NUREMBERG,GERMANY -- As the result of a joint decision by the Stone+tec Tradefair’s honorary sponsors, BIV (Association of German Stonemasons) and DNV (German Natural Stone Association), the advisory board of Stone+tec and the organiser, NürnbergMesse GmbH, the next Stone+tec Trade Fair will take place in 2018. In response to the express preference of many exhibitors, visitors and professional associations, the trade fair, which takes place every two years, will be held in even years in future. The next Stone+tec fair has therefore been scheduled for June 13^th to 16^th, 2018.

Changing the fair schedule to even years means Stone+tec fits perfectly into the industry calendar for the stone and related sectors. Scheduling the fair in June and retaining the customary Wednesday-to-Saturday sequence will mean it avoids holidays and help ensure it is a contemporary, successful event. The new timeframe will enable the trade fair to continue being the key industry platform that brings together the natural stone industry from around the German-speaking world and the wider international industry.

A Great Step into the Future

"The new schedule will help Stone+tec take a great step into the future,” said Petra Wolf, member of the NürnbergMesse GmbH management team. "We have been able to offer a timeframe for Stone+tec that the industry wanted, and one that is ideal for most visitors and exhibitors. At the same time, it’s also a bold move. Just this once, to adjust to the new sequence, there will be a longer gap – an extra 12 months – before the next Stone+tec. When it starts again in 2018, the trade fair will again provide fresh momentum as the key meeting place for the international stone industry in Germany."

"Stone+tec is extraordinarily important for our entire industry,” added Reiner Krug, managing director of the German natural stone association, DNV.
"The next time the fair is held, it won't coincide with a holiday, an extra day off between a holiday and a weekend, or school holidays. That means we can appeal much more to exhibitors and visitors from the construction industry, such as architects, planners and representatives from the authorities, and sell them on the performance of Germany's natural stone industry."

Sybille Trawinski, general manager of the association of German stonemasons, BIV, picks up the theme: "We will pool all our efforts again as a professional association for Stone+tec 2018, and put together a broad range of products and services for all areas of the stonemasonry trade.
The construction industry is precisely where stonemasons need new stimuli to remain viable for the longer term. For them, the fair is the central marketplace for innovative ideas and products, and the place they go to see the latest developments, make comparisons and do good business."

New Halls, Broader Program

Stone+tec 2018 will be held in halls 9, 10, 11 and 12 at the Nuremberg exhibition venue, with a new and generous hall layout. The focal points of this international event will continue to be natural stone, stone processing and gravestones. At the same time, Stone+tec will offer more inspiration for the areas of design, construction and interior construction, and will also look at related materials such as engineered stone and large ceramics.
The plan is to provide a central presentation area for 2018 where a rich program of practical talks, discussions and presentations can be provided on each day of the fair. Registrations for exhibitors at Stone+tec 2018 will open in September 2016.