NATURAL STONE SHOW 2019

CO-LOCATED EXHIBITION: HARD SURFACES 2019
30 April – 2 May 2019, ExCeL, London
Celebrating 25 years – The UK Stone Industry Event

Sharing its 25th anniversary, the Natural Stone Show is the only UK exhibition dedicated to the Natural Stone industry. Serving both the trade and specifiers, it features over 200 exhibitors showcasing everything from machinery and tooling to natural stone and finished products. The show also features a free-to-attend conference programme.

WHO EXHIBITS

Exhibitors at the Natural Stone Show provide a full range of products and services for the industry; from the finished natural stone product, to the machinery, tools and consumables that created it. Alongside this, our exhibitors also include consultancy and design services, along with major industry associations in conservation and restoration.
Products
Granite, Limestone, Marble, Sandstone, Slate, Travertine.
Used as
Cladding, Flooring, Hard landscaping, Interiors; kitchens / wet rooms / bathrooms / fireplaces, Memorials, Roofing, Restoration, Sculpture, Tiles.
Processing
Machinery ranges include: Primary, bench and bridge saws, CNC work centres, Polishers and engravers, Diamond tooling for cutting, shaping and polishing.
Along with finishing products for: Fixing, Sealing, Adhesion, Grouting, Cleaning.
Services
Alongside products and equipment, exhibitors also include those offering specialist services including: Consultancy, Interior Design, Restoration, Conservation.

WHO VISITS

The Natural Stone Show attracts thousands of visitors from the natural stone industry, from stonemasons, wholesalers, quarry operators and retailers, to architects, interior designers, conservationists, contractors and developers.
These key decision-makers represent the UK stone industry and the customers that it provides for. They promote and demonstrate the strength of the natural stone industry within construction, hard landscaping, interior design and conservation.
Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the show has established a core visitor profile which will be enhance by the show’s co-location with Hard Surfaces, widening the visitor profile and offering further opportunity to promote the use of natural stone.
Visitors are involved in:
• Architectural & design practices
• Building consultancies, contractors & build firms
• Buyers from major retailers and hotel chains
• Restoration, conservation and heritage specialists

EDUCATION
Architects’ & Designers’ Day, Tuesday 30 April 2019
Stone, Water & Light – Exploring the conceptual advantages of stone design

The one-day workshop from CPD providers network members Veronafiere/Marmo+Mac will be run in conjunction with the Natural Stone Show and will be hosted by international stone consultant Vincent Marazita. It will focus exclusively on the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the most timeless hard surface available – natural stone. Providing an invaluable insight for building professionals through a wide range of case studies, the workshop explores the conceptual advantages of stone design. More than five hours of CPD seminars will cover themes including:
• Stone’s natural adaptability with light and water
• The unparalleled versatility of stone with its choice of finishes
• The outcomes that only stone can deliver through the integration of 2D and 3D design
• Stone’s unique role in preserving the historical context whilst creating modern solutions
• Achieving environmental goals with stone design by maximising its low carbon footprint

Industry Day, Tuesday 30 April – Wednesday 1 May – Thursday 2 May

The 2019 Industry Day programme is organised in conjunction with Stone Federation Great Britain.
Sessions will take place every day on the Stone Federation Stand within the Natural Stone Show (Stand E30).
The latest industry initiatives being championed by the Stone Federation will be discussed. Including the Ethical Stone Register, guidance for the use of natural stone in swimming pools and Health & Safety in stone working.

STONE FEDERATION VILLAGE

Stone Federation Village will return to its prime position at the centre of the exhibition for 2019. The Village celebrates the renaissance in British stone that has taken place over the last 20 years and features the UK’s premier stone producers, consultancies and masonry companies that are supporting it.
Visitors to the village can engage with a series of live demonstrations showcasing the stonemasonry skills which the Federation does so much to champion, as well as review a number of training initiatives from affiliated colleges. Q&A sessions on the latest legislation will take place throughout the show and tackle subjects such as CE Marking and sustainability.
Additionally, a dedicated helpdesk, hosted by the Stone Federation Great Britain, will provide architects, designers and developers, builders and the stone industry itself with guidance on all aspects of stone selection, fixing and maintenance.

THE UK NATURAL STONES MARKET

Held at ExCeL, in East London’s Royal Docks, the area around the Show is set to be Europe’s largest construction zone over the next decade. Major commercial, residential and retail projects recently approved include the £1.5 billion deal to transform Silvertown Quays into London’s innovation quarter; the £6 billion investment to convert Royal Albert Dock into the capital’s next business district; and the creation of the UK’s largest floating village at Royal Victoria Dock. But that is just the backdrop for the Natural Stone Show. It is not just in London that construction is booming. It is all over the country. British construction companies had their best year in a decade for building new homes in 2017 and the outlook for 2018 is even better with six per cent growth anticipated.

Infrastructure investments, including the much-anticipated HS2 high-speed train line, have led developers to be more bullish outside the capital and seize the opportunity to significantly refurbish and redevelop existing stock.

Birmingham has record-levels of development across the city centre as confidence in its commercial property market, in particular, remains buoyant. There were 24 new starts breaking ground in 2017, including four new office schemes adding to the city’s office development pipeline of 130,064m², with 49% of space under construction already let. Developments such as Snowhill, Devo 2 and building and renovation work associated with the 2022 Commonwealth Games give investors confidence. There were 13 new residential schemes started in 2017, up 30% on 2016. Hotel occupation rates remain high at 75% even though Birmingham saw 334 new hotel rooms added in 2017. One of the most exciting prospects yet to come is Smithfield, which will provide 300,000m² of mixed commercial space and 2,000 new homes. A project called New Monaco will add another 1,000 apartments.

