One of the most important trade meetings on the calendar of international fairs for the natural stone industry will be held in Spain in May.

The sixth edition of Piedra, the International Natural Stone Fair, organised by Ifema will be held from May 10 to 13 at the Feria De Madrid and the show promises to be its largest edition.
Over the years, Piedra has established itself as a strategic business and promotional forum, thanks to the support of the industry and the close cooperation that the fair has received from the Spanish Natural Stone Federation (FDP), says a spokesman.
“The Spanish natural stone industry holds the first place throughout the world in granite and slate quarrying and the second place, after Italy, in marble production. The country’s magnificent geological potential provides a wide variety of top-quality natural stone in numerous shades that is highly valued throughout the world,” he says.
Featuring a direct and represented participation of more than 900 companies, the show will cover 30,000 sq m of exhibition space. The previous edition of the expo received 27,002 trade visitors.
Piedra is a unique platform for analysis, promotion and exchange of experiences which, every two years, consolidates its role as a promoter of the sector and boosts the interaction between offer and supply, says the spokesman.
Piedra 2006 will showcase the complete range of Spanish geological wealth, as well as the developments taking place in quarrying, preparation and treatment processes for stone. New products from over 200 companies from the main producing countries will also be on display.
The exhibits at Piedra 2006 will be categorised around the following sectors: quarries, processing; handcrafted stone, decoration, design and marketing, stonecutting and restoration; stone-laying;  machinery; adamantine tools; abrasives, tools and accessories; and the management of by-products.
Other participants at Piedra will include the major organisations and associations from the industry.