Last year, the event featured more than 1,500 exhibitors from 56 different nations over a net area of nearly 850,000 square feet. It welcomed more than 56,000 professional visitors, with 48.5% coming from 132 foreign countries. This represents an increase of 12.5% of international visitors in 2010 over 2009. Organizers at Veronafiere report that this is a particularly good sign for the 2011 event, and they added that international visitors are coming from more economically dynamic geographical areas, such as Asia and South America.

Veronafiere reports that the continued internationalization of Marmomacc is due to its consolidation in the international marketplace, particularly in countries and regions such as India, China, Brazil, the U.S. and the Middle East.

Also fostering international relationships, Veronafiere will join Confindustria Marmomacchine at Saudi Stone-Tech from October 16 to 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabi. The event is an “exhibition within an exhibition” on the building sector, and the initiative displays natural stone, materials and technology.

Each year, Marmomacc features displays of marble, granite, onyx, quartzite and other stone materials in a range of formats. These include blocks, slabs, tiles, mosaics, wall cladding, furnishings and other cut-to-size work. Additionally, suppliers of quartz surfacing showcase the latest developments in the sector.

Each year, exhibitors from around the world use Marmomacc as a platform to showcase newly discovered materials, finishes and formats to the international marketplace. In essence, the fair has become a “stone fashion show” of the latest products — catering to an international audience of stone industry and design professionals.

Looking beyond natural stone products, Marmomacc allows the world’s leading manufacturers of stoneworking equipment to showcase new offerings to the industry. A range of new machinery models will be on display in Verona, and attendees can see them in operation first-hand. These include large-scale machines as well as smaller equipment for fabrication shops, including CNC stoneworking centers, waterjet machinery, bridge saws, polishing machines, material handling equipment and more. Manufacturers of tooling and accessories for stoneworking professionals — such as diamond blades, polishing pads, profile wheels and more — also carry an important presence at Marmomacc.

With regard to stone installation and maintenance, the world’s leading manufacturers of adhesives, sealants, cleaners and related products will also be at Marmomacc, with a range of hands-on demonstrations to give attendees a view of the materials at work.

Architecture and Design Focus

As usual, Marmomacc will feature numerous initiatives where stone producers collaborate with architects and designers to illustrate the qualities of natural stone and its multitude of applications.

These events include the 12th edition of the “International Stone Architecture Award.” The jury, comprising global experts in the sector, will present awards to the creators of a broad range of projects — from prominent institutions in major European cities to small urban spaces and projects in remote rural areas.

Continuing to draw exceptional interest, the “Marmomacc Meets Design” (MMD) program will also be held in conjunction with Marmomacc 2011. Building on the success of the previous four editions, MMD will focus this year on the “mutable” nature of stone, an adaptability enhanced by new stone-processing technologies.

The theme for 2011 is “Mutable Spirit” — acknowledging that stone is, by nature, an alchemic material. “It evolves through a very slow genesis, taking on properties and characteristics intrinsic to the place of its birth, thus absorbing and representing its individuality and uniqueness,” stated organizers. “Its durability and stability have meant that, historically, it has been considered an enduring and prestigious material. It has been the material of choice for both architecture and sculpture, in their search for immortality. Innovative technologies, both digital and non-digital, have recently enhanced stone’s mutable essence.

“This new adaptability is expressed in part at the level of perception, as stone has become sufficiently versatile to reflect the constant evolution of the world of design,” organizers continued. “This parallel evolution is the angle from which MMD approaches the mutability of stone. While the nature of stone allows it to impose its personality, as a material it offers an infinite variety of options in terms of color, texture and visual impact, making it suitable for an equally infinite array of applications.”

The project’s goal is to stimulate innovative uses of marble and other natural stone materials, with an ever-increasing eye for the sustainable processing of stone. An architect or designer is teamed with a stone company to develop a stone prototype reflecting the chosen theme.

Designer/stone company pairings for MMD 2011 include: Patricia Urquiola with Budri; Pietro Ferruccio Laviani with Citco; Setsu & Shinobu Ito with Grassi Pietre; Raffaello Galiotto with Lithos Design; Flavio Albanese with Margraf; Snøhetta/Kjetil Thorsen with Pibamarmi; Marco Piva with the Region of Apulia; Philippe Nigro with Testi Fratelli; Giuseppe Fallacara with the Polytechnic Institute of Bari; the University of Budapest Architecture Faculty with Reneszánsz Köfaragó Zrt; and Riccardo Blumer with Trentino Pietra, the association representing the natural stone sector of the Italian province of Trento.

For more information on Marmomacc 2011, visit www.marmomacc.com.