Coverings 2022 will open its doors on 5 April in Las Vegas

More than 20,000 attendees will find exhibitors from more than 20 countries, displaying the most innovative tile, stone, machinery, equipment, tools and other resources.

From 5 to 8 April, the key players in the US ceramic tile market will once again converge on Las Vegas for Coverings 2022, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America, due to begin on Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The event is expected to draw more than 20,000 attendees from all segments of the industry to view the latest stone and tile collections, installation and maintenance products and new technology showcased by exhibitors from more than 20 countries.

The exhibition can count on various global pavilions hosted by the world’s leading tile associations.

Along with the US and Mexican producers hosted in the Tile Council of North America pavilion, there will be around 70 Italian companies (representing more than 100 brands) located in the Ceramics of Italy booth and 70 Spanish tile manufacturers in the Tiles of Spain area, as well as producers from South America – principally Brazil – and from India, Turkey and other European countries.

Following strong sales in 2021, these companies are all keen to build on their competitive strengths ahead of what is expected to be a positive two-year period. Tile consumption in the US grew by 10% last year, returning to 2018 levels. Imports climbed 13.6% to more than 207 million sqm, the highest at any time in the last 15 years, with Spain, Italy and Turkey all growing by around 20% and Mexico and India by between 7% and 8%. This strong performance is driven by a vibrant construction industry, with building investments totalling US $1.59 trillion (+8.2% on 2020) and residential spending up 23%. New housing construction saw double-digit increases (+15.6%), the highest since 2006, with new single-family homes up 13.4% and multi-family homes up 21.3%. This booming market is accompanied this year by expectations of a strong recovery in the commercial segment, particularly hotels and offices.

The Italian Ceramic tile pavilion

Following the cancellation of the 2020 show and the US travel ban that effectively prevented European producers from taking part in 2021, the Italian ceramic tile industry will be back in force at Coverings 2022. Despite the severe problems caused by soaring gas and freight prices, the Ceramics of Italy pavilion located in Central Hall will host around seventy companies (more than 100 brands). Amid the current challenges, the industry is finding it far from easy to pick up where it left off back in 2019. Nonetheless, Italian companies have confirmed their determination not to miss this premiere event in one of the industry’s most important export markets.

The Ceramics of Italy institutional area (Booth C6433) will form the hub of the Italian pavilion and will provide visitors with a wealth of information along with traditional Italian hospitality.

New products will be the main point of interest and visitors will be able to find an enormous variety of tiles and surfaces on display at the Italian booths. These will be highlighted in particular at two specific initiatives: the Global Tile Trends session on 5 April at 11.00 a.m. where industry experts will discuss the emerging trends in the ceramic tile market, and a guided Press Tour of the Italian pavilion on 7 April at 10.00 a.m.

The traditional Ceramics of Italy press conference will be held on 6 April at 4 p.m. in Room N245, followed by the 29th Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition with the winners presenting their architectural projects involving the use of Italian ceramic tiles. Next, the award ceremony for the 32nd Confindustria Ceramica North America Distributor Award.

The Tile of Spain pavilion

The Spanish ceramic tile pavilion will also host more than 70 Spanish companies, at the centre of which, the Tile of Spain booth #C9026 will feature educational seminars and video presentations, including award-winning architectural and design projects and an overview of Tile of Spain manufacturers’ achievements.

Highlights of happenings at the Spanish pavilion include:

• “Sustainability in Ceramics” (on April 5th and 7th), which will offer a more holistic view of sustainability, health & safety
• Showstoppers (on April 5th, 6th and 8th), which will offer 3 sessions with Ceramic Tile Specialist and Tile of Spain Consultant, Ryan Fasan, interviewing representatives from Spanish companies about new product introductions and industry advancements
• A & D/ Contractors Tour (on April 7th), which will explore current trends in specifications and emerging formats, product categories and performance characteristics.
• Ceramic Trends 2022 (on April 7th and 8th), with Ryan Fasan’s “Trend Talk” taking a deep dive into the latest ceramic design trends of 2022.

The Italian machinery industry comes back to Coverings 2022

The Italian machinery industry will also be back at Coverings 2022 after two years. Seven companies - BMR, Ema-Cer, Metco, Pemo Pumps, Surfaces Group USA, System Ceramics and Tecnoferrari - will exhibit in the Italian ACIMAC pavilion located in the Central Hall, booth # C10235. The importance of the North American ceramic market for the Italian technology suppliers is confermed by the figures: in 2020 exports of Italian ceramic machinery to USA and Mexico tot up 58 million Euro, or 5.3% of total Italian machinery exports.