StonExpo East Marks First Event

ATLANTA – The inaugural StonExpo East pulled in more than 3,500 people involved in the trade during its run on March 24-27 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The show drew a total attendance of 3,688 stone professionals to see 216 exhibiting companies in over 83,000 net ft² of exhibit space.
“StonExpo East was a very good show for the Marble Institute of America,” says Gary Distelhorst, executive director of the industry trade group. “We saw many members we had not seen in quite some time and also welcomed 37 new members to our association. That alone made this show well worth our time and effort.”
“Many visitors to the MIA booth were pleased with the show and would like to see it return to the East Coast in the years to come,” Distelhorst adds.
“StonExpo East proved to be a very profitable show for us,” says George Prystash, operations manager of Marmo Machinery USA. “Our sales force secured a substantial amount of qualified leads.”
“I enjoyed seeing all the vendors we do business with all in one place,” says Connie Holder, Classic Stone Works, Linville, N.C. “It was great putting faces with the voices that we talk to every day.”
StonExpo East also drew more than 1,800 attendees to its conference program, which featured 41 sessions in five targeted tracks.
Stone LIVE!, sponsored by G & L Marble, provided attendees with a more hands-on approach to education. The live demonstrations on the show floor, offered an up-close look at stone techniques such as setting seams and top polishing, countertop installation for undermount sinks and installing, cutting and notching decorative kitchen backsplashes.