Feria Valencia’s New Convention Center


Azuvi’s Calella porcelain tile series features different coloration throughout the body of each tile. Callela achieves a perfect replica of old-time, hand-molded terracotta.
Cevisama 2005 to Draw Record Number of International Exhibitors
Cevisama, Spain's premier ceramic tile show, which will take place in Valencia February 8-12, 2005, has evolved into a truly world class event. In 2004, over 86,000 industry professionals attended, including more than 10,000 international visitors from 144 different countries.

Now in its 23rd year, the show is expected to draw even more exhibitors than in 2003, the most recent comparative year, when 1139 companies participated (Cevisama includes a machinery exhibit in even-numbered years). More than twenty percent of the exhibitors at Cevisama ‘05 will be from countries other than Spain. This demonstrates the respect that the event has gained, internationally, as a promotional platform for manufacturers of ceramic tile, sanitary ware, bathroom fittings, raw materials, glazes and production equipment.



Keraben’s Habitat is a coordinating wall and floor tile series featuring a satin finish with an urban look. The floor tile is produced in both a 13-by-13–inch white body tile and in a 16-by-16-inch glazed porcelain tile. The wall tile is available in a variety of different sizes (4-by-4, 4 1/2 -by-13, 9-by-13 and 13-by-24 inches). Habitat comes in white, cream, mocha, gray or black.
The much-anticipated venue for the upcoming event will be a brand new, well-designed Convention Center with 2.4 million sq. ft. of space, of which Cevisama ‘05 will occupy 1.8 million sq. ft. In addition to a very efficient floor plan, the state-of-the-art facility also offers many amenities to visitors and exhibitors, including wireless high-speed Internet connections and a wide range of hospitality areas covering more than 100,000 sq. ft. Already, the new Convention Center is recognized as one of the most modern exhibition centers throughout Europe.



Pamesa’s large format porcelain tile Nimba
As always, the main feature of the show will be the ceramic tile industry, which will occupy more than 50 percent of the available exhibit space. The next largest group of exhibitors being the manufacturers of kitchen and bath fixtures and furnishings. This group, having grown more than any other sector in the last two years, will occupy 20 percent of the exhibition space. For more information on Cevisama, visit the show's website at www.feriavalencia.com/cevisama.



Azuvi’s large wall tile Novelda
Large Format Tile, a Very Versatile Product
Until a few years ago, floor and wall tiles over the traditional 12- and 16-inch sizes were not easy to find. Today, however, Spain's tile manufacturers have made great strides and large formats are among the most attractive and most popular products in their repertoires. Equally as important, large format tiles are now standard items in most flooring retailers, whether they are tile specialists or not, proving that the tile industry is striving to satisfy consumer needs while offering versatile options in wall and floor covering materials.



Porcelanosa’s Roble replicates large wood planks.
In meeting this demand, the industry has invested heavily in research and development and, as a result, the selection of large format tiles is quite extensive and even includes attractive decorative tiles that are over three feet long. This size, produced primarily in porcelain stoneware, further demonstrates that the Spanish tile industry is at the cutting edge of large format tile production.



Nantes by Gaya Fores is a large, rectified, wall tile series.
An Ever-expanding Product Offering
The demand for large format tiles has not slowed down since they first appeared on the market and the industry has been striving, all along, to further innovate the product. While large format tiles are, on one hand, a challenge for manufacturers, they also represent an enhancement of a company's product offerings. Customers, who more often rate a product by factors other than technical properties, really appreciate the aesthetic attributes of the larger formats and their ability to create spaces that appear to be both lighter and larger than they really are.



Tau’s Nagy, an elegant large format tile for walls and floors
Specialists and designers who like to experiment with ceramic tile layouts are also fond of the larger formats. Architects, interior designers and urban landscapists, everywhere, are all discovering new creative potential as well as design solutions for their projects. Many manufacturers are already offering ceramic floor and wall tiles in large "calibrated" formats with dimensions that have been standardized with those of natural stone. This technical accommodation coupled with the demand for tile replicas of marble, granite, travertine, natural stone, wood, textiles and even leather and metal, have expanded the design potential enormously. The growing use of large formats has also led to a shift in opinion regarding the traditional concept that tiled surfaces are characteristically spoiled by an abundance of joints and seams. Large formats introduce a new-found ability to create immense wall or floor spaces that appear to be almost seamless.



Fewer Joints, More Illusion of Space
End users, architects and designers all acknowledge the technical and aesthetic properties of large format tiles, acknowledging both its aesthetic value and the advantages it affords in terms of maintenance and cleaning.

Conversely, consumers have been reluctant to use large formats for applications where the tile was in its "natural habitat", in kitchens and bathrooms. This prejudice is both restrictive and no longer valid since large format tiles are suitable both technically and aesthetically for any space, just like any other type of tile. Additionally, from a purely aesthetic point of view, the prejudice that large format tiles are for large spaces and small format tiles are better for small spaces is equally misguided. Tiling small spaces with large size tiles, thus keeping the number of joints and tiles to an absolute minimum, actually lends the space a larger perspective, proving that large formats are effective on technical, aesthetic and spatial levels.

For more information on the ceramic tile industry of Spain, call Tile of Spain Center at (305) 446-4387, or visit www.spaintiles.info.