KAMIEŃ-STONE 2011 - summary
310 exhibitors, 6,268 visitors, a few dozen of sold machines and concluded contracts: this is the result of KAMIEŃ-STONE 2011 Stone Industry Fair.
On 9-12 November 2011, a comprehensive offer from representatives of the stone industry from all over the world was presented at the Poznań fairgrounds. Exhibitors came from 17 countries: Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. Foreign companies have embraced the opportunity of presenting their offer at the largest exhibition event for the stone industry in Central and Eastern Europe, as they made up 59% of the total number of exhibitors.
What was showcased in Poznań was a wide range of natural stone varieties, semi-finished and finished stone products, tombstones, machines, devices and tools for stone processing as well as stone chemicals. Leaders in the segment of tomb accessories were also represented.
310 companies present at the fair showcased their offers in a complex of Hall 5, 6 and 6A with a total area of 20,000 sq m. Very good exhibiting conditions of these modern, spacious halls were recognized by both exhibitors and media representatives.
Who and with whom at KAMIEŃ-STONE
Representatives of companies present at the fair emphasised that the event was professional. They have established many interesting contacts here.
KAMIEŃ-STONE 2011 is gaining recognition in Central and Eastern Europe: such conclusion can be drawn on the basis of registration-based visitor statistics. From 6,268 visitors, 11 per cent came to Poznań from abroad. Most visitors were from: Lithuania, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Finland and Ukraine.
According to the statistics presented by the organisers, Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie and Geoservice-Christi company, Polish visitors included primarily those from Wielkopolska (20.7 %) and Lower Silesia (9.4 %). It can be justified by the location of both the fair and the largest centres of the Polish stone industry. There were also many residents of the Mazowieckie Province (9.3 %).
The breakdown of visitors according to their business type appears even. 35.8% of them represent production companies, 35.6% - services and 28.6 % – trade, with a majority of small and medium enterprises. As regards positions held in companies, most visitors were owners (43.5%) and managerial staff (27%).
Market segments with the strongest presence among visitors were: stone industry (74.4%), interior finishing and furnishing (8.7%), construction (7.23 %). Architects and designers made up 3.7% of visitors.
It should be noted here that the above data are from the professional visitor registration system, detailed and the most modern in Poland. However, the fair was also visited by individual customers who are not authorised to register. The offer of the stone industry was popular among public at large in particular on the Independence Day, November 11th.
Fair for prestige
During KAMIEŃ-STONE 2011, awards have been presented in five industry competitions.
For the very first time, Klaudiusz Award competition, organised for KAMIEŃ-STONE exhibitors by Geoservice-Christi and Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, was launched. During the official award ceremony, winners of awards and distinctions in the "Best Product – Natural Stone", "Best Product – Tools, Devices and Machines" and "The Finest Stand " categories have been announced.
The Competition Jury, presided over by Stanisław Sitarz, decided to award the following products:
KLAUDIUSZ 2011 for the best product – natural stone – went to:
GRANITE GLASS
Entering company: GREIN ITALIA - Italy
DISTINCTIONS went to:
1. Antolini Stone Collection
Entering company: ANTOLINI LUIGI – Italy
2. Marble cobblestone (rustic)
Entering company: MARMUR SŁAWNIOWICE – Poland
3. Męcina Podmagurski Sandstone
Entering company: WOLIMEX – Poland
KLAUDIUSZ 2011 for the best product - tools, devices and machines - went to:
Jet Cutting Center Maxiem 1530 30 HP
Manufacturer: Omax Corporation - USA
Entering company: MAXIEM WATERJETS – Poland
DISTINCTIONS:
1. One Head Edge Polisher to Half-Circle
Manufacturer: Grażyna Okińska, Jerzy Rubinkowski - IRGRADEX
Entering company: IRGRADEX – Poland
2. One-support saw type PW1TK600.3 CNC
Manufacturer: PROMASZ Mariola Berezicka
Entering company: PROMASZ – Poland
3. COPY AND CLONE
Manufacturer: AGUT GROUP
Entering company: AGUT ENGINYERIA – Spain
The competition committee, presided over by Professor Henryk Mruk, decided that the most interesting stand at KAMIEŃ-STONE 2011 was:
KLAUDIUSZ 2011 in the category of the finest stand at KAMIEŃ-STONE went to:
