Organizers for Coverings, North America’s largest international tile & stone exhibition and conference, have announced an extensive lineup of new and returning features for Coverings 2023, set for April 18-21, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Attendees will be able to explore more than 400,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space with numerous global pavilions hosted by leading tile associations and product manufacturers. Coverings 2023 will host exhibitors from more than 30 countries, displaying the latest in tile, stone, tools, equipment, machinery and other resources. More than 20,000 attendees from all segments of the industry will be able to connect with exhibitors to explore and discover new and trending products onsite.
“Coverings is expanding its 2023 show to include an even broader range of special programs, beneficial resources and experiential activations than in the past,” said Jennifer Hoff, CEO of Taffy Event Strategies, the event management company for Coverings. “New, stimulating programming and partnerships, show floor tours, live installations in the Coverings Lounge, growth and networking opportunities, programs for fabricators and many other activations will contribute to a curated Coverings experience for distributors, retailers, fabricators, contractors, specifiers, architectural and design professionals, builders and all segments of the industry.”
Coverings is adding to its slate of features with the new “Tour: Building Your Installation Truck,” April 19, 2:30-3:30 p.m., during which attendees will learn about the tools and technology that make installers’ lives easier on the road. Tour followers will attain a checklist and templates that will ensure their preparation for any installation challenge they may face. This custom-crafted tour will provide participants with the tools they need for a proper installation truck and teach them about new technology and programs to help stock their trucks.
Also new to Coverings 2023 is the Distributor Lounge, sponsored by the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). This new addition to Coverings will provide a quiet place to meet near the show floor for tile, stone and flooring distributors. Light refreshments and snacks will be served in the lounge, located at the top of the South Hall escalators in room S222 (also called the Destination Lounge).
The Fabricator Stage, a new addition, will enable attendees to gain insights from experts in the stone and fabrication industry through short and engaging presentations and demonstrations. Programming provided in conjunction with the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) and Rockheads Group, two Coverings 2023 partners, will focus on the most relevant topics for tile and stone fabricators, supplying information and ideas needed to move attendees’ businesses forward and complete their next projects.
The Coverings 2023 show floor will also include a special display of particular interest to architect and design attendees known as the Art Tile Village. Located next to the Coverings Lounge in the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Pavilion, the Art Tile Village will include a range of aesthetically pleasing tile art designed by local and regional tile experts. Several interactive demonstrations about pre-mounting techniques, forming, decorating/glazing and hand painting will be featured in the area so attendees can learn more about the craft.
The show’s main Coverings Lounge will provide a centrally located and comfortable space for attendees to gain professional knowledge, network with peers, hear from industry leaders and attend happy hours featuring valuable prize giveaways. The four key tenets of Coverings 2023–“Health & Wellness,” “Sustainability,” “Outdoor Spaces,” and “Timeless Luxury –will be focal points of the Coverings Lounge, which will be highlighted through live demonstrations, displays, relevant market trends and hands-on activities.
The “Health & Wellness” tenet will be promoted in the Coverings Lounge through short mindfulness workshops led by Gianna Vallefuoco, an artist, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Five Star contractor and mindfulness teacher with Vallefuoco Contractors, LLC. These sessions will be appropriate for meditators and non-meditators alike, teaching participants how to better deal with stress on the jobsite, discover how breathing can help deescalate heated moments and learn how to use a growth-focused mindset to overcome obstacles.
The Coverings 2023 “Sustainability” tenet will be highlighted by the return of the Sustainability Wall, which will be on display in the Coverings Lounge to showcase the environmentally friendly properties of ceramic tile. This popular show floor feature will be updated from the Coverings 2022 edition to educate attendees on the sustainable benefits of ceramic tile.
D.W. Sanders Tile & Stone Contacting will be working alongside Coverings to underscore the “Outdoor Spaces” tenet in the Coverings Lounge. Woody Sanders and his team will showcase a raised pedestal system by dismantling and rebuilding it each day, so attendees can see and learn how the system works. Pavers for this project have been donated by Atlas Concorde.
The “Outdoor Spaces” theme will be further showcased in the Coverings Lounge through an outdoor seating area to provide a relaxing, conversational environment for networking, while also taking in the essence of tile’s integration in outdoor settings among plant material and outdoor furnishings.
The “Timeless Luxury” tenet will be featured in the Coverings Lounge to highlight the ways in which tile is a premium offering with impeccable quality in addition to functionality. Exhibitors from Ceramics of Italy, TCNA and Tile of Spain will display beautiful and luxurious tile installations which will double as wine and beer bars during happy hour events. Photography of luxurious projects will also be displayed on a large screen in the Coverings Lounge to showcase this significant market trend.
Happy hours will return in the Coverings Lounge April 18, 19 and 20, starting at 4 p.m. Cold drinks and valuable giveaways from TCNA and NTCA member companies will be available to those present, offering attendees a fun way to interact and wrap up their show days.
