Alexandria, Va.—Deciding to go in another direction, the board of governors of Coverings announced the appointment of National Trade Productions (NTP) as the new management company for Coverings, its annual trade show. The board’s five sponsoring associations—ASCER (Spain’s Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association), Asso-piastrelle (Association of Italian Ceramic Tile and Refractories Manufacturers), CTDA (Ceramic Tile Distributors Association), NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) and TCA (Tile Council of America)—unanimously selected NTP following a long and diligent search to identify the candidate most qualified to take Coverings to the next level. With the move, the board replaced Trade Show International (TSI) and Skip Mason, who managed the show until now.

Coverings, the exposition and conference for ceramic tile and natural stone, was introduced in 1990 and is now the largest trade show of its kind in the United States. The annual event has earned a reputation as a major force associated with the steady growth that the ceramic tile and stone industries have developed in the U.S. market. Since its inception, the show itself has seen a similar expansion pattern and the board is extremely confident that it will be well positioned for continued growth and success, noted Enzo Mularoni, chairman. “Under the new management, the board envisions a higher profile Coverings that will continue to position the ceramic tile and natural stone industry as a premier sector of the U.S. floor and wall coverings industries.”

Beginning on July 8, NTP assumed all management responsibilities for Coverings. NTP, based in Alexandria, Va., brings more than 27 years of trade show experience and corporate event success to the partnership. The company’s strength, noted Mularoni, lies in state-of-the-art technology, superior marketing capabilities and its ingenuity in presenting a very professional and productive event. “The enthusiasm and creativity of its team will be instrumental in developing the new sense of vitality that the board envisions for future Coverings shows. “Coverings’ process of making a show management decision was extensive, and when we met with NTP we knew we had an innovative and energetic management solution,” he added. “The entire Coverings board fully supports the choice.”

Tamara Christian, NTP’s president, said, “We are honored to have been selected to manage Coverings. NTP brings extensive experience managing trade shows in many industries, both domestically and internationally. In addition, we share the board’s enthusiasm for Coverings and see additional growth potential. We will be introducing many new ideas while focusing on extensive customer service. “We plan to focus on a few things for the show in 2004,” she explained. “We are seeking to increase attendance in three audience segments: Architects, designers and retailers, while, at the same time, seeking to decrease the cost of freight and other service to our exhibitors. We’d also like to link housing and registration so it can be a one-stop-shop on the Internet while re-tooling the Web site so it is more user friendly, dynamic and slick.

“We’d also like to message or brand the show better so that it is obviously a tile and stone show,” continued Christian. “Currently, marketing pieces focus on globes as the image and have for years. We want the image to be tile!” Coverings is a Tradeshow 200 event with more than 1,300 exhibitors from 45 countries showcasing trend-spotting products, designs, applications and services of interest to a worldwide audience of more than 26,000 professional designers, merchandisers, architects, specifiers and contractors. The next Coverings show, which NTP will produce, is scheduled for March 23 to 26, 2004, at the Orlando County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. —Louis Iannaco