Companies that have already reserved space at Stonexpo/Marmomacc Americas 2014 (taking place in Las Vegas, NV, from January 28-30) or any Marmomacc-group shows -- including Marmomacc 2013 (Verona, Italy, September 25-28), Médinit Expo 2013 (Casablanca, Morocco, November 13-16), Samoter 2014 (Verona, Italy, May 8-11) and the Vitoria Stone Fair 2014 (Vitoria, Brazil, February 18-21) -- are eligible for a discount of 10 euros per square meter on the rate for indoor and outdoor space at MS Africa & Middle East in Cairo, Egypt. The rate for indoor space is 170 euros per square meter -- 195 euros if fully-equipped -- while the rate for outdoor space is 85 euros per square meter (no additional charge for open sides or two-level booths). There is no exhibitor registration fee for this first edition, nor will Value-Added Taxes be assessed.Stonexpo/Marmomacc Americas 2014

MS Africa & Middle East -- the International Trade Fair for Stone, Design, Technology, Earthmoving and Building Machinery (www.msafrica.net) -- is a start-up trade event launched by Veronafiere, and it will be held in Cairo from December 9-12, 2013. The event "merges" Marmomacc and Samoter, Veronafiere's best known brands in the construction sector, with the goal of allowing exhibitors to strengthen internationalization efforts and improve penetration into neighboring markets in Africa and the Middle East.

MS Africa & Middle East is promoted by Veronafiere together with Art Line, the leading Egyptian organizer of exhibition events, and ExpoLink, the Egyptian Exporters Association. Veronafiere's partners also include Unacea (the Italian Association of Construction Equipment & Attachment Companies) and Confindustria Marmomacchine (the Italian association for natural stone and stone-processing machinery and equipment). On the Egyptian side, partners include EECA (Egypt Expo & Convention Authority) and the Export Council for Building Refractory and Metallurgy Industries.

The initiative aims to combine the entire natural stone chain into a single event, from stone quarrying and processing, to quarry and construction site machinery and vehicles, to the finished product. The show will also attract companies that represent excellence in the construction sector -- in terms of materials, know-how, technology and equipment. Exhibitors will find a qualified audience of buyers from many countries, including architects and interior designers, construction companies, distributors, the rental sector and professionals in the quarrying and earth-moving equipment sectors. In addition, an area of the show floor will be dedicated to the second-hand sector, which benefits from important market opportunities in Egypt and the rest of Africa.

Egypt enjoys a privileged geographical position, making it a natural candidate for the role of hub for Africa and the Middle East. The country has also launched a series of major infrastructural development projects, such as the doubling of the Suez Canal. Thanks to free trade agreements signed with many countries in the Mediterranean and Africa, Egypt also offers significant duty-free export opportunities. Many Egyptian firms are interested in joint ventures or business agreements with international partners seeking to operate in Egypt and, through Egypt, also in Africa and the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), by taking advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the customs and fiscal regime.

In addition, a dozen African countries have grown by more than 6% per year over the last six years. Goldman Sachs recently indicated that the 11 African markets with the greatest growth potential include Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Algeria, Uganda, Sudan and Morocco.

MS Africa & Middle East will launch a dedicated program to invite selected buyers from Algeria, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia, Yemen and Zimbabwe. This event will provide unique opportunities to meet qualified trade professionals from all over the region.

The new show has already aroused the interest of key companies in the sector. Discussions are being finalized with the EECA and the Export Council for an impressive exhibit area of 20,000 square feet for leading Egyptian companies. Local companies that have already booked their space include: El Safwa For Marble and Granite, Alfa Stone For Marble & Quarries, Alex Tiles Co. For Marble & Granite & Quarries, Iso Marble Co., Misr El-Nour Co. For Marble & Granite, Al-Hassana Marble & Granite, Abdeen Stone For Marble & Granite, Superior For Marbles, Kiro Marble For Marble and Granite, Egy-Mar International, Sina Tiles For Marble and Granite, Touchstone, International Marble & Granite and Crystal For Marble & Granite.

Several major names in earth-moving have also signed up, including Caterpillar, Doosan snd Bobcat.

MS Africa & Middle East will also feature a strong educational program targeted at architects and designers. The educational area at MS Africa & Middle East, with its established format of courses and guided tours involving exhibitors, will be located directly on the show floor to ensure even more opportunities for visibility for companies interested in participating. In addition, companies will have the opportunity, through their own technicians and experts, to demonstrate the operation of their products and technologies.

Benefits for international exhibitors include hotel packages (with shuttle service to/from the trade show), "turnkey" booth packages (including multilingual booth personnel) and free wi-fi on the show floor.

For more information on MS Africa & Middle East, visit www.msafrica.net or contact  Veronafiere’s International Department (vfi@veronafiere.it; +39-045-829-8133 or -8800).