By bringing together three well-known shows — Surfaces, StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas and TileExpo — TISE East meets the interests of members of the flooring, tile and stone industries. Its goal is to draw in thousands of retailers, architects, distributors, installers, manufacturers, designers and home builders for four days of face-to-face networking, education and product sourcing.

The inaugural show was held from October 19 to 22, 2014 in Miami Beach, FL, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. With 185 exhibitors and 65% attendees from the Southeast region of the U.S., show organizers were adamant on bringing this year’s show back to the East Coast.

“We had no question there was a significant need for an East Coast event, and the positive response generated from TISE East 2014 positively reinforced this theory, creating additional business opportunities for our distinguished audience of both exhibitors and attendees,” said Amie Gilmore, CEM, Director of TISE. “We achieved our goal of delivering an international audience, with buyers from the important Latin American market, including Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, as well as attendees from Europe who are unable to travel to Las Vegas in January.”

TISE East 2015 will feature a host of educational events, including seminars and topic-specific sessions, which will begin on November 2. Additionally, the event will provide a lineup of exhibitions, — displaying the latest in the flooring industry, including carpet, stone products, ultra compact surfaces, hardwood, laminate, tile, machinery, services, and tools and accessories — beginning the following day on November 3.

This year’s show is sponsored by the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), Marble Institute of America (MIA), Natural Stone Council (NSC), Building Stone Institute (BSI) and its affiliate members: Canadian Stone Association; Elberton Granite Association (EGA); National Building Granite Quarries, Inc.; Northwest Granite Manufacturers Association; Indiana Limestone Institute of America, Inc.; and American Monument Association. Endorsers include Marmommac, Veronafiere, Allied Stone Industries, Stone Fabricator’s Alliance (SFA), Vitoria Stone Fair, The Experience, Floor Covering Industry Foundation, International Certified Floorcovering Installers, International Concrete Repair Institute, International Standards & Training Alliance, National Institute of Certified Floorcovering Inspectors, National Wood Flooring Association, North American Laminate Flooring Association, North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors and Tile Partners for Humanity.

New show features

With close to 200 exhibitors expected this year, organizers have a full roster of events for attendees, packed with exciting new features. The “Porch, Open Air Design Concept” space will be the hub of activity on the show floor. It will include cocktail bar and lounges — perfect for hosting Happy Hours — as well as serving as the central meeting location for tours and much more. This new feature, designed with aesthetics in mind, will showcase many exhibitors’ floor covering, as well as stone and tile products, which will be artfully paired with designer accessories.

One of the newest and most exciting learning experiences for industry professionals, The Peer 180 Conference, is a peer-to-peer conference experience like no other. Unlike traditional conferences, attendees won’t have to sit through pre-determined topics, which may or may not provide the information they need. With Peer 180, attendees will have the ability to share the problems with which they need help, the answers they have learned from their own experiences, and make real connections with professionals who face the same challenges. This conference provides a smaller, more intimate and supported environment that is tailored by and for the individual attendee.

Last but not least, escape to the “TISE in Paradise Welcome Party” at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Right in the middle of renowned Universal Orlando CityWalk, attendees will have a chance to relax and enjoy live music, food and drinks in an exotic island destination atmosphere on the first official night of the show, November 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. Attendees can also stay and play after the party with a CityWalk Party Pass, since TISE East has conveniently negotiated one low price for attendees to attend all of the hot event spots throughout the event dates. Additional information will be available at the Welcome Party.

Interactive highlight

In addition to the show’s new offerings, TISE East will also feature several live demonstrations, as well as a variety of other events. The live demonstrations, presented by the Stone Fabricator’s Alliance, were undoubtedly one of the biggest draws of last year’s events, and will again be held in “The Cage,” which is a fenced in area that allows visitors to experience first-hand how the latest tools seam-set, texture and polish natural stone products. This area will also host the “Fabricators Olympics” for the second consecutive year, where contestants will compete in timed events such as square eased edge polishing, half bullnose shaping and surface polishing. The overall winner will receive a cash prize and be named the Fabricator Champion.

Some other events that should be noted include the Product Marketplace, which will give attendees the opportunity to browse through some of the hottest products in today’s market and then go visit the manufacturer or supplier in their booth to get more information on the products; and the Social Learning Lab, the perfect place to get up and running on your own device, troubleshoot your biggest social media problems or learn new tricks from industry professionals.

“We are excited at the new lineup of opportunities being presented to the industry at the upcoming TISE East in November,” said Gilmore. “These unique new opportunities, along with the event’s key association partnerships, and the incredible Orlando destination, are setting up TISE East as a stellar event for the industry.”

For more information, to buy tickets for the show or to register for any of the events, go to tiseeast.com.