Italy is preparing a new stone fair to be held next year from May, 15th until 18th: MediStone Expo, in English: The Mediterranean Natural Stone Event“, will take place in the city of Bari in the heel of Italy’s boot. As focus, it will have the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and the markets further East.

The fair is initiated by CarraraFiere, the organizer of Marmotec, based on an idea of the EffeEvents company . As reported in a newspaper article, the event shall help to promote both the whites from the North as well as thes from the South of Italy. ?Marmotec guarda ad East“ (Marmotec looks East) the article is titled.

At a press conference on September 13th, Gianfranco Viesti, president of the Bari Fair, spoke of a ?necessity to realize new trade fairs” to foster the economy, in this case the stone industry with its great importance for the Apulia (Puglia) region. Giorgio Bianchini from CarraraFiere referred to the tradition of Italy’s South ?as access to the players around the Mediterranean”.

The aim of its first issue will be to attract more than 200 exhibitors on 20.000 square meters and 10.000 visitors from Italy and foreign countries, as said in a press release. As targets of special interest for Italian stone exports were mentioned the countries from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to the North African states.

Seen from its profile, MediStone Expo seems to be meant to be, so to say, a classical stone fair. ?Marble, technology, architecture and design” appear in the header of the webpage.

For comparison: In 2011, Marmomacc in Verona had had more than 56.000 visitors and a good 1500 exhibitors. In the year before, this biggest fair in the West had counted 172.000 square meters. Marble in Izmir, Turkey, in 2012, had been attended by 57.178 visitors (1163 exhibitors on 43.923 square meters).