Fewer Attendees at Coverings Doesn’t Hurt Brazil
VITÓRIA, Brazil – From a Brazilian perspective, Coverings 2026 proved to be more for less. Although the number of visitors was lower than expected, the South American stone exporter reported consistent results and optimism for next year.
Coverings, held March 30-April 2 in Las Vegas, reflected a more cautious environment in the North American market for Brazilian exporters.
Still, 39 companies covering around 8,800 ft2 of exhibit space, represented the Brazilian contingent through the It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone program developed by the Brazilian Natural Stone Association Centrorochas in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency ApexBrasil.
Participants in the Brazilian Pavilion ended the show with $15.9 million in business deals negotiated during the event, with an additional $42.9 million expected over the next 12 months. That came from 2,184 business contacts, 556 of which were new, mostly from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Brazilian officials attributed the reduced numbers to several factors, including geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Coverings proximity to the show in Xiamen, China held in mid-March.
Centrorochas President Tales Machado noted significant change in the business.
“Coverings is still strategic, but with less prospecting intensity, requiring companies to increasing act based on relationships, business intelligence and customer retention ability,” he said.
Many visitors to the Brazilian booths were already loyal customers who maintain an ongoing relationship with the exhibiting companies. The vice president of Centrorochas, Fabio Cruz, noted that the economic context helps explain this behavior.
“Las Vegas tends to anticipate signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy as it depends heavily on tourism, entertainment, and conventions,” says Cruz. “A slower pace of life in the city generally reflects caution in consumption and investment.”
Machado chose to interpret the numbers as a sign of maturity in the Brazilian effort to strengthen the positioning of its stone, particularly considering products with a higher added value.
“The outlook for 2027 is positive, with the return of the fair to Orlando, a destination that historically attracts more visitors and exhibitors and trends to recover some of the business dynamism that we didn’t see in this edition in Las Vegas,” Machado added.