Last year’s edition of the Xiamen International Stone Fair hit a new record with 1.9 million square feet of show floor space for nearly 150,000 visitors to tour and view displays from 2,000 exhibitors hailing from 56 countries. The exhibition was split into four different sections — domestic stone, international stone, machinery and tools, and an outdoor arena. New exhibitors accounted for 20% of the total amount of companies at the 2016 edition, and the international pavilions grew in size. Additionally, there were a significant number of countries participating for the first time, including the Czech Republic, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Morocco.
“The show started in 2001 with only 125 standard booths, with a total space of 4,000 square meters (43,055 square feet),” said Lai Guoxiang, general manager of the Xiamen Stone Fair. “In 2016, the total space was 180,000 square meters (1.9 million square feet) with 2,000 exhibitors from 56 countries. We received 148,573 visitors — 28,690 of which were from abroad. The most important thing of running the Xiamen Stone Fair is the will of people and the power of joint work. We work with media, associations, trade shows and all that are interested in the show. We promote worldwide, and we provide a one-stop service. People therefore understand that Xiamen Stone Fair is the best choice.”
Now in its 17th year, the Xiamen International Stone Fair will be held from March 6 to 9, 2017, and show organizers cite increasing global trade visitors, optimizing exhibitors’ structures and improving product profiles at the forefront of its objectives for this year’s event. “Our trade show has the reputation for being the most promising and anticipated event of this industry,” said Guoxiang. “In 2016, 20% of total participants were new to the show. Moreover, the international participants represented 148 countries and regions.
“Our attention on marketing, media and superior service ensures that the word is out there so that global exhibitors do better at showcasing their latest products and achievements,” Guoxiang went on to say. “Most importantly, this gives all exhibitors a stake in the success of the Stone Fair.”
In addition to the exhibition floor, the Xiamen International Stone Fair will also host the World Stone Congress (WSC), which show organizers believe will be the most informative and educational to date. The World Stone Congress will be a series of much anticipated events and seminars dedicated to discovering trends and innovations of the stone industry. In 2016, 35 forums and seminars were scheduled during the fair period. More sessions are expected in 2017.
MIA+BSI involvement
For the second year, MIA+BSI will be exhibiting at the Xiamen International Stone Fair in Xiamen, China. The Xiamen Stone Fair, in coordination with MIA+BSI, is extending a unique opportunity to anyone from the association interested in volunteering their time and serving as part of the delegation for the fair. The trip will include:
- three nights of complimentary lodging
- day trip study tour to visit four factories in the Shuitou Fujian stone region
- bus transportation to and from the showinvitations to several VIP receptions.
“The networking and personal relationships that our team forged during the show was the most important thing I took away from Xiamen,” said 2016 MIA President David Castellucci, when looking back at last year’s event. “We must build on what was accomplished during our first trip to the Xiamen Stone Fair.”
CEO Jim Hieb agreed. “MIA+BSI’s first trip to the Xiamen Stone Fair illustrated our standing in the world as a key educator and technical standards leader,” he said. “Member engagement and networking were at the core of our trip — the show was much more than just a venue to visit with our international members.”
In addition to the educational tour, MIA+BSI will present seven educational sessions during the four-day exhibition. Topics brought by MIA+BSI include:
- Sustainable Natural Stone
- Doing Business in the U.S.: Dimensional Tolerances
- Panel Discussion: Commercial Installation
- Stone Exterior Wall Cladding & Adhered Veneer Systems
- Natural Stone Promotional Campaign
- Doing Business in the United States
- Understanding ASTM Standards & Stone Testing for Projects in the U.S.
A look at the World Stone Congress sessions
March 5
The 3rd Conference of China Stone Mining Alliance
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(Pre-registration required)
This session is sponsored by the China Chamber of Commerce of Stone Industry, co-sponsored by Xiamen Stone Fair and organized by the Organizing Committee of Stone Mining Alliance
March 6 through 8
Educational Sessions
Room 401, 402
Brains of future stone world, from geoscientist, mechanist to magazine editors present over 20 seminars. Topics cover the latest research on technological innovation, stone care, as well as solution for problems existing in stone usage.
March 6
The 8th Global Master Architects Forum
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Conference Hall
Since its inception on July 1, 2014, Global Master Architect Forum, as a sustainable architecture forum, has been held for four years. Keynote speakers who participated in this event include: Mr. Sou Fujimoto, standing in the frontier of architecture, Mr. Ryue Nishizawa, Pritzker Prize winner, Mr. Bernardo Fort, founding principal of Arquitectonica, Mr. Jiakun Liu, founder and principle architect of Jiakun Architects, Mr. Hsieh Xie, People’s Architect of Taiwan of Atelier-3 and Hsieh Architect & Associates, Mr. Robert Terradas, world-class Spanish architect and founder of Terradas Arquitectes, Mr. Kazuhiro Kojima, partner of C+A and professor of Y-GSA of Yokohama National University, and Mr. Seung H-Sang, a renowned architect in South Korea. Held two to three times annually in Xiamen, Global Master Architect Forum is a grand event of the architect industry providing exchanges for architects from all over the world. By bringing in fashion design masters, world renowned artists, curators and so on, this forum has gained great attention among architects from home and abroad, becoming a name card of Xiamen in the field of conference. Moreover, the Xiamen Municipal Government is doing great efforts to promote the cooperation between famous architects and local projects.