THE UK NATURAL STONES MARKET

Manchester is another example. It is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities. In 2017 there were 20 new residential schemes started. The 11,135 homes currently being developed represent the third year of sustained growth for the region. There are six new major office developments, bringing the total office space currently under construction to more than 150,000m². This includes Circle Square (52,000m² from two buildings) and Landmark (17,000m²), both started in 2017, when 95,000m² of new office space was completed – 75% more than in 2016 – with 91,000m² of it already let by the end of the third quarter. More people need more facilities, and Manchester also saw 6,000m² of new retail and leisure space delivered in 2017 with much more under construction.

The story is the same across the UK. The economy is robust and entrepreneurial. The business start-up revolution shows no sign of ending. In 2016 nearly 660,000 companies were established, up from 608,000 in 2015. It looks as if even that record was broken again in 2017. Only the USA rivals the UK for business start-ups. The UK is open for business. And all those businesses are looking for opportunities.

WHY ExCeL LONDON ?

ExCeL is located in East London’s Royal Docks, The area around the Show set to be Europe’s largest construction zone over the next decade with major commercial, residential and retail projects already underway and set to transform it into the capital’s next business district. These include the £1.5 billion deal to transform Silvertown Quays into London’s innovation quarter; the £6 billion investment to convert Royal Albert Dock into the capital’s next business district; and the creation of the UK’s largest floating village at Royal Victoria Dock.

The Royal Docks sits within an ‘arc of opportunity’, an area running from Stratford down the River Lea to the Thames that has £22 billion of further development potential. This provides the perfect shop window for exhibitors at the Natural Stone Show to showcase their products and services.

CO-LOCATED EXHIBITION: HARD SURFACES 2019
MaterialDistrict presents: Innovation Meets Design

During The Natural Stone Show 2019 at ExCeL London (30 April-2 May), you can enjoy a MaterialDistrict feature exploring the theme of Innovation Meets Design. Honing in on ground-breaking hard materials for architecture and design, MaterialDistrict has created a 200m² curated experience of 136 international surfaces. Unexpected performance and innovative aesthetics will be found in materials featured for their light weight, their recycled content, their durability and other distinct properties and visual appeal. These are surfaces you might never have seen before to excite and inspire you.

The development of hard materials is all about new surfaces, sustainable challenges, and creative digital techniques for smarter ways to add that wow-factor to construction. What are the latest developments? As well as those materials already familiar to the sector such as sintered, solid surfaces and quartz, how about cast basalt, industrial metallic finishes, spandrel glass, acoustic lightweight concrete, curvy natural stone paper or 3D printed structural support beams.

MaterialDistrict has selected 136 materials to highlight products such as recycled trash terrazzo, translucent materials, others that absorb CO², smart composites – even one combining stone with wood – water-absorbing tiles and much more.

About MaterialDistrict

MaterialDistrict (formerly Materia) is the world’s leading match-making platform in the field of innovative materials. MaterialDistrict’s value as a high-end materials inspiration source is clear: 150.000+ R&D- and design professionals of all industries are using our platform to discover new material solutions. Daily via MaterialDistrict.com, annually at MaterialDistrict Rotterdam and periodically throughout the year with travelling MaterialDistrict Expos, MaterialDistrict Talks and MaterialDistrict Pop-Up events.
As the world’s leading network in the field of innovative materials, MaterialDistrict empowers global innovation by match-making material needs with material solutions. With six market sector categories – ‘Architecture’, ‘Interiors’, ‘Apparel & Textiles’, ‘Urban & Landscapes’, ‘Products’, and ‘Sign & Print’ – the MaterialDistrict network encourages joint innovation towards a better, more sustainable and higher quality society.

EXHIBITS ON DISPLAY

Hard Surfaces 2019 will present a wide range of exhibits covering the sectors:
• Ultra-Compact Surfaces
• Solid Surfaces
• Engineered Quartz
• Ceramic & Porcelain
• Terrazzo, Concrete & Mosaics
• Glass & Metal

EDUCATION

In addition to the conferences: Architects’ & Designers’ Day (30 April 2019) and Industry Day (30 April, 1 May, 2 May), there will be on more conference related to Hard Surfaces 2019, the Surface Trends.

Surface Trends, Thursday 2 May 2019

Which new products and designs are set to wow the UK market as we move towards a new decade? The Cersaie and Cevisama shows are always good barometers of the latest innovation emerging from the cutting edge European ceramic and porcelain industry. Themes likely to filter through to the UK interiors sector include seamless design. Produced by Italian manufacturers like Cotto d’Este, these products give designers the ability to create seamless surfaces. From large, ultra-thin porcelain tile panels and mesh-mounted mosaics to patterns that traverse a single tile’s dimensions, seamless products are only likely to get more popular.

Textures through a plethora of variations are also prevalent on the latest tile collections. Leather, tweed, tartan, lace and other fabrics, whether woven, layered, knitted or knotted add another tactile element to the hard surface. Retro continues to reinvent itself as manufacturers borrow from the past for new inspiration. The graphic appeal of maiolica and cementine has long been drawn upon, but now other historic movements such as the simple elegance of art deco and the hues of the Memphis design movement have also entered the fray. Blue is back in vogue including a wide palette of vibrant and sophisticated shades from dark ivory to ultramarine blue.

ORGANIZERS

The Natural Stone Show is organised by The QMJ Group Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales number: 198656

VENUE

ExCeL LONDON

ExCeL LONDON
ExCeL is the UK’s premier exhibition venue hosting eight of London’s top 10 trade events and located within two hours’ drive of half of the visitors that register for any trade show in the UK.
Located on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway), the Custom House Station is only a few minutes walk from the entrance and, with London City Airport just 2 miles away, the venue is ideally located for local and international travel.