Although the event organizers at Milanez & Milaneze have been running stone industry fairs in the stone-rich state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, for more than two decades, they reached new heights in 2003, when they began holding an annual event in the port city of Vitória. The show became a key destination for the international stone industry, although like many trade fairs, it saw a slowdown concurrent with the economic crisis of the late 2000s. The latest edition of the Vitória Stone Fair, which took place from February 7 to 10, was a major reversal of that trend — if not in sheer numbers, then in the increased activity on the show floor throughout all four days of the event.
According to Milanez & Milaneze, a total of 23,000 people visited the 2012 Vitória Stone Fair — including attendees from 65 different countries — and there was a busy atmosphere on the show floor. These attendees visited with a total of 420 exhibitors at the event, including 110 international firms from 18 different countries.