Coverings 2012: 22,000+

Note: Article edited on May 1 to reflect specific attendance numbers for 2012 and 2011 events.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – When it comes to getting a better draw – as far as attendance – Orlando beat Las Vegas for the Coverings stone and tile trade event.

Registration for this month’s Coverings in Orlando came in at 22,366, topping the 2011 Las Vegas tally of 18,742 for an increase of 19.3 percent.

Alexandria-based National Trade Productions, the event’s producer, noted that dance among architects and designers this year climbed 84 percent from 2011. Attendance among fabricators, meanwhile, jumped 69 percent; distributor attendance rose 16 percent, and installer/contractor visits were up 26 percent.

“These numbers are valid indicators that the tile and stone industry is in a recovery mode,” said Karen Fendrich, show director of Coverings. “No way has the dust fully settled from the economic turmoil, but there are decided improvements in business, with building projects re-booted and remodeling on the upswing—all good signs for anyone involved in this product category.”

Fendrich credited several factors for this year’s increase, including the embracing of social media with the Coverings Central area for digital interaction/education; the Contractor Days program with the National Tile Contractors Association; and the Installation Design Showcase for creating three imaginary room settings.

“We enacted a very strategic, very aggressive marketing program, undertaking several new initiatives that helped attract visitors to the show,” Fendrich noted.

Coverings takes a short drive up Interstate 75 next year, heading for Atlanta and the Georgia World Congress Center on April 29-May 2, 2013.

Source: Coverings news releases, Stone Business.

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