ARLINGTON, VA – Coverings, the largest and preeminent international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, has released a comprehensive roster of both popular and new onsite activations for Coverings 2024, which will take place April 22 to 25, 2024, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The renowned, four-day industry event will deliver breathtaking global tile displays, invaluable industry insights and engaging networking opportunities through an unmatched lineup of special programming and show floor features stretching nine miles of tile and global exhibit space.
Coverings 2024 will unite thousands of architects, designers, contractors, distributors and other industry professionals for an immersive experience of ceramic tile and natural stone. Onsite activities, live demonstrations, show floor tours and interactive programs have been organized to provide hands-on experiences and real-time solutions for all applicable industry segments.
More than 25,000 international showgoers will gather to discover the most in-vogue ceramic tile, natural stone and equipment product trends from around the world. Attendees will be able to explore numerous global pavilions hosted by leading tile associations and product manufacturers from 40 countries where they can source the latest, most advanced tile, stone, equipment, machinery and other resources.
“We’re bringing an enhanced ensemble of show floor features and activations to Atlanta, providing showgoers with a fresh and invigorating Coverings experience,” said Jenn Heinold, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the show management company for Coverings. “Beyond the absolutely breathtaking exhibits, what I am most excited about this year at Coverings is our Outdoor Oasis. We’re constructing a state-of-the-art backyard design (including a pool!) on the show floor. The Outdoor Oasis will feature ceramic tile and natural stone from Italy, Spain and North America; it’s one of our biggest and most intricate installations on the show floor yet.”
The four key tenets of Coverings 2024 – “Health & Wellness,” “Sustainability,” “Outdoor Spaces” and “Timeless Luxury” – will be highlighted throughout the show floor. Communal activations, imaginative displays and relevant market trends will showcase each tenet and provide attendees with unique, unforgettable experiences that emphasize the many benefits and uses of tile and stone.
Headlining Coverings 2024’s new show floor features is the highly anticipated Outdoor Oasis (Hall C, Booth 7006), which was conceived and revamped from the popular Coverings Lounge of years past. Attendees visiting this awe-inspiring space will step into a mesmerizing “outdoor” environment filled with both interior and exterior applications of ceramic tile, highlighting tile’s seamless integration in outdoor settings among plant material and outdoor furnishings. The Outdoor Oasis will also provide a centralized location for showgoers to attend vital learning sessions, connect with tile and stone peers, and socialize during happy hours and giveaways.
Special participants of the Outdoor Oasis include Coverings 2024 partner and thought leader Tributary Revelation and numerous global tile manufacturers, such as Landmark Ceramics, SICIS and STN Ceramica. Products on display throughout the Outdoor Oasis will be provided by various partners, manufacturers and Tributary Revelation members.
D.W. Sanders Tile & Stone Contracting, Inc. and C.C. Owen Tile Company will install the Outdoor Oasis, and a raised pedestal system will be provided by Redwood Plastics and Rubber.
“The Outdoor Oasis, like many of Coverings 2024’s exclusive programming and happenings, will be especially relevant to architects and designers,” said Heinold. “There will be many design-focused displays and activities throughout the event for Atlanta, regional, national and international design professionals.”
The Outdoor Oasis will also host the return of mindfulness workshops led by Gianna Vallefuoco, an artist, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Five Star contractor and mindfulness teacher with Vallefuoco Contractors, LLC, and Ron Nash with LATICRETE International. These mindfulness sessions are appropriate for everyone, with unique topics including “Intro to Mind Fitness,” “Mindful Leadership,” “Setting Up a Mindfulness Practice” and much more. Showgoers attending these short, impactful “Health & Wellness” demonstrations will learn 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 lead in their organizations.
Happy hours and giveaways are returning as a beloved Coverings feature and will occur in the Outdoor Oasis, April 23rd and 24th, starting at 4 p.m. EDT. Cold drinks and hot giveaways led and managed by NTCA and Tile Council of North America (TCNA) member companies will be available to those present, providing a fun way for attendees to interact and wrap up their show days. The Outdoor Oasis will also be the center for complimentary Contractor Tours and the Coverings 2024 Rock Star Awards Ceremony & 10th Anniversary Celebration, which will honor this year’s Rock Star Award winners, April 22 from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Galvanize Women’s Lounge (Room B206), a brand-new networking area planned for Coverings 2024, will offer a unique space for attendees to connect, celebrate and be inspired by like-minded women and industry peers. Both personal and professional development opportunities – along with a few surprise activations – will be available, with many of the leading industry women’s groups coming together to collaborate, build community, and elevate one another and their respective crafts.