The Coverings Lounge will also be the center for complimentary Contractor Tours and the Coverings 2023 Rock Star Awards. Emerging, young professionals will be honored at the 2023 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and Reception, April 18 from 4-5 p.m.
On display in the Coverings Lounge will be “Wally the Gator,” a 6’ x 4’ Florida gator-themed mosaic tile project designed, built and installed by the tile artisan team of Lee Callewaert of Dragonfly Tile and Stone Works and Joshua Nordstrom of Tierra Tile. This tile art was created live and streamed during Coverings 2021 and is making a first-time appearance in Orlando for Coverings 2023.
The Podcast Studio is expected to be an extremely popular feature at Coverings 2023. The studio, located in the South Hall Lobby, will offer established podcasters across the tile, stone and construction industries a unique opportunity to record episodes during Coverings 2023. Showgoers can stop by the studio to listen in as podcasters record new episodes for their respective shows.
A roundup of Show Floor Tours will help attendees maximize their time and experience during Coverings 2023. The much-lauded Contractor Tours will make a return at Coverings 2023, providing tourgoers with opportunities to join NTCA for guided show floor explorations of the latest tools, equipment and allied products for contractors, installers, retailers, distributors and specifiers. The tours will kick off each day at 11 a.m., between April 18-20.
Those interested in attending the Coverings Contractor Tours are recommended to sign-up at no cost in the Coverings Lounge early; tours will start and conclude in the Coverings Lounge each day and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can also see a live demonstration of the raised pedestal system being installed and experience a live Q&A session in the lounge following the tours daily.
Various Trends Tours will allow attendees to see stunning product displays based on specific areas of interest or expertise. “Trends Tour: Sustainability,” taking place April 19, 2:30-3:30 p.m., will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore and discover the latest in sustainable products in the tile and stone industry and uncover insights regarding new trends and solutions for green building. Participants will compare current tile trends for sustainability; examine the sustainable benefits of tile; discuss the lifecycle and carbon footprint of tile compared to other project materials; and review available environmental certifications, standards and technical performance requirements for tile and installation materials.
The “Trends Tour: Health & Wellness” is set for April 20, 2-3 p.m. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the many health and wellness benefits of tile by comparing, viewing and discussing new design-build trends and solutions for health and hygiene.
Those participating in the “Trends Tour: Luxury in Practice,” April 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m., will discover the latest luxurious tile and stone trends, learning about new products and opportunities to deliver the beauty and luxury demanded by clientele. This tour will teach participants how companies leverage pillars of luxury to elevate their brands, how to identify these different pillars of luxury and how such pillars separate brands from the competition. Attendees will also examine brands that use provenance to grow their revenue and explore businesses that leverage time-honored traditions to solidify their brands as luxury.
Another curated tour will be the “Trends Tour: Outdoor Spaces,” April 20, 3-4 p.m. This guided excursion will lead attendees throughout the show floor, highlighting products that create beautiful and durable spaces that expand living beyond the indoors. Those on the tour will be able to identify global color and architectural trends for outdoor living spaces; review technical performance requirements of tile best suited for exterior projects; contrast different tile and installation products and their uses for outdoor spaces; and compare current tile trends for exterior applications by viewing a wide range of tile examples.
During the “Fabricator Trends Tour: New and Innovative Products from the Marketplace,” April 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m., fabricators following along will learn how to best evaluate stone products and machinery on the show floor and how to ask focused questions to get the answers they need to ensure the products or machines perform as anticipated. The tour is also designed to guide fabricators in discovering new, innovative products; help them understand the role of long-term planning in relation to new product selection and implementation; and teach them how to calculate the return on investment of new tooling or equipment additions for facilities.
Coverings is enhancing its popular lineup of interactive Stages for 2023 to feature the latest updates from tile and stone industry leaders. Trends, solutions, live “how-to” classes, and other relevant content will be available on three stages throughout the show floor.
The Installation Innovation Stage will headline live demonstrations, allowing showgoers to precisely see how to install a wide variety of new products and learn techniques to ensure highly successful tile and stone installations. Visitors can check out the Installation Innovation Stage each show day to hear from pros about new materials, industry standards, methods and best practices for delivering superior tile installation. Demonstrations will be delivered by NTCA and TCNA members.
The Trends & Solutions Stage will return to Coverings for its second year to highlight new services and product trends from exhibitors and industry professionals.
Attendees will also have a chance to face off by participating in interactive Fabricator and Contractor Challenges. These challenges require attendees to visit all the exhibitors in a designated area of the show floor, answer a question, get their cards stamped, and submit their completed cards in each challenge’s respective bin for a chance to win $2,500.
An extensive lineup of educational sessions will be offered during Coverings 2023 and span three tracks: “Installation & Fabrication,” “Materials & Trends,” and “Workforce & Profits.” All educational content is being planned to provide attendees with information, knowledge, techniques and skills, enabling them to position ceramic tile and stone as the material of choice.
For more information, visit https://www.coverings.com.
