As Diary of a Tile Addict’s readers know, Joe Simpson is a huge fan of Coverings: the largest and most significant ceramic tile and natural stone conference and exhibition in North America. Having visited the show for well over 20 years, Joe values the quality and variety of exhibitors but, above all, the supporting educational programme staged by Taffy Events. It is unparalleled in its content, scope, value, authority, and entertainment value.
Coverings doesn’t have a fixed home. It is generally held every other year in Orlando, Florida (as is the case this year) moving to a different US city – including Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Las Vegas – in alternate years.
None of these venues quite matches the Orange County Exhibition Center in Orlando. As well as being a fantastic facility with room to spare, Orlando also has great flight connections, limitless hotels, and plenty of cafes and restaurants for the all-important after-show networking. This makes Coverings a key date in the ceramic tile diary: one not to be missed.
Coverings 2025 will feature 1,100 global exhibitors from 40 countries and will introduce many innovative tile and stone products. Over the years, Coverings has become more and more important as an aesthetic reference. In its early days, it tended to reflect the rather conservative taste of the American tile-buying public, with a lot of off-white, bone, and taupe tiles. Today it still has all of the above, plus a vibrant cross-section of the brightest and most colourful tiles on the planet. Both Spanish and Italian producers will be there in force globe. The threat of import taxes may be put off some export nations, notably China and India, but Coverings will still have a more diverse range of products on show than any other tile exhibition; including Cersaie and Cevisama.
It also has fun features, like a village dedicated to America’s artisanal tile studios, tiled dog kennels with live puppies, and a strong cross-section of tools, adhesive, backboards and other application technologies.
It serves as a valuable education resource for all segments of the industry. The show’s audience is healthy, if not huge. In 2025, Coverings is slated to attract 26,000 distributors, retailers, fabricators, contractors, specifiers, architectural and design professionals, builders, and real estate developers; as well as specialist journalists and bloggers. While this is modest when compared to Cersaie, the benefit for attendees is that it is such an easy show to visit and enjoy. No stand gets too busy, except for the USA, Brazilian, Spanish, and Italian trade association stands at lunch, so it is easy to explore the latest trends, source global products, network with industry peers, gain project inspiration, access information, and to find solutions … in short, just what a good exhibition should be like.
Each year, the Coverings conference programme inspires, educates, and motivates. Key themes this year are Health & Wellness, Sustainability, Outdoor Spaces, and Timeless Luxury. It will allow attendees to brush up on industry best practices and cutting-edge installation and fabrication techniques. There are also sessions on running a business. These may be USA-specific, but still help identify new and successful business practices, reveal top growth strategies, and offer insights into workforce management and maximising profit.
Unusual features include a VIP Specifier Program for architects and designers, and The Stone Fabricator’s Alliance cage: a space where fabricators and stone professionals can learn new fabrication techniques.
Coverings is sponsored by Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, Tile of Spain/ASCER, Tile Council of North America, National Tile Contractors Association, Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, and International Product Assurance (IPA) Laboratories. It is managed by Taffy Event Strategies.
If you can only attend one tile trade event this year, we urge you to give Coverings (29th April – 2nd May) serious consideration. If you can’t make it, keep reading Diary of a Tile Addict; Joe will be reporting back from Coverings from early May onwards.