Orlando, Fla.—With war raging in the Middle East, those who had looked forward to the 16th edition of Coverings did so with great apprehension. And while the show’s attendance did take a hit, it did not dampen the spirits of many of its exhibitors, especially the major players—manufacturers of ceramic tile, natural stone and related products from all over the world—who saw the people they needed to see and seemed eager to see what the rest of the year has to offer. “In talking to exhibitors, they have said the big buyers are here,” noted the show’s manager, Skip Mason, who also pointed out there were more stone exhibitors at the show than ever before. 

“Our exhibitors have been great. They understood that the situation was beyond our control. They committed themselves to maximizing the customers who were in attendance. The results were highly satisfying. “The exhibits continue to get better each year,” he added. “They become more and more beautiful. The show has always been heavily oriented towards manufacturers making very strong statements, graphically, and I think they are continuing to do that. Jeana Herrara, area manager of Spain-based U-Tile, echoed what many at the show experienced, saying, “traffic at the market has been steady. So far, so good. Most of our regular clients have come by, and that’s important.” 

A factory which made a strong statement at the show was Sicis, an Italy-based mosaic tile producer, one of the event’s many mosaic exhibitors. The company’s WaterGlass collection turned many heads while its booth, designed to make an impact did just that as it featured a giant cartoon strip made of colorful mosaics. “Many people have come by and have shown a lot of interest in our product,” said overseas department manager, Giorgia Bagnaresi. “We do well here every year. The booth has done very well for us too.”

A company which has gone through several management changes recently is Amercian Marazzi, one of the largest players in the ceramic tile arena. With several new introductions, including the Casali collection, new marketing director Giovanna Ponti said the show “has been going well for us. The people visiting like the new look of Amercian Marazzi. They really seem to like our new product line. “We were surprised, in a way, that so many people were showing up for this market after the previous event,” she explained. “But so far, it’s been good. I like the fact that next year the show will be in late April.” “Three of our latest four lines were made in Europe but are designed specifically for the American market,” she explained.

“Casali is made here in the U.S. and is also designed for America.” While Ponti admitted, American tastes still favor shades of beige and white, “they do seem to like a darker brown we are offering. I was surprised by that. The two darker design colors we are offering are selling quite well, which is a pleasant surprise. “The market here is definitely headed towards the high-end,” she added. “The competition is growing. You cannot compete on prices, you must compete with design and quality. One of the reasons the company has made the changes it has is because it wants to make a statement. ”

Marazzi, which has offices, warehouse and manufacturing facilities in several countries, will be expanding its reach even more with a new plant in Russia, south of Moscow. “Marazzi has always been very competitive in this market, in Amercia” said Claudio Monari, director of communications. “We feel we do business the right way, establishing not only manufacturing facilities, but customer service, sales and marketing and logistics in any country we do business in.”

Jerry Stone of Atlas Concorde, another Italy-based manufacturer, said, while the show’s traffic was slower than in previous years, “the response has been good. The people here, for the most part, are here to do business. I think the war had a lot to do with it but, economically, even before the war started, many companies were bringing fewer people to the show.” Even with the overall economy in the current state it is in, he explained, “The U.S. ceramic tile market is as strong as ever, particularly as an importer. To a great extent, we’ve done well and survived all the economic problems because people have put money back into their homes. So, overall, the domestic ceramic tile market is good.”

Installation and maintenance solutions supplier, TEC Specialty Products, debuted several new products at the show. The company’s first new product, 1Flex crack isolation mortar, is designed to be a one-step solution to protect ceramic tile and stone from damage caused by the natural shrinkage that occurs as concrete cures. TEC also introduced seven new AccuColor grout and caulk colors. “The new colors complement the latest consumer fashion trends in tile and stone, which is a change from bold to more natural, muted tones,” said brand manager, Gerardo Campos Tello. “AccuColor grouts and caulks are lab formulated to precise, digitally determined color specifications using advanced color metrics technology. Each batch of grout and caulk is assured to be the right color using a color computer called a spectrophotometer, providing superior color accuracy.

“The market itself has gone very well for us,” he added. “we have been introducing many new products at the show and demonstratng them as well. We want to let people know we stand for innnovation and technology. Many of our distributors have come into our booth and have given us a very positive response.” Innovators As one of more than 500 natural stone companies at the event—which was the most of any segment, including ceramic tile—Stoneworks of Art introduced its TrimStone product at the show, what it calls a “new product category in the world of interior design.” TrimStone consists of stone medallions made from slab, sliced thinly and mounted on lightweight aluminum honeycomb backing to fit in any type of flooring. “Just 3/8-in. thick, our TrimStone products have combined the natural beauty of stone with leading-edge technology,” said Jo-Ann Zanzuri, vice president of Stoneworks.

“Consumers appreciate having a thin medallion without all the joints of traditional tile medallions,” she added. “Installation, crating and shipping costs are much less, putting our medallions in reach of a much larger residential and commercial marketplace. “Installers find TrimStone easier to handle and more durable—it won’t break if dropped,” she explained. “Mechanics don’t have to compensate for the 3/4-in. thickness of regular medallions by digging down or floating the surrounding floor up when setting a medallion in a 3/8-in. flooring material.”

Another innovative company drawing a lot of attention was a small, first-time exhibitor called the Vietnam Trade House based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The company’s specialty is handmade tiles with a twist—duck eggs hells. “We inlay the eggshells by hand,” said Nicolai Harmsen, general director. “It is a tremendous procedure to make them. We feature mother of pearl inlays all cut by hand.” While the company has done eggshell inlays on furniture and accessories for several years, Coverings is “a new show for us and it’s a new product,” Harmsen explained. “I’m pretty satisfied because we’ve received quite an overwhelming response to it.”

Stone importer Mika International drew raves from many attendees with its QuickStone USA product, a type of floating floor system for stone (see story on page 16). “We’ve gotten a lot of interest from many distributors,” said Mike Lathrop, co-owner. “It’s been a great show for us, and now we just have to continue to get the word out.” “We’ve done very well at the show,” said Rubens Paulo Martinez of Brazil-based Casagrande. “In fact, we were expecting less people because of what is happening in the world. But our expectations were not correct; we’re doing very well. People are coming, they are buying, they are enjoying our new products. Our products are moving very well in the United States. “Fifty percent of what we ex-port goes to the America,” he explained. “It is a very important market for us. We penetrate the market by designing our products to fit the different areas, the different tastes of the country. That’s what we are doing. We have traders from the factory who come to the United States to check the different areas. We have separated the country into different regions and have different people who are responsible for these different areas.” Next year, Coverings 2004 will be held from April 27 to 30 at the new North/South Complex of the Orange County Convention Center here in Orlando.