Full details have been revealed of what visitors can expect from the landmark 50th edition of
For its special anniversary showcase, Marmomacc is returning to Veronafiere in Verona, Italy from 30 September-3 October 2015. This year, like every year since 1961, the exhibition will give a voice to the marble, granite, processing technologies, and associated design and training industry. According to Confindustria Marmomacchine statistics, 3,340 companies and 33,700 employees are operating in the natural stone industry in Italy, with their combined production valued at an impressive €3.84 billion in 2014. Around 75% of Italian industry natural stone sector products are sold abroad, amounting to €2.88 billion of exported items in 2014.
The previous edition of Marmomacc attracted 1,500 exhibitors from 58 countries, 65,000 visitors (54% international from 145 countries) and trade delegations representing 45 countries.
Supported by the Ministry for Economic Development (MISE), the Italian Trade Agency and Confindustria Marmomacchine, the 50th edition of Marmomacc will promote a special Made in Italy initiative consisting of three elements. ‘The Italian Stone Theatre’ - a hall celebrating excellence in the Italian natural stone industry, with a large ‘theatre’ dedicated to the world of natural stone and related processing machinery on displaying strictly Italian technologies and experimental natural stone projects. More than 200 architects and buyers will meet and talk to a large invited foreign trade delegation about the advantages of doing business within the Italian natural stone industry. Finally, a first of its kind ‘International Stone Summit’ involving natural stone associations will be held during the four-day exhibition.
Marmomacc provides a full-scale global network supporting companies. Throughout the year, this network keeps its finger on the pulse of consolidated and emerging markets, with a calendar of events organised in the United States, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Morocco and Egypt.
Important institutional partners such as Simest and Sace, as well as Confindustria Marmomacchine, Informa Exhibitions and Centro Servizi per il Marmo di Volargne, a landmark for the Veneto Marble and Natural Stone District, are also keen backers of Marmomacc’s work.
"The 50th anniversary of Marmomacc is a truly historic occasion, including the fact that the [Italian] Ministry of Economic Development has deemed the event a strategic economic lever for the country as a whole, with special funds made available through the Made in Italy promotion plan," said Ettore Riello, president of Veronafiere, at a recent press conference ahead of this year’s landmark Marmomacc show.
During the prestigious trade fair, issues around supply and demand will be a central theme. The theme will incorporate everything from blocks of unhewn stone and processed materials to machinery, technologies, tools and accessories needed to produce items in marble.
Meanwhile, this year’s show will also welcome double the number of foreign buyers, as Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & director general of Veronafiere, noted during the press conference: "For this edition of Marmomacc our investments to promote incoming international operators will be joined by funds provided by the Ministry for Economic Development. Collaboration with ICE (Italian Trade Agency) and Confindustria Marmomacchine also means we can attract to Verona an additional one hundred foreign operators interested in Italian technology and the same number of architects and designers looking for Italian stone and marble."
Foreign operators involved in this programme will also take part in a series of workshops and visits to local companies, with the objective of expanding knowledge of Made in Italy stone products and machinery.
Exhibition organisers stress that one of the strengths of Marmomacc is the decision to combine business with design and product culture thereby turning the event into one of the most important occasions for comparison, innovation and education for companies and professionals working with stone. Architects, engineers and designers, for example, benefit from the meetings organised by Stone Academy, a project headed by Marmomacc that also involves 20 Italian and international universities to organise seminars and second level master degrees in stone design. Veronafiere has organised training courses in collaboration with prestigious professional institutions on an international scale for more than ten years: with AIA (American Institute of Architects), for which Marmomacc is an exclusive provider authorised to offer training in stone design to US architects; with RIBA, the professional association of British architects, and RAIC, the Canadian architects association. The numerous initiatives in the program include the 14th edition of the International Architecture in Stone Award, the 4th Marmomacc and the City event, 9th Best Communicator Award and the Marble Forum, with non-stop lectio magistralis and conventions.
