StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 will be held January 24 to 26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Exhibits will be open from Tuesday to Thursday, and the Education Program opens Monday, January 23, and goes through Thursday. The show’s organizer, Hanley Wood, reports that StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas will be welcoming many new exhibitors and show floor features to increase overall value for attendees, including the co-location of Surfaces, the largest floor covering event in North America. 

“With more than 2,800 net square feet of exhibit space being contracted by 15 new companies thus far, we couldn’t be more encouraged at this show of industry support,” said Amie Gilmore, Show Manager of Surfaces | StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012. “This upward selling trend is proof positive that this industry’s economy is finally turning around.”

Among the new exhibitors are Natural Stone Resources, Ozgel, Eclipse Distribution, Matrix Machine Corp. and SAS of Luxemburg, Ltd. “We welcome these companies to StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas and look forward to them showcasing their unique natural stone products, services and technologies,” Gilmore said. These companies add a diverse selection of product lines to existing exhibitors, including Breton S.p.A., CMS/Brembana, GranQuartz, Groves, Husqvarna Construction, Mitsubishi/MC Machinery, Ocean Charm, Park Industries, Samich and more.

The continued co-location of StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas with Surfaces allows for two levels of exhibits to go along with a multitude of show floor features and free on-floor education. Some of the most popular areas are the S² Main Stage, Trends Hub, Connections Pavilion, Stone Pavilion and Stone LIVE!, a series of “how-to” demonstrations on the show floor. The event is also reintroducing the New Product Marketplace (formerly known as the New Product Showcase).

New areas added to the 2012 show floor include “Tool Alley,” featuring exhibiting companies whose primary business is the supply of large and small floor covering tools. This area will also showcase hourly demos where attendees can see these products in action, and it will feature DIY Network’s Chris Grundy, host of “Cool Tools.”

Additional features will be “The Cage,” presented by the Stone Fabricators Alliance, which includes hands-on testing of the newest fabrication products; and Artisan Avenue, an area full of bold, specialty and handcrafted items — from tiles and sinks to cabinets, decorative concrete and window coverings.

Education

The StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas Educational Program will allow attendees to expand their knowledge. With eight targeted tracks, courses are available for every level and demographic of the stone industry.

Tracks include:

• Marketing

• Flooring Installation

• Building Design and Trends

• Business

• Sales

• Care/Maintenance/Restoration

• Stone Fabrication/Installation

• Sustainability (New for 2012)

Of the 75+ seminars, workshops and mini-sessions included in the comprehensive 2012 Conference Program, there will be 25 specifically designed for StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas attendees. Sessions are geared towards fabricators, installers, architects, builders, designers, restoration specialists, general contractors, distributors and kitchen & bath specialists, among others. They also offer valuable Continuing Education Credits through AIA, NKBA, AIBD, IICRC, and ASID. For a full listing of education sessions, visit www.StonExpo.com.

On January 24, Marmomacc will be presenting “Designing With Natural Stone: A Day of Continuing Education for Building Design Professionals.” This event is complimentary with exhibits admission, and it includes a full day of education specifically geared towards building design professionals, who will earn a total 4.5 AIA LUs (all HSW), including 1 SD and 0.4 IDCEC CEUs.

In addition to classroom sessions on performance evaluation and stone and sustainability, the program includes a visit to a large-scale stone fabrication plant in North Las Vegas and a guided walking tour of StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, followed by a reception and networking dinner.

StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas is owned and organized by Hanley Wood, and its Official Sponsors are the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and Natural Stone Council. The event’s official endorsers are Marmomacc (Veronafiere), Allied Stone Industries and The Concrete Countertop Institute.

For more information on StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012, visit www.StonExpo.com.                      

 

Sidebar

Attendees at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas will have a chance to demo a broad range of stone fabrication tools in “The Cage,” which is being operated by the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA). In addition to these opportunities, several live demonstrations will be conducted each day, and the schedule is as follows:   Tuesday, January 24, 2012 10:00  a.m. - Top Polishing 1:30  p.m. - Seam Setting 3:00  p.m. - Texturing Stone Using Hand Tools 4:00  p.m. - Sealing / Enhancing - Texturing Stone   Wednesday, January 25, 2012 10:00 a.m. - Granite Scratch Repair 11:00 a.m. - Tool Sampling 1:30 p.m. - Core Bit Sampling 2:30 p.m. - Mitering & Vein Matching Techniques 4:00 p.m. - Sealing Stone Techniques   Thursday, January 26, 2012 10:00 a.m. - Marble Scratch Repair 11:00 a.m. - Soapstone Finishing Techniques 12:00 p.m. - Homing Natural Stone with Hand Techniques 1:00 p.m. - Seam Setting and Top Polishing     The Stone Fabricators Alliance will be operating “The Cage” at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, where attendees can test a range of fabrication tools. In addition, several live demonstrations will be conducted each day.”