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The Stone Industry Hits The Jackpot With
STONEXPO 2005 In Las Vegas!
(Dallas, Texas) The industry is still buzzing from what is being called the most successful industry event to date: StonExpo 2005! The overwhelmingly positive response from both exhibitors and attendees proves StonExpo is THE industry event.
The stone industry has embraced StonExpo 2005 and made it a huge success. This year's show experienced substantial increases across the board from past years: 5,068 fabricators, installers, quarriers, contractors, architects, designers, builders, distributors, kitchen and bath specialists and retailers from across the country attended StonExpo 2005—that's a 55% increase in attendance over 2004! Total attendance at StonExpo 2005, including exhibitors, was 6,271.
Stone professionals came en masse to see all the new products and services from 255 exhibiting companies, up 24% from the number of companies that participated in 2004. They filled a sold-out show floor that occupied 82,000 net square feet of exhibit space, a 22% growth over last year. In addition, 35% of the companies that exhibited this year were new to the show! This means that the stone industry got to see more product options than ever before.
The industry also confirmed that high-quality, proven education taught by the industry's leading experts is critical for business success. The StonExpo 2005 Conference Program was another enormous hit. A remarkable 3,442 conference sessions were attended at this year's event, which is a 66% increase over last year's show!
Attendance numbers, exhibitor participation and conference turnout are great indications that StonExpo 2005 was a triumph for the industry. But the feedback from attendees and exhibitors is the true testament to the success of StonExpo 2005. Comments from the industry suggest that if you missed StonExpo 2005, you missed THE stone event of the year!
"StonExpo 2005 exceeded all of our expectations," says Jim Eckberg, Marketing Communications Manager, Park Industries. "It's more of a community experience than a tradeshow. It's the great stone industry get-together."
"At StonExpo we were writing sales orders from the first hour to the last," says Steve Lefebvre, Monument Toolworks, Inc. "In the first three hours, we had more sales than any previous show total, and orders continued until the show closed."
"If we set our sales quotas based on other shows we could have gone home after three hours," Lefebvre adds.
"Haven't seen this much traffic at a show in the last three years," says Anthony Banchitta, Stone Boss.
"It was the best show we ever had," says Rick Cortopassi, US Granite Machinery. "Incredible attendance. Fabulous setup. All of the people I saw were the owners, buyers and decision-makers."
"A phenomenal show!" notes Pierre Stovall, owner, Sierra Tools & Abrasives Inc. "The attendance was great and the buyers were serious! We are already looking forward to our return next year."
"We enjoyed StonExpo," says William Clary, National Trade Show Manager, Milspec Industries/Century Wire & Cable. "It was everything we expected and even surpassed our expectations. We made many new contacts and met with many existing customers. Our sales staff was elated and we plan on exhibiting again next year."
"StonExpo 2005 was my first stone industry trade show," says Jonathan Storie, Santa Rosa, CA. "It was a great learning and networking experience... it is a must attend for anyone new in this business."
As the only Las Vegas show with all the stone machinery manufacturers, StonExpo 2005 provided a place for stone professionals to meet face-to-face with industry giants such as Park Industries, GranQuartz, Eurostone/Pyramid, AGM, Breton, Z. Bavelloni, Salem Stone/Bergman-Blair, Marmo Meccanica, VIC, International Machine Corp., Regent and numerous others, as well as hundreds of stone, tools and accessories suppliers.
"I was thrilled with Stone Expo in Vegas this year," says Mark Lauzon, Stone Works, Hubbard, OR. "The venue was fun, the crowds were big, the vendors and machine manufactures not only had lots of equipment at the show, many were running live demonstrations."
StonExpo 2005 once again offered the best education in the industry. With 34 courses in six tracks-that's 3 times more education than any other industry event-this year's Conference Program offered a variety of options to meet every need. Stone professionals walked away from these workshops and seminars with ideas they could implement in their business right away.
