Carrara Show Now Biennial

Formally known as the International Exhibition of Marble, Technology and Design, the Marina di Carrara, Italy-based show will be held every two years at CarraraFiere, beginning with this year on May 29-June 1.
At a press conference in Milan on Feb. 12, CarraraFiere Chairman Giorgio Bianchini said that, in the intervening years between shows, “events will be staged for architects and designers who will be able to appreciate what Carrara and its network of quality companies have to offer.”
The move to even-numbered years may resolve the dilemma for the European stone industry of choosing between CarraraMarmotec and Stone+tec, the large exhibition held in Nuremberg, Germany. Both events occurred within days of each other in previous years.
In going biennial during even-numbered years, the next two CarraraMarmotec shows will be this year and in 2010. Stone+tec, always held biennially in odd-numbered years, will have its next event on May 20-23, 2009.
As part of its new look, CarraraMarmotec will also develop a stronger focus in establishing relations among natural stone suppliers and designers.
Bianchini emphasised that, “this new look has been understood perfectly by the companies and their response is positive. Large technology companies and natural-stone groups, for example, are backing the new-style exhibition which is planned to carry on the same format for various years, and which aims to promote the modernization of the industry and the made-in-Italy brand.”
A scientific board composed of professionals, architects, designers, journalists and scholars will shape the project, and on a yearly basis will identify the issues to be discussed at the exhibition.
CarraraMarmotec officials anticipate the 2008 event to be sold out, with an increase from the 426 exhibitors in 2007 in CarraraFiere’s area of 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²). Last year’s event brought 19,650 attendees, including 4,075 from outside Italy.
Attendees to CarraraMarmotec 2008 will also have the opportunity to see what’s new in the industry in a specific area hosting two large design exhibitions.
The first will show winning projects from the International Architecture Competition, (the MAA), now in its 27th year. The second will feature entries in the Dressed Stone Design Award, an international competition to encourage high design solutions with natural stone and its use in combination with other materials (such as wood, glass and composites) to stimulate new uses in both public and private spaces.
CarraraMarmotec 2008 also includes the Second International Congress on Dimension Stones (ICDS), focusing on scientific issues involving the entire industry, from extraction and characterization of materials to installation and maintenance of finished products.