Between 7th and 10th May 2008, FERIA DE MADRID will host the staging of PIEDRA’08, the International Natural Stone Fair, which will stage its seventh edition and consolidate its role as one of the main international points of reference for the industry. Organised by IFEMA and promoted by the Spanish Natural Stone Federation (FDP), the fair will once again confirm its high level of business representation through the participation of the leading manufacturers, exporters, importers and distributors of natural stone and machinery in Spain, alongside an outstanding selection of companies from abroad. In this respect, PIEDRA has become one of the most international events staged in Spain.

The significant impact that PIEDRA has on the industry is confirmed by the results of the latest edition, at which the fair achieved the highest levels of participation and welcomed the largest number of trade visitors in the history of the event. At the last edition, PIEDRA brought together the products and services of some 936 direct exhibitors and represented companies within a net exhibition area measuring 26,267 square metres. The fair welcomed some 31,744 visitors, which represented an increase of 17% compared to the previous edition.  With regard to the international dimension of the fair, we might highlight the fact that 41% of the exhibiting companies at the last edition attended the fair from abroad and that the number of foreign buyers accounted for 11.5% of the total figure.

The next edition of the fair will take place in Halls 3, 5, 7 and 9, which offer practically the same characteristics and exhibition space as at the last edition plus the added value fact that they are located on the odd-numbered side of the fairground, which means that PIEDRA can expand with an exterior area outside Hall 5.  

The offering at PIEDRA'08 will feature all of the latest products, new features and services within the following segments: quarrying; elaboration and transformation; craftsmanship; Decoration; Design and Marketing; Stonecutting and Restoration; Stone-Laying; machinery; Adamantine Tools; Abrasives; Tools and Accessories; funerary art and management of by-products. The fair will also feature the presence of bodies and associations linked to the industry, not to mention the specialised press. This comprehensive exhibition will be of great interest to natural stone distributors, extraction companies and elaboration companies, as well as architects, builders, property developers, decorators, designers, interior decorators and all other parties who recommend the use of natural stone.

Furthermore, with a view to boosting the use of Spanish natural stone and promoting a greater awareness of its rich appeal, high quality and decorative virtues with regard to building, IFEMA and FDP will stage a new edition of the Architecture Award. This promotional tool serves the industry by highlighting the close links that exist between the products and services on show at PIEDRA and the field of architecture and building. Based on this same perspective, the Second International Congress on Stone in Architecture, an event organised by FDP, will also be staged to coincide with the fair.  

PIEDRA'08 will also take place at the same time as VETECO, the International Window, Curtain Walls and Structural Glass Trade Show. The two fairs present a significant degree of synergy in terms of their exhibitions, enabling professionals working in the fields of building and architecture to discover all of the latest technical and aesthetic solutions on the market.