I would guess the turnout at the show, which was at the World Congress Center in Atlanta for the first time (and a perfect venue for the show, I might add), was up over last year. According to the many interviews we captured, the level of excitement and optimism at the show was up as well.

But don’t take my word for it; watch some of the interviews we recorded at the show like the one with Scott Levy, the exec. VP at Arley Wholesale. Levy shares his take on the venue, the attendance and level of excitement, as well as his view of the marketplace and his expectations for growth for the remainder of this year. He outlines how he works with his retailer customers at the show to involve them in the purchasing process, and also discusses some of the new products that captured his attention – including what he calls the “new realism,” and what he feels it will likely mean for ceramic’s market share.

The buzz at the show and the biggest news to hit the ceramic industry since Mohawk’s acquisition of Daltile was Mohawk’s recent acquisition of Marazzi. In the Talkfloor.com archives you will be able to watch a video we shot at Coverings with Gianni Mattioli, president & CEO of American Marazzi, where he not only discusses this show, its traffic, its mood and its venue changes, but also the acquisition and what that will mean for both the company and the marketplace.  He also discusses business in the first quarter at the company and for the industry, and the level of optimism he has been seeing lately.

From the contractors’ point of view we talked with Nyle Wadford, president of Neuse Tile Services of Youngsville, NC, who is also the chairman of that National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA). He not only provided an excellent overview of the show but also filled us in on the various projects the NTCA is involved in, including how-to demonstrations that were taking place on the show floor.

In the archives there’s also a most interesting as well as entertaining interview with Florida Tile exec. VP of sales and marketing Massimo Barbari, a piano player extraordinaire and a must-watch interview. You’ll see Barbari in his high energy and engaging style offer his take on the show, the marketplace, and what he’s hearing from the field. He also reviews some of the products Florida Tile rolled out at the show.

Finally, a conversation you absolutely have to watch in the TalkFloor.com archives is the one with Donato Grosser, who heads D. Grosser & Associates. Grosser is an extremely knowledgeable player in the ceramic industry and in this conversation he offers his distinctive take on the show, the venue and what the market will look like for the rest of the year.

You will find many more interviews on Coverings and a wide variety of topics in both video and audio formats in the Talkfloor.com archives, including those that we just don’t have the space to talk about here. We invite you to check them out. Do get back to us with your feedback once you visit, and we also welcome your input on topics you would like us to look at in the future.

From a PR post at the CRI to communications director of the Atlanta Mart, Dave Foster launched two of the top industry websites and currently hosts his own Dalton, Ga.-based radio program, FloorRadio. davefoster@talkfloor.com.