July 21, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kelly Cooper     
Hanley Wood Exhibitions
kcooper@hanleywood.com
972.536.6411

Extreme Perseverance in an Unpredictable Economy

(Dallas, Texas) Though the economy seems to be gaining momentum, it is still quite unpredictable causing industry professionals to reassess how they will meet goals and overcome obstacles. With this in mind, SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2011 is excited to announce an engaging opening General Session focused on persevering and reaching goals in this fluctuating economy.

The SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2011 Opening General Session will feature a compelling and empowering message delivered by Aron Ralston, author of the New York Times best-selling book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, focusing on perseverance, goal-attaining and overcoming adversity. 

In 2003, while on a spontaneous solo rock-climbing excursion, Aron Ralston found himself literally caught “between a rock and a hard place”  when his right arm became pinned to the canyon wall by an 800-pound dislodged boulder.  Mr. Ralston, a mechanical engineer-turned-professional-outdoorsman, survived for five days with little food and less than a liter of water.  Once he realized that his fate would be sealed without taking a drastic course of action, he self-amputated his crushed arm to free himself, repelled down a 65-foot face of a cliff, and hiked several miles out of the canyon to his awaiting truck, a stick-shift.

Aron Ralston’s extreme story will be retold by Oscar-winning Director Danny Boyle, director of “Slumdog Millionaire”, in his film adaptation of Mr. Ralston’s book. The film, “127 Hours” starring James Franco as Aron, will be released in late 2010.

“There couldn’t be a better choice than Aron Ralston to launch the inauguration of an Opening General Session at StonExpo and SURFACES,” says Mr. Gary Distelhorst, Executive Vice President and CEO of Marble Institute of America.  “His story is one of true grit, guts, focus and fortitude, and is a lesson everyone can learn from as we emerge from the worst recession to hit our businesses in recent memory.”  Gary continues, “A lot of us feel we are, or have been, “between a rock and a hard place” the last couple years, and yet what we’ve gone through pales in comparison to what Aron endured.  This session is one you cannot miss and may be worth a trip to Las Vegas by itself.”

The Opening General Session will be held on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.  Registration details for SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2011 and the Opening General Session will be available in mid-August. 

Beginning this year, SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas will co-locate bringing floor covering and natural stone together creating one of the largest residential and commercial construction-related industry events nationwide. SURFACES and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas will take place January 25 - 27 (Tuesday - Thursday) at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA.

The official sponsor of SURFACES is the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the floor covering industry's largest advocacy organization representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America.

The WFCA is a recognized leader in marketing research, industry certification programs, and operates the premier consumer flooring web site, www.wfca.org, providing unbiased information about every type of floor covering and connecting customers to members’ retail stores. The WFCA also influences public policy affecting the floor covering industry and consumers. For more information about the WFCA, visit www.wfca-pro.org.

StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas’ Official Sponsors are the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and Natural Stone Council. The mission of the MIA is to promote the use of natural stone and be the world's most authoritative natural stone information resource. Membership in the association is worldwide and includes over 1,750 natural stone producers, exporters/importers, distributors/wholesalers, fabricators, finishers, installers, and industry suppliers—all committed to the highest standards of workmanship and ethics.

The Natural Stone Council, home of the Genuine Stone® brand, is the leader in the stone industry that represents the major associations who are committed to promotion and education of the industry and general public of the value and benefits of natural stone. Member associations include: Allied Stone Industries, Building Stone Institute, Elberton Granite Association, Indiana Limestone Institute, Marble Institute of America, National Building Granite Quarries Association, National Slate Association, Natural Stone Alliance, New York State Bluestone Association and Pennsylvania Bluestone Association.

About Veronafiere
Veronafiere (Verona Trade Fair Company) is Italy's most important direct organizer of trade shows and among the top organizers in Europe. Founded in 1898, Veronafiere now focuses on economic sectors of primary importance to the Italian economy, including stone (Marmomacc), construction (Samoter), and wine (Vinitaly).  Veronafiere conducts or hosts 37 trade shows a year in Verona and 11 abroad.  Annual turnover in 2008 was more than $115M.

Marmomacc is the global leader in natural and engineered stone materials and related technologies and design.  Samoter is one of Europe's major exhibitions of construction equipment and earth-moving machinery.  Vinitaly is the largest wine trade show in the world.  All three are owned and organized by Veronafiere.

About Hanley Wood
Hanley Wood is comprised of four platforms: Business Media, which publishes more than 30 magazines, featuring Builder, Remodeling  and Architect magazine, along with related Web sites, e-newsletters, and conferences; Exhibitions, which produces marquee events such as World of Concrete, bringing residential and commercial construction professionals face-to-face with manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and service providers, and also manages events in other industries; Market Intelligence, which collects and aggregates proprietary data sets that capture hundreds of pieces of profile and material information about housing developments in more than 75 housing markets; and Marketing, which plans, creates, and executes strategic and integrated marketing solutions for its clients. Visit www.hanleywood.com.

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