Dallas—Hanley Wood Exhibitions reports that The International Surface Event East (TISE East) posted excellent results in its first year, with 185 exhibiting companies covering over 50,000 square feet of booths and displays. The event, held Oct. 19-22 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, drew attendees and exhibitors from over 50 countries, a strong indicator of the industry’s need for an East Coast buying event. Local attendance was solid, with participating business owners from more than 30 cities in the surrounding Miami areas.
“The International Surface Event East attracted a completely new audience, compared to our sister event in Las Vegas. It translated into new business for our exhibitors,” said Dana Teague, vice president of Hanley Wood Exhibitions. “Our goal from the very beginning was to create a unique trade show experience that allowed attendees to take full advantage of educational offerings, certifications and networking, in addition to the exhibits and buying opportunities.”
The show attracted global audience, including buyers from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Twenty-six percent of registered attendees had never attended TISE in Las Vegas, further demonstrating the necessity for a regional floor covering, stone and tile industry event in both residential and commercial design and construction markets.
Exhibitors presented and demonstrated a wide range of products, sold tools and machinery and were able to use the event to launch new brands before the end of the business year. With orders placed and new connections made, exhibitors are able to get a head start over their competition for 2015.
“Overall, we are very happy with the results of TISE East,” commented Teague. “We believe that a solid foundation was established for our East Coast event and we’re already planning for a bigger, better 2015 showing.”