China’s 10th Xiamen Stone Fair next month (6-9 March) will have 1,300 exhibitors in 90,000m2 of show space, making it unarguably one of the world’s leading stone exhibitions.
The growth of the exhibition since the millennium reflects the growth of China itself as one of the world’s major stone traders, with the increase in the number of international exhibitors at the Xiamen show being matched by the increase of international visitors.
The exhibitors this year have an even greater international spread than ever, encouraged by China’s idea of a downturn that has still seen growth of 8% (down from 20%) while most of the rest of the world was in recession. China’s Growth this year is predicted to be 10%.
The exhibitors come from China (of course), Turkey, Italy, Spain, Iran, Brazil, India, Australia, Portugal, France, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Sweden, Norway, Pakistan, Canada, Germany, Finland, Japan, Palestine, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Armenia, Lebanon, Russia, Belgium, Oman, Malaysia and the USA.
Fujian province, where Xiamen is situated, is the largest stone producing area in China, representing about 60% of the industry in the country. It has 15,000 stone processing companies and 5,000 companies importing and exporting stone. Between them they employ half-a-million people. Production of engineered stone is also rapidly increasing there.
When the Xiamen exhibition opened in 2000 there was a good deal of nervousness about dealing with China, but much of that reticence has evaporated into the Sino price advantage, especially after a face-to-face interaction with suppliers at the exhibition.
A key part of the Xiamen Stone Fair this year is the first of what is intended to be an annual World Stone Congress to be held in conjunction with the exhibition. This inaugural Congress will be held on the opening day of the exhibition (6 March). A theme of the event is the sustainability of the world stone industry.
If you want help arranging your visit to the exhibition, contact the organisers:
Email: [email protected].
Tel: 0086-592 595 9616.