As I sit down to write this, I feel like I can finally decompress. The last two months have certainly been busy, as I have attended three trade shows in a period of five weeks. And while I came away with some soreness from sitting on long flights, carrying luggage through the airports and walking what seemed like endless miles throughout the various exhibition centers, I also came back with a new perspective on the tile industry. All indicators point to the fact that business is picking up.
In Las Vegas, a long line of attendees formed outside the exhibit hall doors on the first day in anticipation of the start of Surfaces | StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas. During the three-day event, there was a noticeable buzz on the show floor. Traffic remained steady over the course of three days, and exhibitors cited that the show was definitely the best it has been in probably the last five years. All those I spoke with at Surfaces were in agreement that this was a great way to kick off 2013.