Four months before the opening of Marmomacc - the international natural stone and technology exhibition taking place in Verona, Italy - the show organizers at VeronaFiere announced that all 3.77 million square feet of gross exhibit space had already been sold, with 60 companies eagerly sitting on the waiting list. With this in mind, organizers are expecting that the 2006 edition of Marmomacc, which will take place from October 5 to 8, will be one of the most successful ever.

The current size of the exhibition space at Marmomacc represents an increase of more than 500,000 square feet over last year, when the event featured 1,450 exhibiting companies (including 675 international firms from 51 different nations). Stone suppliers rely on Marmomacc as a forum to showcase their latest introductions in terms of materials, products and finishes, representing the newest offerings in the marketplace. Likewise, many of the equipment producers on hand at Marmomacc use the event to launch brand new machinery innovations to the industry.

The 41st edition of Marmomacc is highlighted by several new innovations. These include the inauguration of two new halls for companies displaying finished natural stone products - Halls 10 and 11, representing 215,000 square feet of space. Additionally, Hall 7, the largest ever of its kind, will showcase tools, abrasives and chemical products for stone processing.

Overall, the show layout is as follows: Hall 1 hosts architecture and design exhibitions; Halls 2, 3, 4, 5 and “Outside Area” A host exhibitors of machinery and technology; Hall 7 has tools, abrasives and chemical products; Halls 6, 8, 9 and the two new halls, 10 and 11, focus on processed marble and design pieces; and “Outside Areas” B, C and D focus on blocks and slabs.

In 2005, Marmomacc attracted 62,048 visitors from 116 countries around the world as well as 300 accredited journalists. A further increase in attendance is expected this year, especially on an international scale, due to promotional efforts in nations such as Turkey, Spain, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, Brazil, Argentina, Taiwan, China and Germany.

Among international promotional efforts, Americans visiting Marmomacc had the benefit of going online to www.marmomacc.com/freebadgeusa for a free four-day pass, which entitles users to one entry per day. By pre-registering, visitors save the registration fee and avoid long lines at the show. In addition, pre-registrants receive the Official Catalog on CD at the fair. The registration deadline is September 15.

Stone and architecture

Bridging the world of architecture and the stone industry, the event is taking place with the patronage of the National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Designers and Conservation Experts and the Ministry of Production Activity.

The “Marble Art Culture” section of Marmomacc is comprised of cultural initiatives focusing on the use of stone in contemporary architecture, and it showcases stone from companies that work closely with architecture design and interior design studios.

Marmomacc is now an official member of the Marble Institute of America, and it has also been long recognized as an official “education provider” by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA course that takes place directly at Marmomacc - co-sponsored by Stone World and recognized by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Royal Institute of British Architecture - was recently recognized as a “Best Practices and Trends” program by the AIA. Only 15 U.S. architects are accepted each year for the program, which includes scholarships that cover tuition, meals, hotel accommodations and local transportation.

In addition to the AIA education available during Marmomacc itself, American architects can now refer to an online course detailing the use of natural stone through the AECDaily Web site (www.aecdaily.com/sponsor/veronafiere). “Given the increasing importance of distance learning for continuing education, we have decided to put an introduction to our course online,” said Janina Mathiasz, head of VeronaFiere's Foreign Department. “We hope that this course will expose a greater number of architects to the basics of stone selection and spur them to come to Verona to take the full course and visit Marmomacc, the world's best source for stone materials.”

Marmomacc has also consolidated its relationships with RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and RAIC (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada) whereby every year architects have the chance to attend theoretical and practical lessons, experience first-hand visits to several quarries and watch stone material extraction processes and working methods.

For more information, visit www.marmomacc.com.

Links

• Marmomacc
• Marmomacc
• AECDaily website