Welcome to the NFT/FCI Virtual Trade Show Coverage of Coverings 2001, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in North America. For the next three days, NFT will be bringing you images and information from the show floor and ancillary events as they occur.

With locations in the United States, Asia and Europe, 24 Hour Fitness is one of the largest chains of health and fitness centers in the world. The company has grown exponentially since its 1983 launch as a single 5,000-square-foot facility in San Leandro, Calif.

There are a number of benefits to be reaped by attending an exhibition the size and scale of Coverings 2001 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, May 21-23. The largest international tile and stone exhibition in the western hemisphere offers attendees the chance to network, forge new relationships and explore new markets, all while taking in the charms of one of America's most eclectic cities and sampling some of the South's more exquisite culinary delights.

Cevisama 2001 celebrated its 19th year in the pavilions of the Feria Valencia in Valencia, Spain, Feb. 27-March 3. The international exhibition of ceramics and surface facings for the building industry traditionally attracts a diverse selection of exhibitors, and this year was no exception.

Two years ago, in accordance with its increase in the amount of editorial coverage devoted to ceramic tile and natural stone, NFT initiated a market study to examine the impact that ceramic tile was having on the U.S. floor covering industry. The results showed ceramic tile ranking a surprising third in U.S. flooring sales, trailing only carpet/area rugs and vinyl floors, respectively.

The doors to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans open May 21-23 for the Coverings International Trade Show and Exhibition, an event that has forged a reputation as the largest and most diverse trade showcase in the Western Hemisphere for the ceramic tile and stone industry.

The floor covering retailer of the latest century faces the same challenge as his counterpart in the last: How to attract consumers, then keep them coming back for more. And while better customer service, more pricing options, and a keener ear for consumer concerns and needs helped unlock the doors for many new entrepreneurs, the key to keeping those doors open may lie in expanding product lines past the traditional and into the additional.

As the dates for Surfaces -- the largest tradeshow in the floor covering business -- draw near, the annual anticipation that attendees feel is not based entirely on the prospect of enthusiastic wheeling and dealing across the more-than 470,000 square feet of exhibition space. Their excitement is also fanned by the prospect of sharing in the latest educational developments and technical innovations available to the industry.

They came, they tested and now they’re installing. Having completed a comprehensive written examination of their technical knowledge on Wednesday, a group of the nation’s top installers today went to the mat -- or, more accurately, to the floor –- to demonstrate before a crowd of Surfaces attendees the skills that make them the industry’s elite.

The ceramic tile and laminate floor product categories stepped into the spotlight during the Surfaces 2001 Conference Program’s Thursday morning seminar presentations.