Trade Show 2012

The Stone business Trade Show 2011 are just ending, I believe Trade Show 2012 is something we can all look forward to, 2011 was dominated by finantial crisis, we can expect 2012 to be the corner stone, and hope that business gets back on track. I guess all my followers already know that of all International fairs I favour Marmomacc, besides the wonderful place which is Verona, it is an exhibition which shows the worldwide industry at it's best, we have many countries exhibiting, from high tech to design, you will find just about everything, marble, granite, slate, engineered stone and much more.

However for 2012, I recommend Vitoria Stone Fair in Brazil, the countries economy is booming, the World Cup and the Olympics will certainly keep them in the spotlight during the following years. 
Regarding 2012 stone trade shows, Piedra 2012, after the 2011 leap year, lets hope it is much better than the 2010. The last Piedra fair was a great deception for many visitors.


My List of the most important International Stone fairs in the World:

•  STONA 2012 - Bengaluru, India (1st-4 th of February 2012)
• VITÓRIA STONE FAIR- Vitória, Brazil (7th-10th of  February 2012): 33rd Edition
• TECHNO STONE - Kiev, Ukraine (29th February til 2nd of March 2012)
• STONE XIAMEN - Xiamen, China (6th-9th of  March2012)
•  MARBLE 2012 - Izmir, Turkey (26th -29th of March 2012)
•  COVERINGS- Orlando, USA (17th-20th of April 2012)
• STONETECH - Shangai, China (25th-28rd of April 2012)
• THE NATURAL STONE 2012 - London -Great Britain (30th April to 2nd of  May 2012)
• PIEDRA - Madrid Spain (8th til 12th of May 2012)
• CARRARA MARMOTEC- Carrara, Italy (23rd-26th of May 2012)
• EXPOSTONE - Moscow, Russia (19th - 22nd of June 2012)
• INTERBUILD EGYPT  - Cairo, Egypt (   21st -26th of June 2012)
• BUILD ASIA 2011 - Karachi, Pakistan (11th-13th of September 2012)
• MARMOMACC - Verona, Italy (26th-29th of September 2012) : 47th Edition
• KAMIEN- Wroclaw, Poland (7th-10th of November 2012)
• THE BIG FIVE - Dubai, U.A.E. (November 2012)

2012 is also a leap year for Stone + Tech fair in Nurnberg Germany, one of my favorites! Next Stone + Tech will be in 2013.

 

The great thing about the stone business is that change has been a part of it from the beginning, so I guess we all adapt quite quickly to it. The trends, the colours, the designs, everything is on the move, we have to just keep up with the market to be in the market.

These stone fairs are in my opinion some of the most important in the stone business, however a few of them are really considered global fairs. Selecting which you should attend as a visitor or as an exhibitor should really be done carefully.

Marmomacc 2011

Marmomacc 2011 is just a month and a half away. For those who have visited this stone fair before, I guess all the potential Marmomacc has you have viewed it in the past. I've been to Marmomacc several times, actually haven't missed a fair in several years now. It's my favorite stone fair for several reasons, one it's location is great, mild weather and excellent food, you can find exhibitors from every corner of the World, and finally, Italian design is encountered in every hall, it's a great inspiration well for me.
Marmomacc as everyone knows is nota big city therefore room and board can pose as a problem, actually a quite expensive problem, if not done timely. You can find room and board around Verona at more reasonable prices. I have in the past few years been staying quite a bit far from the city centre at affordable rates, however in the evening, driving to city centre can be difficult, especially parking.
It's delightful city and the countryside is just beautiful, it's mid distance between Milan and Venice. The flights to Verona, may also be a complicated thing to arrange, as Verona has a small airport, and little low cost companies fly in directly, so to Marmomacc we may find people flying in through Milan or Venice. For those who do arrive at Verona directly their is a shuttle bus to the fair ground which may be a little awkward if you carry your luggage.
I usually take advantage of this precious time out of the office, to inspire, and to define strategies for my business. Take advantage of it, you'll see how wonderful it is ... every corner of the Marmomacc Verona fair ground will inspire you with hundreds of great new and stylish ideas, which you can adapt into your business to improve.
Have a nice trip to Verona, Marmomacc is really a special place, and everyone in this industry should take a few days off to look and see the trends. Plus, never forget, anyone who is anyone in the stone business will be within a two mile radius, so don't discard any potential business.
Almost forgot the most important thing, this year is the 46th International Stone Exhibition, Marmomacc 2011 will be held in Verona Italy from the 21st to the 24th of September 2011.