Already well established as the leading showcase of Brazilian stone suppliers on the worldwide stage, the 2010 Vitória Stone Fair will carry a more international flair when it takes place from February 23 to 26 at the Carapina Expo Center in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. This next edition will include exhibitors from Spain, Greece, India, Pakistan and Taiwan - all taking part in the event for the first time - along with firms from the traditional participating countries such as Italy, Egypt, Turkey and Argentina, among others.

“What we noticed is that Brazil has attracted a great interest in the business world for being a promising market, and the increase of the international participation proves this,” stated Cecilia Milaneze, Director of show organizer Milanez & Milaneze. “Besides this, the diversity of stones [from Brazil] has transformed the country into one of the main suppliers of stone for the world.”

Also of note, new show hours have been designated for the fair this year. The exhibition hall will be open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day, rather than the usual morning-to-evening shift.

Because of the increase of exhibitors from other countries, the expectancy is that the Vitória Stone Fair will receive a larger number of foreign visitors, according to Milanez & Milaneze, which reports that the fair received 22,000 visitors from 66 different countries in its 2009 edition.

“We are conscious that 2010 holds positive expectations for the Brazilian economy due to how the country is overcoming the global crisis, demonstrating maturity and attracting the attention of investors,” stated Emic Costa, President of Sindirochas and Cetemag.

Of course, in addition to international exhibitors, the participation of Brazil’s stone suppliers is the key element of the Vitória Stone Fair. The State of Espírito Santo, where the event takes place, concentrates the largest amount of marble and granite quarries of Brazil. According to the Brazilian Dimensional Stone Exportation Center (Centrorochas), stone producers in Espírito Santo were responsible for 66% of the country’s dimensional stone exports from January through October of 2009.

The second highest state in export percentage was Minas Gerais, with 22.4% of the overall share during the same period.

In terms of export targets, the U.S. remains the main destination of  Brazilian stone exports, consuming 49%. Coming in at a distant second is China, with 11%.

Besides the diverse range of traditional Brazilian granite, the Vitória Stone Fair will display a variety of other types of stones from Brazil. An example is the quartzite from the pole production region of Pirenópolis in Goias.

With the support from Sebrae, the producers of quartzite from Pirenópolis will display at the Vitória Stone Fair, and the President of the Mining Association of Pirenópolis (Amip), João Leôncio Figueiredo Filho, said that the expectation of the participation in the Vitória Stone Fair is positive.

In addition to granite and quartzite, companies from Minas Gerais will be present in the Vitória Stone Fair displaying their slate production - with the support of Sebrae-MG and the Mining and Processing Slate Association, Amar-MG.

For more information on the event, visit www.vitoriastonefair.com.brm.            

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