Marmomacc ’11 Gets Attendee Boost

VERONA, Italy – Attendance at this year’s Marmomacc stone event topped 2010’s count, with a larger mix of international vistors.

VeronaFiere, the event’s producer, noted in a news release that “that more than 56,000 attendees” appeared at this year’s show, which ended on Saturday. The release also noted that more than half of the visitors hailed from countries other than Italy.

Official figures will be released later. Last year, the final count came to 56,024 visitors for the four-day event, with 26,160 coming from outside Italy.

VeronaFiere noted higher attendance from Arab countries, China, France, India and Iran, and also noted visitors from the United States and Germany as among “the most loyal.”
 
“This is a very important result, especially in times like these of major difficulties for the European and international economy, and demonstrates that exhibitions are one of the few engines entirely at the service of the real economy,”  said Ettore Riello, VeronaFiere president. “Marmomacc, over four days, attracted operators from as many as 130 countries, with an increase despite the crisis in the international share of 8% over 2010, with exhibitors from 60 countries, 20 international group shows and 30 trade delegations. This is how to implement industrial policy.”

VeronaFiere, in collaboration with Confindustria Marmomacchine and Centro Servizi Marmo – Veneto District,  will accompany Italian companies next January to Las Vegas to seek business opportunities in the NAFTA market at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas.

While 2011 Marmomacc attendance showed an uptick, it’s still below the levels of the mid-2000s. The turnstile count peaked in 2007, when 65,000 attendees toured the VeronaFiere exhibit halls.