Marmomacc 2008 shows positive results

Although it took place during uncertain financial times on the international front, the 43rd edition of Marmomacc, which was held in

Verona, Italy, from October 2 to 5, 2008, was deemed a success

by Jennifer Adams and Michael Reis

Ma r momacc, t he lead i ng international trade fair for the stone industry, recently

celebrated its 43rd edition in Verona, Italy, from October 2 to 5, 2008. And the final results indicate that the annual event was a success, reports

VeronaFiere, the show’s organizer.“This edition — despite the world

economic situation — went far beyond our expectations, confirming the exhi-bition as a vital appointment for trade operators in the natural stone field — from machinery to instrumental

products, from blocks to more complex processing, as well as for the construc-tion sector and the contract field,” said Luigi Castelletti, President of VeronaFiere.

More than 63,000 visitors — a total of 44% international from 120 coun-

Marmomacc 2008 took place in the historic stoneworking center of Verona, Italy, from October 2 to 5, and it drew

exhibitors and attendees from around the world.

tries (more than 50% if only the first three “trade-only” days are consid-ered) — attended Marmomacc 2008. The exhibition, which encompassed approximately 830,000 square feet, also included 1,536 exhibitors from 54 countries.

Internat ional delegat ions who attended the fair in collaboration with ICE (the Italian Trade Commission) and other partners hailed from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Australia,

Canada, Turkey, India, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Oman, Peru, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan and Vietnam.

T hose i n at tenda nce had t he opportunity to view the latest stone

The event included 1,536 exhibitors from 54 countries and nearly 830,000 square feet of net exhibition area, with both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Stone could be found in a variety of formats at Marmomacc 2008, including blocks.

photo courtesy of Granitex

A broad range of exotic materials were on display, including translucent, backlit stones.

photo courtesy of Marmi Bruno Zanet

Slabs of white marble appeared to be of particular interest at this

year’s edition of Marmomacc.

photo courtesy of Tekmar

products and technologies. Exhibitors displayed large slabs and blocks of granite, marble, limestone, travertine and onyx — quarried in countries around the world. In addition to the more tradit ional materials, many

types of exotics were also on display. Moreover, large equipment for stone fabrication and quarrying were prom-inently showcased at the exhibition as well as stone maintenance and instal-lation products.

Marmomacc Meets DesignThrough the years, Marmomacc has

developed a number of initiatives to foster relationships between stone sup-pliers and the architecture and design community. This year, the “Marmomacc

As usual, Antolini Luigi & C. offered an innovative booth design. This year, the company promoted its semi-precious materials, adorned with Swarovski crystal designs by Fiona Swarovski, among other new innovations.

Pairing stone suppliers with acclaimed designers, this year’s “Marmomacc Meets Design” initiative focused on “Skin, Texture” as its theme. Among the exhibits, Simone Micheli collaborated with Italian porphyry supplier Odorizzi Porfidi.

photo courtesy of Antolini Luigi & C.

Meets Design” collaboration focused on “Skin, Texture” as its theme, coordinat-ed by Evelina Bazzo (see “Marmomacc 2008 continues as a global leader in stone design and education”).

“This is a stimulating and unusual topic within the scope of design, since it is often merely associated with clad-ding of walls and paving or stone slabs used as furnishing tops,” said the organizers. “Yet, the theme was not investigated only in terms of creative

potential. For example, stone by its very nature adds a salient feature: the unique color and veins found in quarry workpieces — the unique origin of the material — can nevertheless be incor-porated in ‘repeatable’ products.”

Outstanding exhibition spaces

Another program that was held dur-ing Marmomacc 2008 was the “Best Communicator Award.” This program

was yet another collaboration between stone suppliers and designers with the goal of “stimulating awareness of the value of their stands in relation to brand image and overall exhibition impact,” according to the organizers. Among the companies honored for outstanding booth design this year included Umberto Franchi.

