By Louis Iannaco
ORLANDO, FLA.—Thousands of tile and natural stone professionals made their way to Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center from April 29 to May 2 to experience
Coverings 2008. With more than 1,200 exhibitors from all over the world and over 80 conference sessions, the country’s largest tile and stone show didn’t disappoint.
According to Glenn Feder, president of client events for National Trade Productions, the company that manages Coverings, toward the end of day two, in comparison to the shows in 2006 (Orlando) and 2007 (Chicago), Coverings 2008 was “looking favorable in virtually all attendee categories. That includes distributors, retailers, architects, designers, specifiers and installers.” Coverings attracted approximately 33,000 visitors in 2006 and 37,000 in 2007.
Despite the current state of economic uncertainty in the air, thousands flocked here to see the latest innovations and state-of-the-art products the industry had to offer. Wood looks continued to dominate, as did linens, metallics and an array of colorful mosaics, with more and more business and projects going to the stronger commercial segment.
Patti Fasan, consultant for ASCER/Tile of Spain, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary at the show, stressed how important it was in the eyes of the public to know that the applications for ceramic tiles are no longer limited to the kitchen and bathroom. “It’s one huge trend in ceramic tile. We need to expand the applications where ceramic tile is used. [Providing] this is one way our industry is helping distributors and retailers.
“Companies realize the economy is slow, and they need to able to open new markets,” she explained. “So they are proposing new tools that show ceramic tile in bedrooms and living rooms. It’s all about inspiring retailers and distributors, and showing them that new markets are possible because tile can go anywhere, do anything and is very diverse.”
Wood is good
Fasan noted that wood-looking of ceramic tile has been commercially successful “because the manufacturers can make longer planks that are much more realistic. There are many areas where people want to use wood but can’t use the natural woods or laminates. They want that durability, but they want one area to look like stone and another area to look like wood. It’s been wildly successful.”
Donna Levy, national accounts manager for Porcelanosa USA, agreed with Fasan, saying many attendees were looking for hardwoods. “They keep getting stronger and stronger each year. The larger format, Woodtec, a through-color porcelain, has received a great response.”
At the
Graniti Fiandre booth, marketing/territory development manager Bill Perkins said the initial reaction to the company’s wood looks was “quite excellent.” And it’s not just reaction. “We’re pulling in orders for it. It’s very exciting.”
In addition to its wood looks, the company showcased its “Made in the USA” TCL brand Earth Naturals collection. This through-body glazed porcelain offers the look of woven linen, another very popular trend at the show. Graniti Fiandre was showing all five colors of this collection, which enjoyed a very strong response.
While the wood look was definitely a popular trend, it was one of several. Luca Zagatti, general manager of Italy-based Atlas Concorde, was impressed with the growing sophistication of the American market. “The trend, even here, is now more minimalistic, contemporary, clear as well as colorful. They are moving away from the beige going to the grays, blacks, reds and blues. There are some changes happening together in coordination with furniture, kitchens and dining rooms.
“If you were a young couple designing your house 10 years ago, the first thing you would have thought of was, ‘We’ve got the furniture from our grandparents, let’s use it.’ Now, the first thing in their mind is the big plasma TV. That’s new, minimalistic, fitted on the wall. This certainly is not the natural stone look. It’s a colorful, modern look. The plasma TV has influenced the latest trends more than anything else.”
Green means go
What would an industry show be nowadays if it didn’t have a green tint to it? Lately, everyone and everything has seemingly gone green, and Coverings was no exception. “We are focused on green building and the flooring industry’s contribution to LEED certification,” said Rainer Blair, president,
Mapei Americas. “At Mapei, concern for the environmental impact of our products is more than a trend; it is a fundamental part of our philosophy, corporate commitment and industrial responsibility.”
In addition to reinforcing its environmental concerns at Coverings, the company also announced the expansion of its Technical Institute, where Mapei provides seminars, demonstrations, video and audio presentations as well as Webcasting to industry professionals.
Other green moments at the show came from Oceanside Glasstile, which debuted several sustainable tile designs geared especially for the luxury market. One example was Mosaico Italiano, which featured mosaics and patterns constructed from post-consumer reclaimed brick.
In addition to introducing several new product lines at Coverings such as Urbanite, which features a unique surface that is smooth to the touch,
Florida Tile announced it had received certification from the GreenGuard Environmental Institute for its products being low in emissions, making the manufacturer the first in the industry to have this certification, noted Massimo Barbari, executive vice president, sales and marketing.
Product potpourri
Another Massimo at Coverings was
Massimo Ballucchi, director of marketing for
Vitromex USA, who was thrilled with the reaction to the company’s new Angra product, a graphic stone look in two colors; Mercury, a porcelain tile featuring a travertine look; Linfa, a porcelain tile that mimics the look of sandstone; Turkana, a marble-looking ceramic tile, as well as Simen Stone, a modern, cement-like tile.
The company also announced new tiles for the blind. These tiles feature a bubble-like effect, which signals a change in height, so when the visually impaired person feels the bubble, he or she knows there is a change in height surface coming, Ballucchi said.
Brazil-based Eliane Ceramic Tiles enjoyed a very “positive” show. “We are an international company, so for us, this show is not only about the United States, it’s about Canada, the Caribbean, and even some parts of South America. We’ve had traffic from all of those regions.”
Some other companies strutting their stuff at Coverings 2008 included:
• Inalco, which debuted Lounge, a porcelain tile resembling the look of fabric;
• Keraben, which premiered two more traditional tile lines resembling stone—Augusta featuring decorative detailing and Senatus simple and sleek;
• Tau Ceramica, which launched Nappa, a large-format tile that mimics leather; Iron Copper, that looks as its name suggests, and Parva that offers the perception and look of stone.
• Vitra Tiles, part of the Eczacibasi Group headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, enjoyed a warm reception to its wide portfolio of ceramic and porcelain floor tiles, wall tiles, mosaic and glass mosaic tiles. New products included its Novelties collection featuring Maison and Serenity, and its Urban Life collection in Porfido Stone and Hardwood.
• Del Conca showcased its new “digital coloring system for tiles” borrowed from inkjet technology. This new technique is used to develop products that closely mirror the myriad of shades found in nature. Pietra Regia is one of the first series done with this new technology. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and for high-traffic areas.
Education
With so many seminars and presentations, education once again proved to be a major component at Coverings. During the show, the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) launched its Certified Ceramic Tile Installer program, Level 1—Thinbed Floors and Walls.
With 13 North American organizations having pledged their commitment to ceramic tile education by making a financial donation to fund CTEF’s expanded career training program, executive director Scott Carothers sees good things ahead. “Our objective is to expand our curriculum and course availability to a national scope. With this infusion of resources and financial support from the industry, we will be able to take our programs and their availability to the next level.”
