Education at the event took place in many forms.

The morning program was lead by marketing expert Marty Gould. He showcased marketing “best practices” with an emphasis on the internet and connecting with customers through social media.

Gould’s interactive presentation was tailored specifically for stone fabricators, and he offered specific evaluations of the Web sites of attendees and sponsors — detailing the specific design, language and photo placement for successful sites.

In the afternoon, fabricators took an extensive tour of MSI’s warehouse, which is one of the largest in New England, and they had an opportunity to view the company’s inventory of exotic materials as well as traditional stones and quartz surfacing.

Following the tour, Stone World Editor Michael Reis led an in-depth Fabricator Forum that studied a range of current industry issues. Panelists included Victor DeOliviera of Discover Marble & Granite, John Kilfoyle of United Marble Fabricators and Dick Laliberti of Ripano Stoneworks Ltd.

Topics included an assessment of current business conditions, understanding costs, shop safety, green practices, jobsite issues, remnant processing and more.

For more information on the MIA/Stone World Industry Education Series, visit  www.stoneindustryeducation.com.