Returning to Coverings 2024 is the Distributor Lounge (Coverings Courtyard, Hall B, Booth 1405), sponsored by the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) and the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD). This back-by-popular-demand networking space provides tile, stone and flooring distributors a quiet place to relax and recharge when they need a break from doing business on the show floor. Light refreshments and snacks will be served in the lounge, which is conveniently located on the show floor in Hall B this year.
The Podcast Studio (Hall B Lobby) will continue to be an extremely popular feature for attendees and exhibitors alike at Coverings 2024. The studio offers established podcasters across the tile, stone and construction industries a unique opportunity to record episodes during Coverings 2024. Showgoers, no matter their interest or favorite genre, can stop by the studio to listen as podcasters record new episodes for their respective shows.
The Stone Fabricator’s Alliance (SFA) is bringing its popular SFA Cage (Hall C, Booth 6161) back for Coverings 2024. This is the ideal place for fabricators and other stone and tile professionals to gather, network and learn new fabrication techniques. The SFA Cage will feature daily demonstrations on a variety of topics, including how to work with and fabricate gauged porcelain panels that continue to grow in popularity.
The Coverings 2024 show floor will also include the return of the Artisan Showcase (Hall C, Booth 7259), a popular show floor display that will showcase one-of-a-kind decorative tiles and accents and a stage with live demonstrations. World-class mosaicist David Arnott will be showcasing some of his most stunning pieces throughout the Artisan Showcase, along with creating an Earth Day-themed mosaic live during the show.
A roundup of both live and on-demand show floor tours, including four curated Audio Tours, will help attendees maximize their time and experience during Coverings 2024. These coveted tours will assist attendees in exploring the show floor at the times that work best for their busy event schedules. Eventgoers can access four distinct audio tours focused on each of the Coverings tenets to see and experience relevant exhibitors and stunning product displays based on specific areas of interest or expertise.
The much-lauded Contractor Tours are coming back to Coverings 2024, providing tour participants 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. These complimentary, hour-long tours will kick off from the Outdoor Oasis at 11 a.m., between April 22nd and 24th, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Coverings is also enhancing its popular lineup of interactive Stages for 2024 to feature all the latest and most important updates from tile and stone industry leaders. Trends, solutions, live “how-to” classes and other relevant content will be available on four stages throughout the show floor, enlightening attendees with groundbreaking products, techniques and business processes.
The Artisan Stage (Hall C, Booth 7259) has been added to Coverings’ lineup of show floor stages given the size of the crowds at Coverings 2023’s Art Tile Showcase. Attendees will get to witness art tile makers and artisans as they show the steps required to create one-of-a-kind, hand-made tile, such as pre-mounting techniques for installation, hand forming and cutting, decorating, glazing and painting.
The Installation Innovation Stage (Hall C, Booth 7863), a long-time staple of Coverings and a crowd-favorite among contractors and installers, will showcase live demonstrations for attendees to see exactly how to install a wide variety of new products and learn techniques to make tile and stone installations more successful. Stage visitors will attain firsthand insights from leading professionals about new materials, industry standards, methods and best practices for delivering superior installations. Demonstrations will be provided by both NTCA staff and TCNA members.
The Fabricator Stage (Hall C, Booth 6209) is returning for its second appearance at Coverings after being a smashing success at Coverings 2023. This distinguished stage will supply another year of insights from experts in the stone and fabrication industry through short and engaging presentations and demonstrations. Programming offered in collaboration with three esteemed partners of Coverings 2024, International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA), National Stone Institute (NSI) and Rockheads Group, will concentrate on pertinent topics tailored for tile and stone fabricators. These sessions aim to equip attendees with the essential insights and advanced concepts necessary for progressing their businesses and successfully executing upcoming projects. New for 2024, at the end of each day, the stage will host happy hours and education, offering fabricators an opportunity to network and learn.
Back for its third year at Coverings, the Trends & Solutions Stage (Coverings Courtyard, Hall B, Booth 1405) will feature exhibitors and industry professionals highlighting everything at the forefront of the tile and stone marketplace. Attendees visiting this ever-popular stage will benefit from a deep dive into the latest innovations and trends through short presentations from those launching new services, providing business solutions or showing new product trends.
Coverings 2024 will also present an impressive, robust schedule of educational sessions across three distinct tracks: "Installation & Fabrication," "Materials & Trends" and "Workforce & Profits." These learning opportunities have been carefully curated to furnish attendees with business-growth information, insights, techniques and expertise.
Industry professionals can register to attend Coverings 2024 at no cost and gather further information about this year’s show floor exhibits, product displays, lounges, stages, tours, educational sessions and other special programming by visiting the Coverings website.
