Stone Industry Trade Shows 2026: TISE, Coverings, Stone+Tec
If you run a stoneworks shop and you have never been to a real trade show, you are paying for it in slow growth and outdated equipment. Trade shows are where new tools get demoed, new slab lines get launched, distributor relationships get cemented, and the conversations that move a shop from $1 million to $5 million revenue actually happen.
This guide covers the 2026 trade show calendar, what each show is for, who should go to which one, and how to actually get value out of the days you spend on the floor.
This article sits in the Stoneworks Industry Knowledge cluster of the Complete Guide to Countertop Fabrication.
The Four Shows That Matter In 2026
There are dozens of stone and surfacing events around the world. For US fabricators, four matter most.
TISE: The International Surface Event
When: January 27 to 30, 2026 Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas Attendance: 17,000+ industry professionals across surfaces (tile, stone, flooring) Cost: Free expo pass if registered early, $99 to $199 at the door. Education sessions $295 to $1,295.
TISE is the largest North American surfaces event. It combines Surfaces (flooring), StonExpo, and TileExpo into one floor. About 35 to 45 percent of the exhibits are stone-relevant.
Who should go: Every US stoneworks shop owner should be at TISE at least every other year. The combination of slab distributors, equipment vendors, and quoting and shop management software vendors in one room is the most efficient way to compress months of vendor research into three days.
What to do there:
- Walk the slab distributor booths (MSI, Daltile, Arizona Tile, Cosentino, Caesarstone)
- Demo the latest CNC and bridge saw equipment (Park Industries, Northwood, GMM, Breton)
- Demo templating tools (Prodim, Laser Products, ETemplate)
- Sit through 2 to 3 education sessions on shop business, marketing, or compliance
- Hit the StonExpo Awards reception for the relationship building
Coverings
When: April 21 to 24, 2026 Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando Attendance: 23,000+ across stone, tile, and stone-adjacent Cost: Free expo pass with early registration, conference sessions $50 to $895.
Coverings leans more tile than stone, but the stone presence is real and the international quarry exhibitors are stronger than at TISE. If you import natural stone directly or want to, Coverings is the show.
Who should go: Shops sourcing premium natural stone directly from quarries, shops planning to add unique slab lines, and any owner who wants to see the global supply chain in one room. Brazilian, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, and Indian stone exhibitors are all heavily represented.
What to do there:
- Spend a full day with the Brazilian and Italian quarry pavilions
- Meet importers and consider direct container relationships
- See the Coverings Rock Stars, the under-40 industry awards program
- Walk the design-focused tile booths for inspiration on edge profiles and finishes
Stone+Tec Nuremberg
When: Late June 2026, dates to confirm with Nuremberg Messe Where: Messe Nuremberg, Germany Attendance: 20,000+ international Cost: EUR 32 day pass, EUR 76 multi-day, plus travel.
Stone+Tec is the European stone fair. It runs every two years in Nuremberg. The 2024 edition drew exhibitors from 50 plus countries. The next edition is 2026.
Who should go: US owners considering European equipment, European slab sourcing, or any shop owner who wants to see what the global state of the art looks like. Italian and German equipment manufacturers debut new lines here before they come to the US.
What to do there:
- Demo Breton, GMM, Donatoni, Pedrini, and Intermac equipment in person
- Walk the Italian Carrara marble exhibitors
- See the World Stone Congress sessions for industry trends
- Plan 4 to 5 days including a day trip to a Carrara or German quarry if possible
Marmomac Verona
When: Late September 2026, dates to confirm Where: Verona Exhibition Centre, Italy Attendance: 50,000+ across 60 plus countries Cost: EUR 25 to 50 day pass plus travel.
Marmomac is the world's largest stone-only trade fair. It is held annually in Verona. If you only ever go to one European show, this is it.
Who should go: Shop owners who want to see everything stone in one place. Equipment, slabs, hand tools, design, art installations, and the largest concentration of Italian quarry exhibitors anywhere.
What to do there:
- Walk the Italian quarry pavilions, almost every major Italian quarry exhibits
- See the design and architecture installations
- Sit through The Plus Theatre sessions on design trends
- Plan a day trip to Carrara, two hours away by car
Regional And Smaller Shows Worth Mentioning
KBIS, Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. February 17 to 19, 2026 in Las Vegas. Not stone-specific but the kitchen and bath designers who specify countertops are all there. Worth a day if you are a designer-direct shop.
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Try the free Waste CalculatorIBS, International Builders Show. Co-located with KBIS in 2026. Worth a day for builder-direct shops.
Stone Industry Education, Regional Workshops. The Natural Stone Institute runs regional education events through the year. Smaller, more practical, often more useful for the working shop owner than the big trade shows.
Architectural Digest Design Show, NYC. Spring event. Designer-focused. Worth attending for shops courting high-end designers in the Northeast.
