ATLANTA — Coatingsmanaged by Taffy Event Strategies, LLC and held at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) from April 22-25, saw a large number of international exhibitors, representing a post-pandemic recovery, celebrated Earth Day with themed activations, giving programs and more, and introduced various new features in 2024.
“This is a one-of-a-kind event,” said Jamie Rich, Coverings Show Director. “Exhibitors come days, if not weeks, in advance to build their booths from scratch to create breathtaking, immersive experiences for our attendees.”
Following a post-pandemic trend, the show’s international exhibitors made up about 75% of its exhibitor count this year, which Rich said is “as strong as it was before the pandemic.”
New features
The show reimagined its Coverings Lounge as a new “outdoor oasis,” which featured tiles from three of its homeowners associations, including in Coverings’ first-ever pool at the show, and hosted activations such as its 10th the annual Rock Star Awards, honoring emerging industry leaders.
Additionally, due to the “massive crowd” at Coverings’ Artisan Showcase 2023, where art tile exhibitors showcased unique handmade tiles, an artisan stage was added to this year’s show, which was also well attended.
Additionally, Coverings has partnered with six different women’s organizations in the tile and stone industry to create a new GirlThe Vanize Women’s Lounge, open to all, was used for association events, meetups and more. The space featured floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lounge, comfortable tables and seating for networking, a bar and a small library for book exchanges.
“It was a wonderful, inclusive space to connect and collaborate, which we will definitely do again,” Rich said.
GWCC and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, which Rich said “went above and beyond,” helped facilitate new strategic partnerships for the show, including with the Georgia Building Trades Academy (GABTA), which brought its students to the event. GABTA joined students from other area technical colleges at Coverings, in coordination with another new Coverings partner, the Floor Covering Education Foundation.
“It was truly phenomenal to see how engaged the students were at Coverings. They represent the future of the industry and will help ensure that tile and stone retailers and distributors, installation contractors and construction companies survive and thrive for years to come,” Rich said.
Related. Sustainability is the theme of this year’s world exhibitions Day
Earth Day Activations
Coverings 2024 kicked off on Earth Day and ran through Earth Week.
The event disseminated “green tips” through digital displays and emails, while GWCC helped facilitate donation programs with Habitat for Humanity, Scraplanta and other local charities. Mosaic artist David Arnott also used leftover tiles from the exhibit’s move-in to create an Earth mosaic.
Coverings partnered with Clean the World for an Earth Day hygiene kit-making event, and 1,000 kits were donated to a local Atlanta charity. Additionally, during online registration, participants could select one of six charities, including Earthday.org, to which Coverings would donate $10 on their behalf as part of the new Coverings Cares program, which raised more than $50,000 this year.
Coatings 2025
Coverings 2025 will be held in Orlando from April 29 to May 2.
“I think the international numbers will be just as strong,” Rich shared, adding that the selection of on-site spaces for 2025 at Coverings 2024 was “a huge success… (and) that’s always a good sign.”
Contact Jamie Rich at jrich@taffyevents.com