The Best Of The Best At The Coverings 2023 Exhibit
April is behind us and so is another marvelous Coverings exhibition. It was held from 18 to 21 April at the Orange County Convention Center in Florida. This natural stone conference and exhibition has been setting trends in the design world for years and 2023 is no different. This year’s Coverings featured over 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and each of them brought something new and exquisite to the table.
Covering 2023 attracted hundreds of stone fabricators, retailers, distributors, contractors, builders, remodelers, and design and architectural professionals. Some were there to explore the latest trends, network with industry peers, source global products, and find solutions and new ways to grow their businesses. One thing all of the heavyweights and novices have in common is that all of them set the tone on what will be trending in the natural stone and tiles industry and design for the foreseeable future.
It was pretty clear at the beginning of the year that the focus of the natural stone as a design feature will be on dark colors and patterned designs, and that notion prevailed throughout the exhibit as well. Granite, quartz, and ceramic tiles will be sporting some inkier shades than usual, with a touch of fun textures to keep things interesting. From backsplashes to floors and countertops, dark hues will be all the rage this year.
However, although the exhibit did set some upcoming trends the focus was undoubtedly on sustainable designs and inclusivity. One of the most popular panels was Achieving Green Building Goals with Natural Stone which dealt with the Natural Stone industry’s efforts to lower impacts and be socially responsible, as well as with its continuous alignment with green building programs.
As a Block Talk session, Women in Stone’s Live Stone Chat worked as a direct expansion of their immensely successful virtual event series. The session brought out many new topics, focusing on leadership in a male-dominated industry. All attendees were eager to make new connections and learn more about the stone industry from a fresh point of view.
One of the discussions I personally found most interesting was held on the Fabricator Stage and it was called Managing a Family Business. It was quite a robust Q&A session with thoroughly competent parties tunning in to chat about why some family businesses fail, while others thrive and expand. Representatives of three different family businesses shared their experiences in the natural stone industry, talking about the best practices family-owned businesses should employ in order to succeed in the market.
This year just like the previous, CID award winners were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in the installation and design of natural stone and ceramic tile for commercial and residential projects. All projects from all categories were judged by a panel of industry leaders and editors who evaluated submissions in different categorical designations. However, our personal favorites were those in special recognition categories, including Glass Mosaics and Stained Glass Murals. Don’t judge, We are allowed to be biased after it’s over.
In the end, we can only conclude that both the exposition and the conference were a huge success. If you are keen on being on top of industry trends and checking out some valuable educational resources then make sure to visit Covering 2024.
