The halls and outdoor areas of Marmomac were bustling with activity during the four-day show, held from Tuesday, September 27 through Friday, September 30, 2022 in Verona, Italy. It was apparent stone industry members were excited to return to an in-person event. The international stone exhibition attracted 47,000 attendees – a 49% increase from 2021. International attendance from 132 countries accounted for 63% of this result.
“This result all but returns the event to pre-pandemic figures in 2019, following the special online edition in 2020 and the restart show in 2021," said Federico Bricolo, president of Veronafiere, organizers of the exhibition. “Veronafiere has resumed its role as a driving force at full steam for the international development of this industrial supply chain, while also generating economic returns for its home city and the local area as a whole."
Taking advantage of the international arena, exhibitors introduced a plethora of new products.
More than 1,200 varieties of natural stone material were on display in a variety of forms, including unhewn blocks, slabs and custom-designed pieces. Highly innovative technology for quarrying, cutting, finishing and transport were also showcased. There were also hundreds of tools, abrasives and installation/maintenance products.
"This year, Marmomac has witnessed an impressive quantitative and qualitative return of visitors from target countries, such as the U.S., Brazil, India and Turkey," said Maurizio Danese, CEO of Veronafiere. "We are posting figures that virtually returned to the results of pre-Covid editions. The figure posted for international attendance is all the more impressive when bearing in mind the down-scaled presence of China, Russia and Ukraine in the wake of well-known health and geopolitical issues. Investments to promote incoming international delegations of top buyers, in collaboration with ICE Trade Agency, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Confindustria Marmomacchine, also contributed to the international caliber of this edition.”
The Plus Theater was one of the main show attractions. The space hosted exhibitions, conferences and workshops -- informing visitors about the incredible functional and aesthetic potential of natural stone. It also was the stage for the New Best Communicator Award ceremony where both Italian and international exhibitors were honored for their innovative displays.
Read it here: Marmomac Announces New Best Communicator Award 2022
A Push for Sustainability
Marmomac 2022 also launched a new green approach for the Italian natural stone production chain, with the presentation of a 10-point planning document in the Authentic Natural Stone, Sustainability Manifesto signed by companies belonging to the PNA Network, of which Veronafiere is also a member. The project seeks to create an environmental declaration for natural stone products, involving a commitment by companies in the sector to adopt a certified and circular production cycle to ensure increasingly lower environmental impact affecting air, water and overall carbon dioxide emission levels.
The next edition of Marmomac is slated for September 26 to 29, 2023.
