Events
Coverings 2021 will be held in Orlando, FL (USA) from 7 to 9 July
The Coverings Press Conference, introduced by Alberto Echavarría, Director General of ASCER and current Chairman of the Board of Coverings, took place digitally on 18 November 2020. It was followed by the Ceramics of Italy Press Conference, which featured talks by Christine Abbate, President of Novità Communications PR, Armando Cafiero, Director General of Confindustria Ceramica, Emilio Mussini, Vice Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica, and Kristin Coleman from Novità Communications PR.
Alberto Echavarría, Director General of ASCER and Chairman of the Board of Coverings, officially announced that the 2021 edition of Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America, will now be held from 7 to 9 July in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Originally scheduled for 13-16 April 2021, the show’s organisers took the decision to reschedule the event after receiving clear indications from exhibitors and visitors that the dates of the event should be moved to the summer to allow for the best possible conditions for international participation.
At the Ceramics of Italy Press Conference, Armando Cafiero, Director General of Confindustria Ceramica, spoke directly from the association’s headquarters in Sassuolo. “Even during the current international emergency, we must always remember the quality of Italy’s artistic and cultural heritage, which we share with the world through our products,” he said. “Ceramics of Italy is rooted in a tradition of design and artistic excellence while maintaining constant attention to sustainability and innovation.”
Armando Cafiero also reminded participants of the digital event due to be held on 3 December 2020 to honour the winners of the two Italian ceramics competitions, La Ceramica e il Progetto (“Ceramics and Design”) and the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. “The Tile Competition, which recognises the best architectural projects carried out using ceramic tiles in North America each year, will celebrate its 28th anniversary in 2021,” he noted. “As of next year, it will include the new design category of multi-family homes. Entries can be submitted to the tilecompetition.com website until 1 March next year.”
Emilio Mussini, Vice Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica, recalled the outstanding work carried out by Italian ceramic companies, who are able to deliver their products to the USA within 4 to 6 weeks and have already introduced the Italian ceramic industry’s latest collections to US showrooms.“Ceramics of Italy has carried out various digital promotional activities with North American media to support Italian companies in these difficult times,” said Mussini. “A related initiative is the Italian Ceramic Finder on the ceramica.info website, a new search engine that allows users to find contact information for all Ceramics of Italy companies.” The ceramica.info website also features a series of videos presenting the outstanding features and performance characteristics of ceramic tile, such as hygiene and resistance to fire, bacteria and mould. In the present times, the healthiness of Italian ceramics is becoming more important than ever for end consumers, who are re-evaluating the way they view their living spaces. Finally, Emilio Mussini presented a video entitled “XXL tiles, the future is now” produced by Confindustria Ceramica in collaboration with Assoposa, which demonstrates the installation of large ceramic tiles in a real-life project.
To conclude, Kristin Coleman from Novità PR discussed the main trends in the autumn/winter Italian ceramic tile collections in the North American market: from autumnal and blue-green colours through to patterns reminiscent of concrete, confetti and Art Deco.
November 2020