"The training and classes were well done," adds Lauzon. "I give this show 5 diamonds! We will attend next year.... this show will do nothing but grow."
StonExpo 2005 introduced some new features that also proved to be well-received by attendees and exhibitors. Stone LIVE-Your Place For How-To Education-featured industry experts leading installation demonstrations on the show floor. These informative sessions allowed stone professionals to get the latest, most up-to-date information on how to deal with some of the more common installation challenges facing them today.
The hour-long Stone LIVE sessions, which covered topics such as countertop installations in kitchens and bathrooms, tile-lined shower receptors and wall flashing details, offered an up-close opportunity for all stone professionals to learn proper installation techniques and how to avoid costly mistakes.
"The use of live demonstrations is a great educational tool for stone industry personnel attending StonExpo," says Don Halvorson, CTA, CTC, CMRS, CRMI, Forensic Tile Consultants, Thousand Oaks, CA. "The lack of traditional training in the industry makes this a 'should not miss event' at the show."
"I think the concept of Stone Live was great for those new to the industry," adds Storie.
In addition to doing business and getting top-notch education, stone professionals also had some fun while at StonExpo 2005. This year's Welcome Reception, which took place on Friday, October 21 on the show floor, proved to be an ideal networking opportunity for both attendees and exhibitors.
The reception, which was sponsored by Bottero Inc., Calypso Waterjet Systems, Eurostone/Pyramid Supply, Hard Rock Tools, Komo Machine, Marble Institute of America, Park Industries, Regent Stone Products, Rock of Ages, Sommer & Maca, Stoneworld International and Water Treatment Technologies, gave StonExpo attendees a chance to relax and mingle with exhibitors, peers and industry legends. Everyone on the show floor enjoyed beer and snacks while networking and meeting new contacts.
"It was great to see attendees walking down the aisles and spot our stand...they did a quick detour and stopped for a beer," says Dave Stevens, Advertising Manger, Sommer & Maca. "What a great way to unwind and celebrate a fantastic show."
"It has been a while since I have felt the buzz of excitement at a trade fair in the stone industry," says Egon Hinss, President, High Tech Stone, Inc. "StonExpo this year was flowing with enthusiasm."
StonExpo 2005 took place October 19-22, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The 2006 show will take place October 18-21 once again at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For details on exhibiting at or attending StonExpo 2006, call 866.550.6808 or 972.536.6440 or visit www.StonExpo.com.
StonExpo's Official Sponsors are the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and Natural Stone Alliance. The mission of the MIA is to promote the use of natural stone and be the world's most authoritative natural stone information resource. Membership in the association is worldwide and includes nearly 1,200 natural stone producers, exporters/importers, distributors/wholesalers, fabricators, finishers, installers, and industry suppliers-all committed to the highest standards of workmanship and ethics.
The Natural Stone Alliance includes the American Monument Association, Canadian Stone Association, Elberton Granite Association, National Building Granite Quarries Association and Northwest Granite Manufacturers Association, leaders in the stone industry representing the major associations who are committed to promotion and education to the industry and general public the value and benefits of natural stone.
StonExpo's Official Endorsers are Veronafiere/Marmomacc. Founded in 1898, Veronafiere organizes 30 to 35 exhibitions annually. Marmomacc, the world's largest and most prestigious exhibition in the natural stone industry, will be held September 29 - October 2, 2005 in Verona, Italy. For complete information, visit www.marmomacc.com.
About Hanley Wood
Hanley Wood, LLC, is the premier media company serving housing and construction. Through five operating divisions, the company produces award-winning magazines and Web sites, marquee trade shows and events, rich data and custom marketing solutions. The company also is North America's leading publisher of home plans. Hanley Wood Exhibitions (Dallas) conducts 15 trade shows, including World of Concrete, one of the top 20 trade show events in the country.
Founded in 1976, Hanley Wood is a $225 million company owned by VS&A Communications Partners III, LP, the private-equity affiliate of media industry merchant bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson.
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