SOLICEL Soc. Centro Industrial Esteios de Lousa Lda – Portugal
DISTINCTIONS:
1. FINNSTONE Sp. z o.o. – Poland
2. ROGALA - Zakład Obróbki Kamienia Budowlanego Kazimierz Rogala – Poland
3. SUWIK-DIAMANT AS Andrzej Suwik - Poland
The best stone projects have been awarded at the fair, too. Winners of the KAMIEŃ (STONE) 2011 competition organised by the Świat Kamienia monthly were presented with Caryatid statuettes. Awarded projects include:
TOMBSTONE category:
tombstone in Włodawa by Andrzej Weremczuk
STONE IN ARCHITECTURE category:
Chopin Museum in Warsaw: executed by Pamir
SCULPTURE category:
Monument of King Casimir the Great by Tadeusz Biniewicz
Special Award of KAMIEŃ (STONE) 2011:
Kalachakra, Buddhist Stupa in Greece: executed by Piramida
At the KAMIEŃ-STONE Award Ceremony, we have also learned the winner of the second edition of the DESIGNING IN STONE competition for students of design and architecture departments. The competition was organised by the Nowy Kamieniarz monthly. More than ten designs had been entered, and two with the greatest artistic value and commercial potential were selected, namely coffee table and washbasin designs. The author of both designs is Jarosław Kosek, 5th year student of design and interior architecture at the Academy of Art in Łódź.
During KAMIEŃ-STONE, the Bazalt Foundation presented awards in the competition for a design concept for land management at Bazalt old quarry in Strzegom. Two second awards went to teams: Katarzyna Zych-Głuszyńska with Agata Zych and Monika Koncewicz with Agata Grzyb. The Jury have also awarded two works made by a team of Maciej Popławski, Jakub Podgórski, Bartłomiej Poteralski and a team of Karol Wierciński and Adam Nieszporek. The Jury decided not to grant the first award; however, distinctions were granted to interdisciplinary works. Winners included: Julia Jankowska with Justyna Jasińska, Katarzyna Zych-Głuszyńska with Agata Zych, Aleksandra Bacik with Małgorzata Czajka, Iwona Szot and Martyna Ziółkowska.
Over the first three fair days, we had an exciting competition of more than ten stonemasons in sandblasting a tombstone, as they competed for the title of a MASTER OF SANDBLASTING. The competition was organised by Świat Kamienia.
The competition task was to sandblast a tombstone using SANDMASTER PRO dust-free sandblaster from Abra, correctly and as quickly as possible. This time competition included all stages of developing the inscription: from its design in Corel graphic programme, letter cut on a plotter in Hard sandblasting foil, pasting foil on tombstone and the final stage, known as sandblasting. And it was all happening in the presence of cheering visitors of KAMIEŃ-STONE.
The fastest stonemason was Adam Skwara. A special award was also presented to the only female competitor, Ms. Agnieszka Badecka.
Not only business
The workshops held by the Association of Polish Mosaic Artists were very popular, in particular among individual clients. Those who could not find seats at the workshop table could view fascinating examples of the art of ‘painting with stone’ at the exhibition of works of association members.
The Minerals and Precious Stones Exchange that accompanied the fair attracted lovers of stone jewellery and interior decoration elements.
Every hour, you could admire ‘dancing forklift trucks’ outdoors. Hyundai forklift trucks presented by the Toolmex Truck company were making truly acrobatic exercises with stone load.
Objects designed by Jarosław Kosek, awarded in the DESIGNING IN STONE competition, were presented at the stand of the Nowy Kamieniarz monthly. This small-scale exhibition featured O-sink washbasins in different colours and the Bee Table coffee table.
Dedicated exhibitions presented projects awarded in the KAMIEŃ (STONE) 2011 competition or the competition for a design concept of land management of the Bazalt old quarry in Strzegom. The „Stonemasons travelling” exhibition was popular among stonemasons.
At the fair, interesting issues related to the stone industry were discussed in the Speakers’ Corner. Stanisław Sitarz, President of the Stone Industry Employers’ Association, talked about the role of stone in construction. Lubosz Karwat, President of the Association of Polish Mosaic Artists, presented the secrets of mosaic art. A series of lectures organized by the Landscape Architecture Institute of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences touched upon the application of natural stone in urban space design, parks and gardens as well as opportunities of revitalising old quarries. The movie from 4th International Symposium of Sculpture in Granite– Strzegom 2010 was played during the fair.