During the Xiamen Stone Fair 2017, speeches by two well-known architects from Asia are to be expected.
March 6
Sustainable Natural Stone
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: Daniel Wood, Lurvey Landscape Supply; Jim Hieb, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 6
Launch Out @ Xiamen Stone Fair
Part I: Technical Innovation 2017
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 401
New quarry, new material, new machine – this is a place to reveal them to the world. Two leading machinery manufacturers from Italy and three from China will present the most advanced products.
March 6
Launch Out @ Xiamen Stone Fair
Part II: New Quarry Collection 2017
3:00 p.m. - 5:00
Room 401
Nine quarry owners from Canada, Switzerland, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and different regions of China have been selected to present around 20 types of natural stones that are new to market.
March 6
Doing Business in the U.S.: Dimensional Tolerances
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: Charles Muehlbauer, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute; David Castellucci, Kenneth Castellucci & Associates
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 6
Panel Discussion: Commercial Installation
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: David Castellucci, Kenneth Castellucci & Associates; GK Naquin, Stone Interiors; Herwig Callewier, Beltrami; Buddy Ontra, Ontra Stone; Jim Hieb, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 7
Selling Stone with Emotions
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Seaview Hall
Experts that love and respect stone — the gift by Mother Nature — gather here to discuss how to promote stone as a highly emotional material. This event is co-organized by Stone-Ideas.com.
Lecturers:
- Professor Gerd Merke, Euroroc, German
- Magda Konstantinidou, Stone Group International, Greece
- Allyson Humphrey, MIA+BSI, U.S.
March 7
Stone Exterior Wall Cladding & Adhered USA Veneer Systems
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Room 401
Speakers: Chuck Muehlbauer, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 7
Emerging Markets
10:00 - 11:00
Room 402
Speakers: K. Vikram Rastogi, Stone Technology Centre Group of Companies
March 7
Natural Stone Promotional Campaign
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Room 401
Speakers: Herwig Callewier, Beltrami; Duane Naquin, Stone Interiors; Daniel Wood, Lurvey Landscape Supply; and Jim Hieb, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 7
Report and Analysis on China Stone Import-Export in 2016
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Room 401
Speaker: Hou Jianhua, Magazine STONE
March 7
Doing Business in the United States
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 401
Speakers: David Castellucci, Kenneth Castellucci & Associates; Evan Cohen, Quality Marble & Granite; Duane Naquin, Stone Interiors; and Jim Hieb, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 7
Discoloration of Natural and Man-made Stone
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: Hans-Dieter Hensel, Hensel Geosciences
March 7
Stone Design Forum
Part I: Natural Stone Design
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Seaview Hall
Co-organized by Stone-Ideas.com, four pioneers in product design bring a brainstorming on fascinating possibilities of stone.
Lecturers:
- Gökhan Karakus, Studio Emedya Design Istanbul, Turkey
- Moreno Ratti, designer, Italy
- Peter Becker, Stone-Ideas.com, Germany
- Zhu Liang, Stone Branding Specialist, China
March 7
Natural Stone Pavement Evolution. Pavement Solutions to Face the Traffic
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Room 401
Speaker: Markus Balke, Balke & Partner LLC
March 7
How to Make the Plan of Regional Stone Industry
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Room 402
Speaker: Su Guijun, China Development Strategy Institute for Building Materials Industry
March 7
Understanding ASTM Standards & Stone Testing for Projects in the U.S.
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 401
Speakers: Chuck Muehlbauer, MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute; YJ Zhang, Indiana Limestone Company
(Brought to you by the MIA+BSI and sponsored by Stone World)
March 8
Part II: Darrell Petit: Sculpture Quarry Collaboration
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 401
This presentation will speak of a unique collaborative work process between sculptor Darrell Petit and two granite quarries: the historic Stony Creek Quarry in Stony Creek, CT, and the world renown Lundhs AS quarries of Larvik, Norway.
March 8
The Mining Technology for Marble and Granite
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Room 401
Speaker: Liao Yuanshi
March 8
Pollution, Treatment and Protection of Organic Artificial Stone
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Room 402
Speaker: Hou Jianhua, Magazine STONE
March 8
The Engineering and Safety Systems of Stone Quarry in the Open Air and Underground
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Room 402
Speaker: Lin Yuhua, China Chamber of Commerce for Stone Industry - Quarry Commission
March 8
How to Make the Diamond Saw Blade combination Thinner and Larger in Stone Cutting
11:15 a.m. - 12: 15 p.m.
Room 402
Speaker: Zhang Yuncai, Hubei Saw Engineering Technology R&D Center
March 8
Additive Manufacturing - A New Promising Use of Stone Powder: 3D-Printing
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Room 402
Speaker: Filippo Gobbin, Desamanera srl
March 8
Application of Bio-inspired Technology in Stone Protection
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Room 401
Speaker: Paul Guo, Xiamen Enjoy Consulting Co., Ltd.
March 8
Quarrying of Dimension Stones - The Challenges of Quarry Owner
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: Marco Cosi, AlppiConsult Stones; Markus Balke, Balke & Partner LLC
March 8
Sustainable Procurement of Natural Stones: EU-Legislation and Marketing Advantages
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 401
Speaker: Maria Zemann-Manikowska, Fair Stone e.V.
March 8
Benefit of Pre-sealing Treatment
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 402
Speakers: Eng. Denis Tessaro, Fila Industria Chimica; Enrico Perazzini, Fila Industria Chimica
