Coverings, North America’s largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference, has announced an extensive lineup of new and returning activations for Coverings 2023, which will take place April 18-21, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Coverings 2023 will include four action-packed days of breathtaking tile displays; valuable insights and connections; and state-of-the-art innovations in products, techniques and business practices for the tile and stone industry as well as the design industry.
Health & Wellness
The “Health & Wellness” tenet will be promoted in the Coverings Lounge through short mindfulness workshops led by Gianna Vallefuoco, an artist, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Five Star contractor and mindfulness teacher with Vallefuoco Contractors, LLC. These sessions will be appropriate for all attendees, including meditators and non-meditators alike, teaching participants how to better deal with stress on the job site, discover how breathing can help deescalate heated moments and learn how to use a growth-focused mindset to overcome obstacles.
Sustainability
The Coverings 2023 “Sustainability” tenet will be highlighted, in part, by the return of the Sustainability Wall, which will be on display in the Coverings Lounge to showcase the environmentally friendly properties of ceramic tile. This popular show floor feature will be updated from the Coverings 2022 edition to educate attendees on the countless sustainable benefits of ceramic tile and tile’s advantages compared to other surface materials.
Outdoor Spaces
D.W. Sanders Tile & Stone Contacting will be working alongside Coverings to underscore the “Outdoor Spaces” tenet in the Coverings Lounge. Woody Sanders and his team will showcase a raised pedestal system by dismantling and rebuilding it each day, so attendees can see and learn how the advantageous system works. Pavers for this project have been donated by Atlas Concorde.
The “Outdoor Spaces” theme will be further showcased in the Coverings Lounge through an outdoor seating area, featuring biophilia walls with comfortable chairs to provide a relaxing, conversational environment for networking, while also taking in the essence of tile’s seamless integration in outdoor settings among plant material and outdoor furnishings.
Timeless Luxury
The “Timeless Luxury” tenet will be featured in the Coverings Lounge to highlight the ways in which tile is a premium offering with impeccable quality that delivers emblematic and experiential value in addition to functionality. Exhibitors from Ceramics of Italy, Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and Tile of Spain will display beautiful and luxurious tile installations that will be used as the wine and beer bars during the happy hour events. Photography of luxurious projects will also be displayed on a large screen in the Coverings Lounge to showcase this significant market trend.
The Coverings Lounge will also be the center for complimentary Contractor Tours and the Coverings 2023 Rock Star Awards. Emerging, young professionals will be honored at the 2023 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and Reception, April 18 from 4-5 p.m.
Happy hours will return as a much-anticipated favorite among show-goers at the event. This beloved Coverings feature will occur in the Coverings Lounge April 18, 19 and 20, starting at 4 p.m. Cold drinks and valuable giveaways from TCNA and NTCA member companies will be available to those present, offering attendees a fun way to interact and wrap up their show days.
On display in the Coverings Lounge will be “Wally the Gator,” a 6’ x 4’ Florida gator-themed mosaic tile project designed, built and installed by the tile artisan team of Lee Callewaert of Dragonfly Tile and Stone Works and Joshua Nordstrom of Tierra Tile. This awe-inspiring tile art was created live and streamed during Coverings 2021 and is making a first-time appearance in Orlando, Florida, for Coverings 2023.
New to Coverings 2023 is the Distributor Lounge, sponsored by the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). This new addition to Coverings will provide a quiet place to meet near the show floor for tile, stone and flooring distributors. Light refreshments and snacks will be served in the lounge, which is conveniently located at the top of the South Hall escalators in room S222 (also called the Destination Lounge).
The Coverings 2023 show floor will also include a special display that will be of particular interest to architect and design attendees known as the Art Tile Village. The Art Tile Village, located next to the Coverings Lounge in the TCNA Pavilion, will include a range of aesthetically pleasing tile art designed by local and regional tile experts. This space will be dedicated to artisans who keep old-world traditions alive by crafting handmade art and specialty tiles.
Attendees visiting the Art Tile Village will find one-of-a-kind decorative tiles and accents that can give any project a distinctive and unique touch. Several interactive demonstrations about pre-mounting techniques, forming, decorating/glazing, and hand painting will be featured in the area so attendees can learn more about the craft.
The Podcast Studio, acclaimed by many Coverings attendees, is expected to be an extremely popular feature at Coverings 2023. The studio, located in the South Hall Lobby, will offer established podcasters across the tile, stone and construction industries a unique opportunity to record episodes during Coverings 2023. Showgoers, no matter their interest or favorite genre, can stop by the studio to listen in as podcasters record new episodes for their respective shows.
A roundup of Show Floor Tours will help attendees maximize their time and experience during Coverings 2023. The much-lauded Contractor Tours will make a return at Coverings 2023, providing tourgoers with opportunities to join NTCA for guided show floor explorations of the latest tools, equipment and allied products for contractors, installers, retailers, distributors, and specifiers. The tours will kick off each day at 11 a.m., between April 18-20.
Those interested in attending the Coverings Contractor Tours are recommended to sign-up at no cost in the Coverings Lounge early; tours will start and conclude in the Coverings Lounge each day and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can also see a live demonstration of the raised pedestal system being installed and experience a live Q&A session in the lounge following the tours daily.
Various must-see Trends Tours will be offered at Coverings 2023 to allow attendees to see and experience relevant exhibitors and stunning product displays based on specific areas of interest or expertise. The trends tours will cover the show’s aforementioned tenets.
