Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America, has released the schedule of 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. Coverings 2017 will be held in Orlando, FL, from April 4th to 7th at the Orange County Convention Center.

“The tile and stone industry is built on the talent, dedication and hard work of its professionals, and we’re pleased to celebrate each trade segment with Appreciation Days,” said Jennifer Hoff, president of Taffy Event Strategies. “We hope that every attendee takes advantage of all of the education and relationship-building opportunities, making the most of the Coverings experience.”

Dates and programming highlights for the 2017 Appreciation Days are as follows:

Tuesday, April 4th: 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, will commence. Participants will see the latest in tile, stone and installation materials from around the world. After the tour, Dean and Derek will lead the 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 5th: 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 Capra for a roundtable discussion and lunch in the Appreciation Lounge.

Wednesday, April 5th to Thursday, April 6th: 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 in the Contractor Lounge. Happy hours with fun giveaways will be offered in the afternoon.

Friday, April 7th: Fabricator Day will commence with the session “Don’t Get Caught Doing What Worked Yesterday When Customers are Obsessed With What They Want Tomorrow” featuring James Dion, president and owner of Dionco Inc. focusing on what the new consumer’s expectations are and how to exceed them. The Fabricator Tour will begin at 11 a.m., highlighting new and innovative products from the marketplace. Immediately following will be the fabricator luncheon and roundtable discussion on building a culture and diversifying a business, at noon.

For more information, visit coverings.com.