Coverings 2006 Attendance Up, 5 Key Industry Segme

Alexandria, VA, April 14, 2006--Overall total registered attendance at the tile and stone expo, Coverings 2006, surpassed previous years, with 33,649 registrants in Orlando for the four-day event. The number, according to Tamara Christian, show director and president of National Trade Productions, which manages the show, was 4.4 percent ahead of last year and fuels an upswing that over three years has grown 24.4 percent. “Coverings attendance and this steadily progressive growth,” said Christian, “signals growing consumption of tile and stone products. There is great cause for optimism in the industry right now.” Attendance figures climbed significantly among five key constituencies: • Tile and stone distributors increased more than 28 percent. • Remodeling contractors increased nearly 22 percent; commercial builders increased 10.4 percent. • Stone fabricators increased 21.3 percent. • Specifier attendance was up, with architects rising 20.5 percent; interior designers, 9.2 percent. • Dealers and retailers increased 6.6 percent. And, while the statistics and quantitative measures all clearly indicate that Coverings 2006 was a resounding success, the true litmus test was exhibitor and attendee reactions. First time exhibitor Chris Warren, for instance, director of sales and marketing, of StarQuartz Tools, Baltimore, MD, came to Coverings to introduce a new urethane vs. epoxy-based grout and the experience was so overwhelmingly positive, he’s already planning to return in 2007 and onward. “We had independent reps who said this is the show we have to be in and they were right,” he said. “All the big guys came in to see us--Dal-Tile was in four times, Custom five times, Dapei’s been in three or four times and they all want to try and do a deal with us. And, we didn’t even think about the show being international when we signed up. Now, we’ve got the largest tile manufacturer in Mexico who wants to bring us over there, and also I think we’ll be doing business with Australia, London and Brazil. We’ll be in Coverings for a long, long time.” Retailer Trask Bergerson of Bergerson Tile & Stones, Astoria, OR, said, “Coming to this show is going to put money in my pocket. The things that stand out for me are the focus on the educational aspects, the seminars, and then the people networking and making connections. This is a platform to get together, start talking and building a relationship. That’s what’s valuable to us.” Also making the trek from Oregon, distributor Miteh Bhatia, of Northwest Pacific Trading Company, agreed it was worth the 3,000 miles and change of time zones for many of the same, plus other, reasons. “Coming to Coverings is going to be a springboard for our business. It’s a great resource, a learning experience and a networking center. It’s the flagship show for tile and stone in America. Everybody is looking for the same thing—something unique and different. And that’s what we can find here, under one roof to bring back to our customers. It’s not stressful and it’s a great place to do business.” In releasing the final count on this year’s show, Christian noted that, “Industry professionals have made Coverings the ‘must attend’ show, and it’s now substantiated by hard cold facts. Repeatedly we heard from exhibitors and every category of attendee that, when it comes to seeing the newest and best-of-the-best in tile and stone, this is the place to be; nothing compares. Up and down the aisles business was being transacted daily and there was a palpable mood of excitement that the industry, itself, is thriving.