The planning has begun for Coverings 2010, which will take place next April 27-30, when the international show of ceramic tile and natural stone returns to Orlando, FL, and the Orange County Convention Center. Then in 2011, the show will be making a strategic move westward, heading to the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

"Orlando is practically home base for Coverings," said Jennifer Hoff, President of Events for National Trade Productions, which manages and produces the show. "It will be our 11th year there, and it has a proven track record for us. We know it can accommodate the size and scope of the show, is accessible for both domestic and international travelers and is in a core region for tile and stone business. But, for several years Coverings has had its eye on the West Coast since it, too, is a critical tile and stone market. Though there's been an aggressive outreach to build attendance from this area, it's time to be even more targeted. So, we're going to take the show to the proverbial mountain."

The inaugural Coverings exposition was staged 21 years ago in Los Angeles and returned to the area on two occasions, when it took place in Anaheim, CA.

According to show organizers, the move to Chicago, IL, in 2007 and 2009 resulted in an increase in attendance among architects and designers. It also helped nudge the show a little closer to its West Coast, Hoff said. "We hope to return to the Windy City in the future, but Los Angeles will enable Coverings to tap into the potential that the Pacific Coast offers," she said.

Coverings is sponsored by ASCER (Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain), Confindustria Ceramica (Italian Association of Ceramics), Tile Council of North America (TCNA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA). For more information on exhibiting at Coverings 2010, visitwww.coverings.com, or call 703-683-8500.