For the first time, Brasil was the host country for the World Ceramic Tile Manufacturers forum, which was held Nov. 8-11 in Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina state. Organized by Anfacer, the National Association of Ceramic Tile Producers in Brazil, the forum brought together representatives from the main associations from Japan, Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and United States. During the forum, they discussed points such as: the international ceramic tile trade and trends in the world of ceramic products.

"The exchange of points of view and opinions among people from all continents allows us to follow the movements of the market and to know in depth the performance of the ceramic industries in the main countries and its position worldwide," states Antonio Carlos Kieling, CEO of Anfacer. The representatives also made a visit to the Portobello factory, located in Tijucas, which is also in Santa Catarina state.

Revestir has official launch

Revestir 2005 was officially launched by Anfacer, in a meeting with the exhibitors, suppliers and the international press; the meeting was held Nov.18. During the presentation the director of the fair, Carlos Henrique Paes de Barros, pointed out the focus of the fair, which will emphasize being a place to do business. Barros also emphasized the variety of products that will be at Revestir, an idea which follows the concept of Coverings: "Revestir is a fair for all kind of covering materials, from ceramic tile to laminates." Another highlight is the presence of 18 companies coming from Turkey, mainly from the stone and granite sector. Anfacer expects to attract 30,000 visitors to Revestir 2005, due to the fact that the fair will be held in the same week as Feicon. Both fairs will be held in the second week of March 2005 in São Paulo.

Revestir to utilize D'marketing tool

Revestir is innovating in the administration concept of fairs. All the contacts and relationships of the exhibitors and visitors of the fair will be done through the Internet. D'Marketing is a tool that will send customized newsletters and other communication materials from the fair, such as invitations.

"Revestir is the first business fair to develop such a tool to manage the relationship among 500 companies and 70,000 professionals of the market," states Carlos Henrique Paes de Barros, director of Revestir.