Networking, Learning Opportunities at Coverings’ Appreciation Days
Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America, begins tomorrow (Tuesday, April 4 through Friday, April 7), so now is the perfect time to schedule exhibitors you’ll visit, educational sessions you’ll attend, and most importantly, network with your tile industry peers.
With that, the organizers of Coverings have planned segment-focused Appreciation Days that provide enhanced learning and networking opportunities for builders, remodelers, architects, designers, contractors, and fabricators. While programming for all groups will be held throughout the duration of Coverings, Appreciation Days are designed to feature tailored guided tours of the show floor, lunch, focused education sessions, and more.
Appreciation Days Schedule
Tuesday, April 4: Builder & Remodeler Day will kick off with a conference session at 8 a.m. entitled “Critical Changes to Industry Standards, Guidelines and Best Practices” led by Eric Astrachan, executive director of Tile Council of North America. At 11 a.m. the Builder & Remodeler tour of the exhibit floor, hosted by personalities Dean and Derek, followed by a roundtable discussion during lunch “Bringing the Indoors Out and Show Floor Trends”, in the Appreciation Lounge. Other sessions for builders and remodelers on this day include “Trends in Tile: Moving Forward”, “New Directions for Gauged (formerly Thin) Porcelain Tile”, “Connecting Actual Job Costs Back to Estimating” and “Paying for Performance or Just Paying”.
Wednesday, April 5: Architect & Designer Day, will feature several notable sessions including “Contract Magazine Presents: A Fireside Chat with John Czarnecki and Todd-Avery Lenahan” “Coastal Resilience – Rethinking Design for Extreme Weather Conditions,” and “Raise Your Profile: The Ins and Outs of Being a Brand Ambassador.” The first will feature Contract magazine’s editor in chief, John Czarnecki and industry leader Todd-Avery Lenahan in an intimate conversation about the business and power of design. The second session, presented by Architectural Record, will feature the magazine’s senior editor, Joann Gonchar, as well as architectural and urban designer, Ramiro Diaz, LEED AP. The third will feature three panelists discussing how they represent brands through publicity, social media and live events. Participants include founder and creative director of Kim Lewis Designs, Kim Lewis, blogger from Cozy Stylish Chic, Jeanne Chung and Blogger and NKBA Spokesperson, Patricia Davis Brown. Starting at 11 a.m., architects and designers will be invited to participate in the trends tour, led by Coverings’ Industry Ambassador, Alena Capra. Immediately following, at 12:15 p.m., attendees can join Alena for a roundtable discussion and lunch in the Appreciation Lounge.
Wednesday, April 5 & Thursday, April 6: Contractor Days will span two days at the show. With many key sessions including “Introduction to Tile Industry Standards and How to Use Them to Your Advantage” and “How to Become a Certified Tile Installer,” Coverings has added four new contractor/installer session tracks: Contractor Advanced Business Topics; Contractor Beginner-Intermediate Topics; Thin-Tile Mini-Track; and En Español for Spanish-speaking attendees. The Contractor tour will take place on both Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. followed by a luncheon. Happy hours with fun giveaways will be offered in the afternoon.
Learn more about the 2017 Appreciation Days, as well as the comprehensive conference program by clicking here. Register to attend Coverings for free at coverings.com.