In a plan to uphold the interest of attendees, various “who’s who” of experts have been tapped to speak at Coverings 2007, a line-up of well-knowns “quarterbacking” the ceramic and natural stone show April 17-20 in Chicago. Bernard M. Marstein, III, director of forecasting and assistant staff vp of National Association of Home Builders, heads the roster as the keynote speaker and an example of the many prominent names.

“We’re upholding our yearly commitment in bringing top speakers and high caliber programming to the show,” said Tamara Christian, CEO of National Trade Productions and Coverings show director. “We want to make sure that all of the varying interests of attendees are properly satisfied.”

With 25 years of experience in consulting, interpreting and forecasting economic and housing data, Bernard M. Markstein will provide insights on local, regional and national house trends. He will also address the future for the new housing market, its impact on ceramic tile and stone sales and, in turn, the affects on designers, architects, installers, contractors, wholesalers and retailers.

Among the one hundred other experts, Richard Meier, Leatrice Eiseman, Maxine Lauer and Heather E. Adams are scheduled to speak at the Coverings seminar series.

Awarded the Pritzker Prize for Archirecture, Richard Meier has a portfolio of residential and commercial work, dotting the landscape on nearly every continent. Leatrice Eiseman, the director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information at Pantone Color Institute, will respond to the interest in color usage and trends. Maxine Laurer, who heads her own marketing consulting firm, Sphere Trending, will reveal the trends that are influencing and driving consumer decisions. The author of three design books, Heather E. Adams will conduct an hour-long presentation called, “Designing with Stone – An Interior Design Perspective”.

For more information, visitwww.coverings.com.