We welcomed the opportunity to find out more about developments in the European market of metal roofing. However, we were surprised to learn of the image problems faced by European metal roofing contractors, of which we were previously unaware. The venue successfully encouraged the networking element of the programme between presentations. A useful tool for the conference was The idea of an extensive break between presentations whilst the boat changed locations. This allowed organisers to gauge opinion from the audience. Ample time and encouragement was provided for the audience to express their own views. Particularly interesting was to note the lack of recognition for the specialist metal roofer was a common theme across the various represented countries. The significance of the extensive in-depth marketing presentation was lost because of our own lack of language skills. Despite interpretation difficulties, we found the XXL-Meeting interesting and informative and we hope to be further involved in future conferences and the development of the iib.
