How IFD is expanding international collaboration through the connection forum

By Heidi J. Ellsworth. 

Building on more than 70 years of Congress tradition, IFD’s Connection Forum creates new opportunities for roofing and façade professionals to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and collaborate across borders. 

Since its founding in the early 1950s, the International Federation of the Roofing Trade (IFD) has supported the exchange of knowledge and experience in roofing and façades while helping professionals build the trust needed for meaningful collaboration. One of the ways they have done this is by bringng the global roofing and façade community together through its Congress.

IFD's Congress create a space for technical knowledge, craftsmanship and relationship building across international borders and have helped establish IFD as a unifying voice for professionals, manufacturers and associations around the world while building a strong tradition of international exchange. In a recent Roofing Road Trips® conversation, IFD President Dirk Bollwerk reinforced that mission, noting that relationships are just as important as technical exchange because they create the environment where ideas can be openly shared and applied. That perspective helps explain why IFD is updating their event format to focus on connection while continuing to honour the strength of its Congress foundation.

Today, IFD is introducing the Connection Forum as an additional format that builds on the Congress tradition while creating a more interactive environment for attendees. This development builds on the collaboration and connection of the Congress while incorporating member feedback requesting more opportunities for exchange, interaction and practical discussion.

The Connection Forum is a setting where participants can move from listening into deeper engagement. Attendees will be able to discuss project experiences, explore regional challenges and share insights that contribute to technical understanding across borders. Instead of only receiving information, participants become part of the conversation, helping shape ideas in real time while strengthening the connections that have always been central to IFD. 

This approach also reflects the realities the roofing and façade sectors are facing today. Challenges such as sustainability, safety and workforce development are appearing across many regions, often with different solutions shaped by local conditions. One of IFD’s greatest strengths is its ability to connect these perspectives so professionals can learn from one another and adapt ideas in ways that work for their own businesses. The forum is intentionally designed to support that exchange by creating space for open dialogue while helping to bridge the gap between global insight and local application, turning shared knowledge into practical value for all attendees. 

What is happening now is continuity with a clear purpose. The Connection Forum builds on more than 70 years of successful Congress tradition and reflects the way IFD members and partners increasingly want to connect and collaborate today. As a new format for this year, it also creates an opportunity to identify and share best practices that can help shape the evolution of future congresses while keeping the organization’s mission rooted in practical international exchange. 

At the heart of that mission is IFD’s role as a neutral international platform where industry leaders, associations and professionals can meet on equal footing. By creating space for open dialogue, IFD helps participants exchange experience and knowledge in a way that moves beyond polite listening and into meaningful collaboration. Specialists gain access to current industry insight that can be applied both in the development of national standards and in everyday practical execution, making the forum a place where shared ideas can become useful tools back home. 

That collaborative spirit is also reflected in the organizations helping bring the new format to life. The IFD Connection Forum 2026 is hosted by Wienerberger and supported by IFD’s Supporting Partners VELUX, Murexin, Fakro and PREFA. Their commitment is an important part of making this new format possible and deserves recognition as the international roofing and façade community comes together to strengthen relationships and share knowledge. 

It is not a departure from the past, but an added opportunity to carry IFD’s mission forward in a format that feels more direct, practical and open to a wider community. The Connection Forum honours the foundation of the Congress while expanding how people connect, learn from one another and build relationships that support the roofing and façade industries across borders.