Global roofing leaders gather for IFD’s Connection Forum

By Emma Peterson.

From recycling initiatives to project case studies, the Connection Forum offers attendees a chance to explore industry challenges through an international lens.

In less than a week, the International Federation of the Roofing Trade (IFD) will be hosting their first ever Connection Forum in Vienna, Austria! This two-day event (14-15 October 2026) aims to create an interactive and collaborative space for roofing professionals from around the world. As Sabine Rothschuh, IFD’s secretary, put it when she stopped by The Coffee Shops® for a Roofing Road Trips® episode about the event, “It is not a traditional conference with presentations and speakers. It's more designed as an interactive meeting where participants can actively exchange ideas, discuss current developments and the most important thing is to develop relationships.”

To guide conversations and discussions, IFD has brought in an expert group of speakers who will highlight different challenges facing the roofing industry. These speakers include:

• Dirk Bollwerk: as the president of IFD, Dirk will be giving opening and closing remarks throughout the two days. He will also be one of the moderators on a panel discussion comparing the how different countries and regions approach the same issues.
• Heidi J. Ellsworth: heidi will be presenting on artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is impacting the industry.
• Teet Enok: The presentation from Teet will dive into how Estonian roofers are facing and overcoming the challenge of recycling flat roofing materials.
• Senahid Kanuric: senahid’s will present in the project exchange portion of the Connection Forum. This is a format where professionals, like Senahid present on their project so that attendees can learn from their process.
• Gary Howes: Like Senahid, Gary will be highlighting a recent project to foster discussion about international best roofing practices.
• Chad Collins: Chad will be the one of multiple presenters sharing a country-specific perspective on the establishment of technical guidelines. He will represent the U.S. perspective.
• Andy Rowlands: Like Chad, Andy will be giving a country perspective on technical guidelines. He presents for the United Kingdom.
• Jan Redecker: and the final presenter in the technical guideline comparison is Jan, who will talk about the German perspective.
• Henrik Mosegaard-Johansen: Alongside Dirk, Henrik will moderate the discussion on how different nations approach roofing challenges. He will also be one of the moderators for the roundtable discussion about the priorities of the industry.
• Sabine Rothschuh: Sabine will be the other moderator alongside Henrik for the roundtable exchange on current topics, priorities, perspectives and challenges facing the roofing industry.

Keep up with the insights and discussions spurred on by these incredible leaders.