ARLINGTON, VA— Coverings (coverings.com), the largest international tile & stone exhibition and conference in North America, will give back to the local community through a range of charitable initiatives at this year’s show in Orlando, Florida from April 9-12. Continuing its tradition of supporting the host city, Coverings will partner with both Clean the World and the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.

“Coverings wouldn’t be possible without the support of our host cities, so it’s incredibly important that we give back to the communities that welcome us each year,” said Jennifer Hoff, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the management company for Coverings. “With so many industry professionals gathering in one place, we are honored to band together to benefit the area and build even deeper connections here.”

For a second year, Coverings will continue its partnership with Clean the World, assembling and providing hygiene kits for veterans’ associations in the Orlando area. Participants, including the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Tile of Spain, Ceramics of Italy and Coverings exhibitors Mapei and Florida Tile, will meet on Monday, April 8 for Coverings’ official service event, assembling kits onsite with daily items like toothpaste, shampoo, toothbrushes, lotion, Chapstick and more. The group hopes to double the output of last year’s initiative, with the aim of creating 1,600 kits for distribution to local veterans and will include handwritten notes within each kit as a thank you to those who have served their country.

“We’re excited to bring the initiative to Orlando and build on the success of Clean the World’s 2018 partnership with Coverings in Atlanta,” said NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga. “This joint service event brings the industry together for a truly positive and energizing start to the show, while generating immediate impact for those who have served our country living in our host city.”

Coverings 2019 also marks a continuation of the show’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity. In collaboration with both Habitat for Humanity of Seminole County & Greater Apopka and Freeman – the general service contractor for the show – Coverings will donate tile and building materials to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s mission of building affordable homes for those in need. The three organizations will work together during show breakdown to identify and collect usable tile, stone and other products from exhibitor booths.

Additionally, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and 21 of its members will continue their generous support for Orlando-area pets through TCNA’s tiled doghouse program at Coverings 2019. Showcasing tile’s versatility and style, participating members will design and build custom tiled doghouses. During the show these one-of-a-kind, handmade creations will be on display at the TCNA Art Tile Courtyard (Booth #4209), where attendees can see the craftsmanship firsthand and meet furry friends from the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. A donation ceremony will be held in the TCNA Art Tile Courtyard at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 11.

“We’re honored to bring the tiled doghouse program back to Coverings as a creative and charitable way to showcase the beauty and versatility of tile,” said Kathy Meyer, TCNA director of marketing. “We invite Coverings attendees to visit the TCNA Art Tile Courtyard to see these incredible works of art generously provided by our members, meet the dedicated volunteers from the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, and learn more about how this program benefits pets in the local community.”

Coverings returns to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando April 9-12, showing the latest and greatest from over 1,100 exhibitors. For more information, and to register to attend, visit coverings.com.