Cersaie Bologna. September 2026. Tile-heavy with stone component. Skip unless tile is a real part of your business.
The Trade Show Calendar At A Glance
Setting the full annual calendar in one place for planning purposes:
- January 27-30, 2026: TISE, Las Vegas
- February 17-19, 2026: KBIS and IBS, Las Vegas (co-located)
- April 21-24, 2026: Coverings, Orlando
- Late June 2026: Stone+Tec, Nuremberg, Germany
- Late September 2026: Marmomac, Verona, Italy
- September 2026: Cersaie, Bologna, Italy (tile-leaning)
- Quarterly: NSI regional workshops, varies by region
- Quarterly: ISFA chapter meetings, varies by region
A shop owner serious about staying current attends 2 to 4 of these annually. The exact mix depends on whether the shop is residential, commercial, designer-direct, or builder-direct.
How To Actually Get Value Out Of A Trade Show
Most shop owners who attend trade shows walk away with a tote bag and a hangover. The ones who get $50,000 to $500,000 in ROI on the trip do specific things.
Before you go.
- Map the floor. Identify 8 to 15 booths you must visit.
- Set 4 to 6 specific objectives. Not vague ones. Real ones.
- Schedule meetings with 2 to 4 vendors in advance.
- Block 1 to 2 dinners with peers you already know.
At the show.
- Walk the floor with a notebook, not just a phone. Write down booth numbers and decisions.
- Spend 20 minutes minimum at the booths that matter. Quick walk-throughs waste the trip.
- Attend at least one education session that targets a problem you have right now.
- Ask vendors for the show price. Show pricing is almost always 5 to 15 percent better than list.
After the show.
- Follow up with every vendor inside 7 days. The vendor that follows up first wins your business.
- Debrief with your team. Share what you saw. Decide what changes you are making.
- Block a 30-day implementation window for one specific change.
The shops that systematically extract value from trade shows usually run 20 to 35 percent ahead of shops that do not on the strategic decisions that matter.
What A Trade Show Trip Actually Costs
Real numbers for a US owner attending TISE for the standard three-day stretch.
- Registration: free to $295 for expo plus 2 education sessions
- Flight: $250 to $700 depending on origin
- Hotel: $200 to $400 per night, 4 nights
- Meals and incidentals: $400 to $800
- Total: $1,800 to $3,500 for one owner
Add a second person and the total runs $3,500 to $6,500. The annual stone industry trade show line in a healthy shop budget runs $4,000 to $15,000 depending on how many shows the team attends.
The ROI math is straightforward. One equipment decision a year that costs 8 percent less because of a show price covers the trip. One software switch that saves 10 hours of admin per week covers the trip several times over.
Networking And Industry Associations
The trade shows are where you meet the people. The associations are where you stay connected the rest of the year.
Natural Stone Institute (NSI). Membership $400 to $2,500 a year. The most active US stone industry association. Provides safety training, technical bulletins, the Marble Institute accreditation program, and regional events.
International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA). Membership tiered, $300 to $1,800. Focused on fabricators specifically. Strong technical content, magazine, regional chapters.
Stone Federation Great Britain. UK-focused but useful for owners doing premium architectural work.
The combined membership cost is modest. The relationships and education are real.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TISE worth going to every year?
For most US shop owners, every other year is sufficient. Larger shops with multiple decision makers send people every year. Smaller shops alternate between TISE and Coverings.
What is the best trade show for a brand new shop?
TISE. The combination of equipment, slab vendors, and software in one room is the most efficient introduction to the industry for a new owner.
Do I need to attend international shows?
Not required, but Marmomac and Stone+Tec are worth one trip in any owner's career. The exposure to global equipment and slab sourcing is hard to replicate.
How do I justify the trade show budget to my partner or accountant?
Equipment depreciation, training, and customer relationship building. Most accountants will deduct the trip as a legitimate business expense. Consult your CPA on state-specific treatment.
Are virtual stone industry events worth it?
The 2020 to 2022 wave of virtual events mostly underperformed. As of 2026, virtual sessions are useful for education content but the relationship-building that makes trade shows worthwhile only happens in person.
Which show has the best slab selection on display?
Marmomac in Verona by a wide margin. Coverings in Orlando is second for international stone, TISE for North American distributor presence.
Related Reading
The cluster hub on Stoneworks Industry Knowledge anchors the broader industry view. The Complete Guide to Countertop Fabrication connects every cluster.
Inside this cluster, related reading worth your time:
- What Is Stoneworks? The Stone Fabrication Industry Explained
- Stoneworks Career Path: How Shop Owners Build Million-Dollar Businesses
From adjacent clusters:
Stone fabrication generates respirable crystalline silica dust. Shops must follow OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 standards, which set a permissible exposure limit of 50 μg/m³ over an 8-hour shift. Wet-cutting methods, ventilation, and respiratory protection are not optional.