A total of more than 250 exhibitors were on hand, including firms from Brazilian stoneworking regions such as Bahia, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Espirito Santo and others. And while Brazilian firms comprised 60% of the exhibiting firms, the remaining 40% came from abroad - particularly suppliers of items not available in Brazil, such as tumbled marble and fabricating equipment from Europe. In fact, many Italian exhibitors organized as a national pavilion on the show floor. In all, a total of over 10,000 professional visitors attended the fair over the four days, coming from Brazil as well as over 25 other nations. A total of 17% of the show's attendance came from outside of Brazil.

For Brazilian stone producers, the show offered the opportunity to launch new products, such as Brown Beaver of the Gramazon (Tocantins); the Classic White of Andrade S/A (ES); the Desert Rose of Serraria de M¿ores Santo Antonio (ES); the Polar White of Qualita (SP); and Himalaya Red of Emigran (SP). Other Brazilian exhibitors included, Ferraz & Tommaso, MAP, Micapel, Michelangelo, Proton, Rio Segran and Thor. Exhibitors from outside of Brazil included Antolini Luigi, Breton, Diamant Boart, Sea, Stone World and Zonato.

Another new development was the "Enlightenment Point," where industry professionals fielded questions about the practical applications of stone materials.

The success of the event underscores the overall prosperity of the Brazilian stone industry over the past decade. Exports grew 23.6% in 1999, and went from a value of $3 million in 1990 to $106 million in 1999. With the success of the export market, Brazilian firms have continually looked to upgrade their equipment and tooling to ensure that their production meets international standards. Moreover, the Brazilian government has assisted export-driven companies in making investments to their factories.

The show is sponsored by Simagran, a Brazilian trade association, and it is supported by the following organizations: Abirochas, CinRochas, Secovi-SP, SindiRochas, Abiemg, Sasp, Simagran-Mg, Simagran-RJ and Simagran-PR.

The dates for the next edition of Stone South America are March 13 to 16, 2002, at the Transamerica Expo Center in Sao Paulo.