the industry does serious business at stonexpo 2007
(Dallas, Texas) StonExpo 2007 attendees were serious about their business, which translated into outstanding show site sales and solid participation in the educational program. Many exhibitors reported record sales and declared StonExpo 2007 their best event to date, in spite of the challenging housing market. The show, which took place October 18-20 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, brought the entire industry together for three days of order writing, intense learning and business-building networking.
Jim Eckberg, Marketing Communications Manager, Park Industries, sums it up: "StonExpo 2007 reminded us that our industry remains strong and continues to grow. We were surprised and pleased to collect so much positive information from attendees regarding the present and future of our industry. "
"StonExpo is an unmatched equal opportunity for discussion and discovery for those who go to show as well as those who go to know," he adds. "This year was a great success for Park Industries!"
"Before (this year's) StonExpo, I was concerned about the state of the industry, based on reading news about new home construction," says Harry Hollander, President, Moraware, Inc. "So I was pleasantly surprised to see a very healthy turnout. Our booth was very busy on Thursday, and totally swamped on Friday. We had existing customers and new prospects there from the time the show started until after it closed!"
Besides hitting all-time highs with sales on the show floor, StonExpo 2007 set records with 333 exhibiting companies in 124,000 net square feet of exhibit space collective 21% jump over StonExpo 2006! With these increases, StonExpo has doubled in size since 2004, qualifying it this year by Tradeshow Week as one of the 50 fastest-growing tradeshows in North America.
The word is out about StonExpo. More than 100 exhibiting companies at this year's show were new. Plus, the number of natural stone suppliers has increased74 companies showed this growing product segment at the showing response to attendee demand.
"The StonExpo show floor was very well laid out, with a good mix of vendors,"says TJ Sowieja, Pine's Stone Company, Glenwood Springs, CO. "I was able to make new contacts in stone suppliers."
One of the new features at StonExpo 2007 was the New Product Pavilion. This area, located just outside of Registration, showcased many of the new products that have been introduced recently to the industry. Attendees found the pavilion to be especially helpful in identifying booths they wanted to check out on the show floor.
Fabricators, installers, distributors, architects, designers, retailers, builders, quarriers, kitchen and bath specialists, manufacturers and suppliers from around the country know how important StonExpo is to their business success. This year's total attendance was 7,399, a mere 2% decrease from last year's show. The buzz on the show floor was that the quality of attendees was solid and serious buyers were at StonExpo to do business. In fact, more than 93% of surveyed exhibitors said attendee quality at this year's show met or exceeded their expectations.
"StonExpo 2007 was a very good show for VIC International," says Vic Green, VIC International. "We feel the attendance was good and the quality of the attendees was good as well."
"The show far exceeded our expectations," says Doug Mangus, Machinery Sales Manager, Salem Stone. "StonExpo is a serious show for serious attendee must-do event for 2008."
"We are very pleased with the results that we received at the StonExpo Las Vegas show for our Robotic Technology," says Mike Franco, U.S. Granite Robotics. "We have turned many leads into sales and it is by far the most important tradeshow for machinery and fabricators in the stone industry."
"StonExpo 2007 was another excellent show for the Marble Institute," says Gary Distelhorst, Executive Vice President, Marble Institute of America. "We were truly impressed this year with the quality of visitors to the show. We welcomed a number of well-established companies to our exhibit to talk about membership and the many services we offer. These were larger fabricators and companies from other segments of the industry who hadn't yet joined the MIA, and who were at the show to purchase new machinery. "
"While the show may not have broken attendance records, it certainly had the high-quality, serious attendee who was there for the right reasons,"adds Distelhorst.
"Just like past years, the demographics of the attendees are great owners of successful fabrication companies," says Hollander. "The successful companies are always investing in their businesses and looking for new opportunities. They know that StonExpo is where to find their peers and to see the latest equipment and technology."
"StonExpo is a one-stop resource for every phase of the stone industry,"says Karl Miethke, Production Manager, American Marble, Vista, CA. "From design, project engineering and management to the equipment used to make a project designed in stone become a reality, StonExpo is the standard."
Selling wasn't the only activity going on at StonExpo 2007. Stone professionals came to the show for top-notch education. This year's Conference Program offered more than ever beforein addition to 44 sessions in five targeted tracks, conference attendees had the opportunity to participate in Roundtable Discussions where they could "talk shop" with peers and key industry leaders.
"I was very satisfied with the new conference courses that pertained to commercial stone installations at StonExpo 2007," says Tom Palmer, Senior Project Manager, Grazzini Brothers and Company, a residential and commercial stone fabricator/install company in Eagan, MN. "These conferences will help our company continue to provide quality installations for the commercial buildings we work on."
"The seminars were great," says Gregory Mowat, FCSI, CDT, CTC, Forensic Tile Consultants, San Diego, CA. "The shower seminar was very interactive, and there were great programs on maintenance and restoration."
Stone LIVE! was just as popular as ever. Attendees gathered to see demonstrations on countertop measuring and installation, sealing tile and natural stone, countertop edging and using water jet technology for countertop and flooring installation. This feature on the show floor is free to all StonExpo attendees and a huge draw for more up-close, personal instruction.
"Having StonExpo at the Mandalay Bay made it much easier to come and go without added expenses," says Mike Woods, Custom Fabrication Inc., Nashville, TN. "The conferences were great and had great information. The exhibit hall was in top shape and provided great access to everything!"
"StonExpo has always been a valuable resource for VIC International to reach its market," says Green.
"StonExpo gets better every year," concludes Eckberg. "For new faces and old friends, it's the annual family gathering for North American stoneworkers."
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