The AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Expo took place in Los Angeles, CA, from June 8 to 10, and once again, the exhibition floor included the Stone and Tile Pavilion, which is sponsored by Stone World and Contemporary Stone & Tile Design magazines.


More than 24,000 architects and building industry professionals attended the AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Expo, which took place in Los Angeles, CA, from June 8 to 10. Once again, the exposition included the Stone and Tile Pavilion, sponsored byStone WorldandContemporary Stone & Tile Designmagazines.

In addition to suppliers of stone materials and installation/maintenance products, the Stone and Tile Pavilion included trade organizations such as the Marble Institute of America, the Italian Trade Commission, IMM Carrara (the organizer of the CarraraMarmotec trade show in Carrara, Italy), and Veronafiere (the organizer of the Marmomacc trade show in Verona, Italy). Additionally, the Natural Stone Council was present for the third straight year, and its exhibit featured a broad range of stonework as well as industry experts on hand to work with the architects present.

The AIA Convention/Expo offered a broad range of education and continuing education credit. In all, there were 85 Expo Education sessions, including many in the stone and tile sector. Sessions were offered by Internazionale Marmi E Macchine (IMM) Carrara, the Italian Trade Commission, the Natural Stone Council and Veronafiere, as well as individual companies.

As part of the AIA Convention and Expo, Veronafiere hosted a lunch for alumni of its AIA-approved continuing education course on stone materials for architects. The program, which is held in conjunction with the Marmomacc fair in Verona, Italy, and co-sponsored by Stone World, was launched in 1999 and has been attended by nearly 100 architects.

Sidebar: Veronafiere hosts luncheon for AIA CES alumni

On June 9, during the recent AIA Convention in Los Angeles, CA, Veronafiere hosted a lunch for alumni of its AIA-approved continuing education course on stone materials for architects. The program, which is held in conjunction with the Marmomacc fair in Verona, Italy, and co-sponsored byStone World, was launched in 1999 and has been attended by nearly 100 architects.

About 25 alumni from the first seven years of the course made their way to The Palm Restaurant, across from the Los Angeles Convention center to reminisce about a very special week spent in Verona learning about natural stone.

Many architects also used the occasion to recommend colleagues to compete for scholarships for this year's course, which will be held in Verona in October.