T h i s y e a r ’s j u r y i n c l u d e d Mauro Albano, Brand Manager of Marmomacc; Aldo Bottol i of the

Among the stone/design collaboration at Marmomacc is the “Best Communicator Award.” This program rewards exhibitors for “stimulating awareness of the value of their stands in relation to brand image and overall exhibition impact,” according to organizers. Companies honored for outstanding booth design included Umberto Franchi.

Piba Marmi was also among the companies honored for the “Best Communicator Award.”

A group of Brazilian stone suppliers were arranged in a national pavilion.

Industrial Design Association; Oscar Colli of the magazine Il Bagno Oggi e Domani (Bathroom Today & Tomorrow); V i n c e n z o Pav a n , M a r m o m a c c Consultant for Architecture; and Livio Salvadori of Casabella, the Italian design publication.

Italian industry reportA m o n g t h e c o n f e r e n c e s a t

Marmomacc 2008, one of the business sessions provided a positive outlook for the Italian stone industry. This message was delivered by Massimo Giorgetti, the Regional Counselor

for Public Works; Flavio Tosi, the Mayor of Verona; Luigi Castelletti, the President of VeronaFiere; and Giovanni Mantovani, the Director General of VeronaFiere.

The officials reported that Italian marble was assessed through a study by UniCredit Special Projects on behalf of Marmomacc. This research paints the picture of a field experiencing major evolution, with the re-sizing of Italian exports to its two main tradi-tional buyers — the U.S. and Germany, both down by 5% — and a boom among emerging countries such as Eastern Europe, Maghreb, the Middle East and Asia, according to VeronaFiere. Additionally, an adjustment of product flow and industry activities (less quar-rying, more processing) saw growth in

American exhibitor presence at Marmomacc 2008 included two of the leading U.S. granite producers — Rock of Ages and Cold Spring Granite Co. These two companies exhibited stone products at a collaborative booth space in Verona. Representatives from Rock of Ages included (from left): Bob Campo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing; Larry Beede, Quarry Manager, Sara Urli, booth hostess; and Donald Labonte, President & CEO. Also, John Nierhausen was among the Cold Spring Granite Co. representatives present in Verona.

A broad range of new stoneworking equipment was introduced at Marmomacc 2008, and it drew strong interest on the show floor.

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exports of 4.3% for 2007 and a balance of trade firmly in the black: 771 million Euros (U.S. $965 million) between raw materials and finished goods, a record figure for the last five years, stated the report.

The study also illustrates that over-all, Italy — despite suffering from the downturn in its own building industry — confirms its status as world leader in exports with a quota returning to

more than 30%, followed by aggressive competitors such as Turkey and China — respectively at 26.2% and 15.5%.

The Italian areas at the heart of the sector saw Verona react to fluctua-tions on the two key markets due to a good performance in Western Europe (United Kingdom, France and Spain), but especially in Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland and Czech Republic) and India. Massa Carrara saw new

buyers from the Middle East and Maghreb, but also from Russia and India; Lucca found new dynamics in the Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, China and the less exotic United Kingdom, France and Switzerland. Trento was stable, while Vicenza and Bergamo, on the other hand, experienced difficul-ties in finding alternative outlets in the wake of setbacks with historic buyers, according to the study.

Continuing its extensive efforts to educate stone users on the truth about granite and radon,

the Marble Institute of America (MIA) made a presentation to an audience that included several

members of the international trade press. The presentation was led by MIA President Jim Hogan,

who first gave a history of the granite/radon issue in the U.S. and updates on the current situation.

New innovations in stone tooling and accessories are also a strong point for Marmomacc.

photos courtesy of Diamant Boart

Various stone treatment products were introduced in Verona, including Tenax Marmo Antiacido, which protects marble from acid etching, and Super Granito, which protects granite from staining.p

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Marmomacc 2008 continues as a globalleader in stone design and education

In addition to the international exhibition on stone and

technology, Marmomacc also hosted the 10th edition of

VeronaFiere’s continuing education programs for architects,

which now includes courses in Italy, the U.S. and online. To

commemorate this special anniversary, architects who had

participated in previous editions of the course were invited back to

take part in a special “Reunion” program — sponsored by Mapei,

a leading manufacturer of stone installation and maintenance

products— that took place in Milan, Trento and Verona.

