Coverings 2023 Announces Special Programming & Activations

Coverings (coverings.com), North America’s largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference, has announced an extensive lineup of new and returning activations for Coverings 2023, which will take place April 18-21, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Coverings 2023 will include four action-packed days of breathtaking tile displays; valuable insights and connections; and state-of-the-art innovations in products, techniques and business practices for the tile and stone industry as well as the design industry.

Attendees of Coverings 2023 will be able to explore more than 400,000 square feet of exhibit space with numerous global pavilions hosted by the world’s leading tile associations and product manufacturers. Coverings 2023 will host exhibitors from more than 30 countries, displaying the most sought-after tile, stone, tools, equipment, machinery, and other resources. More than 20,000 attendees from all segments of the industry will be able to connect with exhibitors to explore and discover new and trending products onsite at the most preeminent tile and stone industry marketplace in North America.

The Coverings Lounge at this year’s show will provide a centrally located and comfortable space for attendees to gain professional knowledge, network with peers, hear from industry leaders, and attend happy hours featuring valuable prize giveaways. The four key tenets of Coverings 2023 – “Health & Wellness,” “Sustainability,” “Outdoor Spaces,” and “Timeless Luxury” – will be focal points of the Coverings Lounge. Each tenet will be highlighted through live demonstrations, displays, relevant market trends, and numerous hands-on activities to provide showgoers with custom, memorable experiences that highlight the innumerable benefits and uses of tile and stone.

The Coverings Lounge will also be the center for complimentary Contractor Tours and the Coverings 2023 Rock Star Awards. Emerging, young professionals will be honored at the 2023 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and Reception, April 18 from 4-5 p.m.

Happy hours will return as a much-anticipated favorite among showgoers at the event. This beloved Coverings feature will occur in the Coverings Lounge April 18, 19 and 20, starting at 4 p.m. Cold drinks and valuable giveaways from TCNA and NTCA member companies will be available to those present, offering attendees a fun way to interact and wrap up their show days.

On display in the Coverings Lounge will be “Wally the Gator,” a 6’ x 4’ Florida gator-themed mosaic tile project designed, built and installed by the tile artisan team of Lee Callewaert of Dragonfly Tile and Stone Works and Joshua Nordstrom of Tierra Tile. This awe-inspiring tile art was created live and streamed during Coverings 2021 and is making a first-time appearance in Orlando, Florida, for Coverings 2023.

New to Coverings 2023 is the Distributor Lounge, sponsored by the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). This new addition to Coverings will provide a quiet place to meet near the show floor for tile, stone and flooring distributors. Light refreshments and snacks will be served in the lounge, which is conveniently located at the top of the South Hall escalators in room S222 (also called the Destination Lounge). 

The Coverings 2023 show floor will also include a special display that will be of particular interest to architect and design attendees known as the Art Tile Village. The Art Tile Village, located next to the Coverings Lounge in the TCNA Pavilion, will include a range of aesthetically pleasing tile art designed by local and regional tile experts. This space will be dedicated to artisans who keep old-world traditions alive by crafting handmade art and specialty tiles.

Attendees visiting the Art Tile Village will find one-of-a-kind decorative tiles and accents that can give any project a distinctive and unique touch. Several interactive demonstrations about pre-mounting techniques, forming, decorating/glazing, and hand painting will be featured in the area so attendees can learn more about the craft.

The Podcast Studio, acclaimed by many Coverings attendees, is expected to be an extremely popular feature at Coverings 2023. The studio, located in the South Hall Lobby, will offer established podcasters across the tile, stone and construction industries a unique opportunity to record episodes during Coverings 2023. Showgoers, no matter their interest or favorite genre, can stop by the studio to listen in as podcasters record new episodes for their respective shows.

A roundup of Show Floor Tours will help attendees maximize their time and experience during Coverings 2023. The much-lauded Contractor Tours will make a return at Coverings 2023, providing tourgoers 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. The tours will kick off each day at 11 a.m., between April 18-20.

Those interested in attending the Coverings Contractor Tours are recommended to sign-up at no cost in the Coverings Lounge early; tours will start and conclude in the Coverings Lounge each day and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can also see a live demonstration of the raised pedestal system being installed and experience a live Q&A session in the lounge following the tours daily.

Various must-see Trends Tours will be offered at Coverings 2023 to allow attendees to see and experience relevant exhibitors and stunning product displays based on specific areas of interest or expertise. The trends tours will cover the show’s aforementioned tenets.

During the “Fabricator Trends Tour: New and Innovative Products from the Marketplace,” April 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m., fabricators following along will learn how to best evaluate stone products and machinery on the show floor and how to ask focused questions to get the answers they need to ensure the products or machines perform as anticipated. The tour is also designed to guide fabricators in discovering new, innovative products; help them understand the role of long-term planning in relation to new product selection and implementation; and teach them how to calculate the return on investment of new tooling or equipment additions for facilities.

Coverings is adding to its slate of exciting, new activations with the new “Tour: Building Your Installation Truck,” April 19, 2:30-3:30 p.m., during which attendees will learn about the tools and technology that make installers’ lives easier on the road. Tour followers will attain a checklist and templates that will ensure their preparation for any installation challenge they may face. This custom-crafted tour will provide participants with the tools they need for a proper installation truck and teach them about new technology and programs to help stock their trucks.

Coverings is enhancing its popular lineup of interactive Stages for 2023 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 three stages throughout the show floor, offering attendees the latest innovations in products, techniques and business processes for the tile and stone industry.

Attendees will also have a chance to face off by participating in interactive Fabricator and Contractor Challenges. These challenges require attendees to visit all the exhibitors in a designated area of the show floor, answer a question, get their cards stamped, and submit their completed cards in each challenge’s respective bin for a chance to win $2,500.

An extensive lineup of educational sessions will be offered during Coverings 2023 and span three tracks: “Installation & Fabrication,” “Materials & Trends,” and “Workforce & Profits.” All educational content is being planned to provide attendees with information, knowledge, techniques, and skills, enabling them to position ceramic tile and stone as the material of choice over other materials.

Visit the Coverings website for more information about the lounges, stages, tours, educational sessions, and other special programs at Coverings 2023. Register to attend Coverings 2023 at no cost by visiting coverings.com.