The Surfaces 2003 floor covering exhibition set records in attendance, number of exhibiting companies and net square feet of exhibit space, making it the biggest version of the event ever. The show, which took place from January 29 to 31 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, and was sponsored by the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), had a record total attendance of 40,389. Surfaces also set records with 938 exhibiting companies in over 535,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

"Surfaces 2003 was definitely the most impressive ever," said Chris Davis CEO of the WFCA. "Everyone I talked with, exhibitor and attendee alike, were upbeat about the show and what they were getting out of it. Every aspect of the show came off seamlessly and exceeded the expectations of everyone I came in contact with."

Attendees at the event included retailers, manufacturers, distributors, contractors, architects, designers, builders and installers from the U.S. and abroad.

Following the trends of the past few years, the stone industry played more of a role at Surfaces 2003. The event included stone suppliers from North America and overseas, and it also featured suppliers of installation/maintenance products as well as stoneworking machinery and accessories.

The seminars at Surfaces 2003 also included more sessions of interest to the natural stone and tile industry. Sessions included such topics as: "The Complete Approach to Ceramic and Stone Tile Marketing," which was presented by Greg Gelston, director of sales for Schl?ter Systems North America, who spoke about the insight necessary to gain a competitive advantage by taking a complete approach to the marketing of ceramic and stone tile.

Surfaces is owned by Hanley-Wood, LLC, a major business-to-business media company serving the housing and construction industry.

Sidebar:
Stone and related exhibitors at Surfaces 2003

Afyonlu Granit-Mermer Sanayi Ticaret, Ltd.
Aqua Mix, Inc.
Bestview International Co.
Bonsal/ Fin Pan
Bostik Findley, Inc.
BTI Tile & Stone
Cam Tech Industries, Inc.
C-Cure
Contemporary Stone & Tile Design
Cottoveneto SRL
Custom Building Products
Dal-Tile Corp.
Echeguren Slate, Inc.
Euromarmol USA
Felker/Target
FILA Industria Chimica S.P.A.
Floor-n-Decor
Florida Tile Industries
GBI Tile & Stone, Inc.
Glaze 'N Seal
Laticrete International, Inc.
M S International, Inc.
Marble World
Marmi Mecca S.P.A.
Marmol Export USA
Medimer Marble & Granite
Miracle Sealants Co.
Pearl Abrasive Co.
P&L Marble (West) Inc.
Quarry Tile Co.
Regio
Sawmaster Diamond Tools, Inc.
Southern Grouts & Mortars
Stone Care Intl.
Stone Mart
Stone Suppliers LLC
Stone Tech Professional, Inc.
Stone World Magazine
Tureks/Marble Systems
Vytek
World Wide Stone Corp.