The five sponsoring organizations of Coverings are in daily contact as they work together to support Coverings 2004. These organizations have announced the following goals for Coverings 2004: 1) increase attendance from the designer and architectural communities; 2) increase the number of retailers in attendance; 3) decrease exhibitor costs; 4) reduce number of conference sessions while increasing resources for the sessions; 5) increase hands-on demonstrations on the show floor; 6) and increase attendance from the West Coast. The five sponsoring associations, representing thousands of manufacturers and buyers, have sent a message to their membership regarding their dedication to the success of Coverings. "I urge all TCA members to continue their strong support of Coverings," stated Robert Daniels, executive director of the Tile Council of America. Enzo Mularoni, president of Coverings, vice-president and chairman of the Promotional Committee and Trade Fairs of Assopiastrelle said, "The 150 Italian firms which take part in the show consider Coverings the most important appointment to approach the American market. The 27,000 people who visited the exhibition last March - and we believe there will be more next year - are the most qualified confirmation of my words."

Eva Pulido of ICEX, organizer of the Pavilion of Spain, added, "The Coverings show is the most important wall and floor coverings exhibition in the Americas and one of our main promotional tools in this market."

The powerful sponsoring organizations of Coverings include ASCER (Spain's Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association), Assopiastrelle (Association of Italian Ceramic Tile and Refractories Manufacturers), CTDA (Ceramic Tile Distributors Association), NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) and TCA (Tile Council of America). The next event, taking place March 23 to 26, 2004 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, will be the first event under the new management of National Trade Productions (NTP), a leader in the production, management, and marketing of trade expositions, conferences and special events. For more information on attending or exhibiting at Coverings 2004, visit www.coverings.com or contact NTP at 703-683-8500.