Alumni conference members arrived in Milan on

September 29, where Mapei hosted a dinner for the group

at a traditional Milanese restaurant — giving everyone a

chance to introduce themselves and begin to get to know

one another. The next day, the group toured the Research

& Development facilities at Mapei’s world headquarters

in Milan. During the next few days, the tour went on to

include AIA/CES-approved presentations by Mapei personnel,

a guided architectural tour of the stone renovations at the

Duomo Cathedral in Milan as well as visits to other significant

architectural works, a granite quarry and fabrication facility

in the area, and the Marmomacc exhibition.

A second group of architects — from the U.S., Canada,

the U.K., India, South Africa and Australia — spent four

days studying the importance of stone in modern design.

Participants visited quarries in Verona and Querceta (in Tuscany,

near Lucca), various stone-processing facilities and even Pisa’s

Piazza dei Miracoli. Nearly 50 architects participated in these

programs, which are recognized by the American Institute of

Architects, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the

Royal Institute of British Architects.

At the fairgrounds, it remained obvious that the relationship

between stone and design continues to be one of Marmomacc’s

Marmomacc hosted the 10th edition of its continuing education course for architects this past October. Architects from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., India, South Africa and Australia spent four days studying the importance of stone in modern design, including visits to stone quarries, stoneworking factories and the Marmomacc exhibition.

Hosts of the event included (from left): Vince Marazita, who serves as the primary guide for the group, and VeronaFiere representatives Janina Mathiasz, Mauro Albano

and Martini Franchini.

Among the learning sessions, the group toured a quarry for Rosso Verona marble, operated by Cave Bonaldi.

major draws, as stone trade professionals congregate in Verona

each fall to see the impact of new technologies on design.

The “Marmomacc Meets Design” (MMD) project, generated

more innovative booth designs. MMD 2008 paired leading

international designers with 15 stone processors. The pairings

focused on this year’s theme — stone as texture or “skin” — in

developing everything from objects to entire booth designs. This

theme reflects the increasing focus among architects on selecting

materials, including natural stone, on the basis of their surface

texture, whether in creating objects or in cladding buildings.

Two of the MMD booths shared the Marmomacc Best

Communicator Award, presented to the booths with the best

visual approaches to conveying the richness and potential

of stone. The winners were: Il Casone for Claudio Silvestrin’s

“Quarry” booth design and PibaMarmi for Michele de Lucchi and

Philippe Nigro’s “Palisade” booth design. Silvestrin, de Lucchi

and Nigro were among the many designers involved in this

project who were present at Marmomacc.

A number of companies received “special mentions” from the

Best Communicator Award jury for their booth designs: Vaselli

Marmi, Grassi Pietre, Umberto Franchi Marmi, M+Q Italia,

Henraux, Lithos Design and Iaconcig.

Other pairings for the MMD project included Mario Bellini/

Mineranorge, Riccardo Blumer/Scalvini Marmi, Roberto

Canovaro/Marmo Arredo, Aldo Cibic/Quarella, Stefano

Giovannoni/Grassi Pietre, Massimo Iosa Ghini/Budri, James

Irvine/Marsotto, Simone Micheli/Odorizzi Porfidi, Pietro

Ferruccio Laviani/Citco, Pongratz Perbellini Architects/

TestiGroup, Marco Piva/Lasa Marmo, Denis Santachiara/Marmi

Ghirardi and Luca Scacchetti/Santa Margherita.

Marmomacc 2009 is scheduled to take place from September

30 to October 3, 2009 in Verona, Italy.

“I attempted to reproduce in stone the lightness that allows wood to be so flexible, yet at the same time so durable,” says Michele de

Lucchi of his “Palisade” project. “I used stone to design a movement.” Philippe Nigro also worked on the project with de Lucchi.

“The ‘Quarry’ project aims to express the strength, value and soul of rock in its entirety, thickness, weight, appearance, form and

surface,” according to Claudio Silvestrin, who designed the project for Il Casone. “Surface is itself the co-essence of stone material.”

Reprinted with permission from Stone World | www.stoneworld.com