National Trade Productions (NTP), which manages and produces the Coverings tile and stone exhibition, has announced that the annual show will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2011. The 2010 edition (set for April 27-30) is scheduled at the familiar Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

NTP calls the move westward to Los Angeles strategic. “Orlando is practically home base for Coverings,” said Jennifer Hoff, president of events for NTP. “It will be our 11th year there, and it has a proven track record for us. We know it can accommodate the size and scope of the show, is accessible for both domestic and international travelers, and is in a core region for tile and stone business. But, for several years Coverings has had its eye on the West Coast since it, too, is a critical tile and stone market. Though there’s been an aggressive outreach to build attendance from this area, it’s time to be even more targeted. So, we’re going to take the show to the proverbial mountain.”

“The inaugural Coverings exposition was staged 21 years ago in Los Angeles and returned there — or, at least nearby (Anaheim) — two additional times in its early past,” noted NTP. Chicago, which most recently was the scene for Coverings this past year and in 2007, yielded its share of advantages, including a spike in attendance among architects and designers. It also helped nudge the show a little closer to its West Coast goal. According to Hoff, “We hope to return to the Windy City in the future, but Los Angeles will enable Coverings to tap into the potential that the Pacific Coast offers.”

Coverings is sponsored by ASCER (Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain), Confindustria Ceramica (Italian Association of Ceramics), Tile Council of North America (TCNA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA).

For more information on exhibiting at Coverings 2010, visit www.coverings.com or contact NTP at (703) 683-8500.