PIEDRA 2010, the great monographic fair for the natural stone industry will hold its 8th edition in Madrid between May 5 and 8, 2010. This professional competition is organised by IFEMA and promoted by the Spanish Federation of Natural Stone (FDP).

It will present a comprehensive range of products and innovations in the industry, as well as the most recent designs and applications of natural stone in the field of construction, architecture, interior design and decoration in general.

The fair hall at IFEMA (Madrid Trade Fair Centre) will once again showcase its high business profile with the participation of the most distinguished professionals from the Spanish stone industry alongside an outstanding selection of foreign companies that consider PIEDRA as one of the most international fairs in Spain.

The last PIEDRA fair witnessed the participation of 33,509 visitors, 13.12 % of which came from 77 different countries. As for the business sphere, 768 companies took part in the last edition of the fair, 43.5 % from foreign countries. This is a trade fair that has once more seen its international standing confirmed with the distinguished presence of exhibitors and visitors from abroad.

Importance of the industry
The quality and variety of natural stone production in Spain, the investments in technology and the advancement in Research and Development conducted by businesses to bring innovations in the manufacturing of products, place this sector as one of the most competitive in the international market.

This feature has been recognized at the different editions of the PIEDRA fair and has made it one of the best letters of introduction in the field.

For the 2010 edition, the fair shall take place at pavilions 7 and 9 at IFEMA (Madrid Trade Fair Centre). The PIEDRA’10 edition will include all products, innovations, and services related to the quarrying, manufacture and transformation sectors, handcrafting, decoration, design and marketing, quarrying and restoration, stone positioning, machinery, diamond tools, abrasives, tools and accessories, funeral arts, and management of by-products, as well as the presence of organisations and associations related to the sector and specialised press representation. A complete range of interest for distributors, extractors, and manufacturers of natural stone, architects, builders, real estate promoters, decorators, draftsmen, interior designers, and other natural stone specifiers.

In addition, sensitive to the current economic situation, for the next edition of PIEDRA’10, IFEMA offers especially advantageous participation conditions for clients who confirm their attendance early. It also proposes a general rate system that is very competitive in order to support company participation in the fair, and at the same time reward fidelity to this event.

Spanish stone, a potential world power
The natural stone industry in Spain has currently positioned itself as a reference worldwide. The quantity, and more importantly, the quality of Spanish products make Spain one of the world leaders.

The richness and quality of material coming from Spanish quarries and their variety of application in decoration, architecture and construction make this sought-after material a valuable element that, in addition, enjoys great international recognition.

On the other hand, Spain, thanks to its geologic wealth, is one of the largest ornamental stones producers worldwide. Moreover, the Iberian Peninsula has a solid and leading industry with strong export capacity that distinguishes itself by its production of marble, granite, chalk, and quarry stone in a wide range of variety, texture, and quality, as well as the handling and finishing of products that meet the demands of professionals in construction and decoration.