Coverings 2011: March to Vegas

LAS VEGAS – It’s a new date and a new place for Coverings this year, as it moves up the calendar and across the country

The stone and tile event checks out of its usual mid- to late-April timeframe in 2011 to open on March 14-17, and in a venue far from its usual Florida digs – as in Las Vegas.

The event, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, will feature the usual impressive lineup of exhibitors on the trade show floor. And, there’s the educational program, with plenty of seminars aimed at the needs of stone fabricators and installers.

Coverings_200425-040And, the whole package – seminars, demonstrations, and aisles-upon-aisles of exhibits – is all free.

The seminar lineup remains a sure bet for Coverings 2011, with the following one-hour sessions (unless noted) of keen interest to the stone trade:

Monday, March 14
9 a.m.: Survive and Thrive in a Highly Competitive Market. Aaron J. Crowley, Crowley’s Granite Concepts.
9 a.m.: Providing CEUs to Architects & Interior Designers About Natural Stone. James Hieb, Marble Institute of America.
9 a.m.: Opening Keynote/Installation Featured Session:  The 2011 TCNA Handbook (presented by the Tile Council of North America).
1:30 p.m.: Ceramic and Porcelain Tile vs. Stone Tile Installations: Similarities and Differences. Gerald Sloan, National Tile Contractors Association.
2:45 p.m.: Fabricator Economic Headaches – Lessons and Techniques Learned from Young Innovative Fabricators/Installers. Moderator: Duane Naquin, Stone Interiors. Panelists: Adam Bauer, Planet Granite; Tony Malisani, Malisani Inc.; Buddy Ontra, Ontra Stone Concepts.
2:45 p.m.: Confused about Impregnators & Penetrating Sealers – Here is Some Straight Talk. Joe Salvo and Albert Salvo, Miracle Sealants.
2:45 p.m.: Sustainable Retrofits with Tile, Marble and Terrazzo. Maria Viteri, AIA, LEED AP, International Masonry Institute.
2:45 p.m.: How To Reach Specifiers: An Architect Tells All. Eric Corey Freed, organicARCHITECT.
2:45 p.m.: Economic Strategies to Boost Ceramic Tile and Stone Sales and Profits. Panelists: Donato Pompo, Ceramic Tile And Stone Consultants; James C. Gould, Floor Covering Institute LLC; Stuart Hirschhorn, Catalina Research; Mitch Dancik, Dancik International.

Tuesday, March 15
8 a.m.: Stone Trends 2011 (2 hrs). Vince Marazita, Marazita & Associates.
8 a.m.: Fabricators Forum (2 hrs). Moderator: GK Naquin, Stone Interiors. Panelists: Tony Malisani, Malisani Inc.; Michael Twiss, Columbia Stone Inc.; Brett Rugo, Rugo Stone LLC Natural Stone & Mosaic Contractors.
8 a.m.: Maximizing Sustainable Tile, Marble, and Terrazzo Solutions with Masonry. Maria Viteri, AIA, LEED AP, International Masonry Institute.
9:15 a.m.: Wholesale/Slab Distributors Forum. Panelists: Jonathan Zanger, Walker Zanger; Rupesh Shah, M S International.