and a half months.

Judy Geller: Yeah, that's all. It's going to be here before you know it. Yeah, it's hard to believe it's already August. Yeah. It's time to put METALCON on your calendar, and registration is open. Again, you can go to metalcon.com and just click the Register Now button. If you have relationships with any of the... I mentioned 250 exhibitors. They're all on our website. All of our exhibitors have discount coupon codes I'm sure that they would be more than thrilled to share with you or give us a call. The early bird pricing is still in effect also, so there's a good deal on the table.

Karen Edwards: Now, I would be remiss if I didn't say on metalcoffeeshop.com right now we're giving away some tickets to the show, and they are the Workshop Value Pass package. Could you just tell us a little bit about what that includes?

Judy Geller: Yeah. That's an awesome deal. Basically, the value pass includes those paid half-day and full-day workshops I mentioned earlier. What you get with the value pass is everything that's going on in the exhibit hall. You can go to the keynotes, you can go to the free education, you can go to all the networking, the welcome reception on Wednesday, The Backyard, all of it, plus you can go to those workshops that'll be taking place actually starting on Tuesday. Workshops are on Tuesday and Wednesday and I think there might be one on Thursday. Again, the schedule's on the website, but if you do get one of those value pass passes, check out the workshops and make sure you check whether you're picking one that starts on Tuesday so you can plan accordingly. That's a sweet deal.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. Yeah. Put your name in the ring. I know we'll be drawing the winners with enough time to allow you to book your travel and make your plans still, so be sure to enter. That's just on metalcoffeeshop.com. You'll see it scrolling through our homepage. Just click on that and fill out your information. Wow. Judy, I think we actually made it in less than 30 minutes, but still we could probably talk for another 30 about it. I want to encourage everybody to go to METALCON's website, visit METALCON's directory on MetalCoffeeShop or visit our countdown page because everything that you need to know is there. Mark your calendars, October 29th through November 1st in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center, right?

Judy Geller: Correct.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, so you're right down by Olympic Centennial Park, CNN, the Coca-Cola, the aquarium, so there's plenty to see if you want to come in a day early or stay a day late.

Judy Geller: Oh. Karen, you know what? You just reminded me of something I really should mention. We haven't even announced this, so this is sort of a little bit of a sneak peek, but Zeke Miller from MillerClapperton has offered to do an architectural tour of some of the downtown area, many buildings of which you have just mentioned, the Coca-Cola Museum, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the convention center. There are just some amazing, amazing things to see right within a short walking distance of the Georgia World Congress Center, so we'll be adding that information to our website as well. It's going to be limited to about 50 people and we will have a sign-up on the website, but if you're not familiar with all the amazing things there are to see in downtown Atlanta, Zeke is going to do a wonderful tour.

Karen Edwards: Wow, that's exciting.

Judy Geller: Yeah. Yeah. It'll be really fun. Yeah.

Karen Edwards: I love doing stuff like that. I will sign up. The weather that time of year in Atlanta, it should be pretty nice, right?

Judy Geller: Yeah. Beautiful. [inaudible 00:26:18].

Outro: Well, Judy, thank you so much for being here today and thank you to everyone out there who's listening to this. Thanks for joining us and be sure to follow us on social media. Follow METALCON on social media as well. Stay up to date, and we'll see you on a future episode of MetalCast. Thanks. Bye-bye.