CAIRO, EGYPT -- Marmomacc and Samoter join forces with Art Line/ExpoLink, the two Egyptian show organizers, for a new event in Cairo, Egypt -- MS Africa & Middle East -- The International Trade Fair for Stone Design, Technology, Earthmoving and Building Machinery (www.msafrica.net).

The two internationally recognized Veronafiere exhibitions take excellence in the building, materials, know-how, technology and machinery sectors to North Africa and the Middle East's emerging markets. This new exhibition will take place in Cairo from December 11 to 14, 2014.

Egypt was chosen for several reasons, including:

·         It is considered the main trading hub in Africa and the Middle East thanks to its strategic position

·         Has free trade, bilateral and other special trade agreements with Africa, Middle East, the European Union and the U.S.

·         Has state-of-the-art facilities and modern trade fair venues

·         Is strongly-linked to major destinations worldwide through Cairo International Airport

·         Has a friendly, hospitable business environment and ease of access for most nationalities

·         Offers modern hotel facilities with large capacities

·         Has the region's largest stone industrial base

The initiative aims to combine the entire natural stone chain in a single event -- from stone quarrying and processing to quarry and construction site machinery and vehicles, through to the finished product. Excellence in the building field, in terms of materials, know-how, technologies and equipment, will find a qualified audience of buyers, including architects and interior designers, main contractors and construction companies, distributors, rental companies, professionals in the quarrying world and earth-moving equipment from many countries. An area at the exhibition will be dedicated to the second-hand sector, which has important market opportunities in Egypt and in Africa.

MS Africa & Middle East is planning a specific program whereby selected buyers will be invited from: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Russia, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt. The International Buyers Program will increase the international dimension of the event and will create unique opportunities for exhibitors to build relationships with distributors/importers, construction companies, design/architecture studios and international end-users. Each exhibitor will have business meetings with buyers selected according to the desired profile.

Building on the success of the first edition of the course, which took place during Vitória Stone Fair/Marmomacc Latin America 2014, the educational program of Marmomacc Stone Academy comes to Egypt. "Designing with Natural Stone Egypt 2014," the course for architects and designers organized by Marmomacc in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA),  which will provide credits offered to participants, is scheduled from December 10 to 13, 2014, as part of MS Africa & Middle East. The course (with internationally-recognized tutors) includes visits to quarries and to leading Egyptian stone processing companies. Intensive classroom sessions are planned, with lectures on "The World of Natural Stone: Geology, Sourcing, Selection, Testing, & Processing," "Conservation and Restoration of Historical Buildings," "Specifying Stone Materials -- the Right Stone for the Right Project" and "How to Select Egyptian Marble for the Best Application." According to Marmomacc Stone Academy's well-established and accredited formula, the lectures will alternate with a guided walking tour of MS Africa & Middle East 2014 to discover the most interesting international materials and innovative technologies for the processing of marble.

Veronafiere is the only trade exhibition organizer that provides specific continuing professional development courses on stone design to architects, recognized by the most prestigious international professional associations, and has been doing so continuously for the last 15 years.

Veronafiere became an American Institute of Architects (AIA) continuing education provider in 1998, offering a four-day course for U.S.-based architects, held during Marmomacc. Veronafiere/Marmomacc has also been recognized as a provider of educational courses by South African Institute of Architects (SAIA), Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), RIBA and Australian Institute of Architects (AIA).

For more information: Veronafiere International Department, e-mail: vfi@veronafiere.it; Phone:  +39 045 8298 800/428.