Ceramic Tiles of Italy is pleased to welcome the international design world to the Italian Pavilion for Sin City’s newest show in town: Coverings, March 14-17, 2011. The Ceramic Tiles of Italy Pavilion will be a showcase for design-forward and sustainable collections Made In Italy. This year’s trend forecast features everything from porcelains with 3D textures and large, thin formats to digitally printed faux finishes and wallpaper-inspired mosaics. Attendees will also be treated to authentic Italian cuisine in the ever-popular café and coffee bar in the Pavilion.

The Ceramic Tiles of Italy central exhibit (Booth #4444), designed by minimalist architect Michael P. Johnson, will mix contemporary Italian design with a bit of Sin City flair. Dressed to impress a Las Vegas crowd, the booth will feature a range of collections from Italian manufacturers, selected for their color, modular forms and innovative sizes, many of the tiles used in the booth design also contain a percentage of pre- and post-consumer recycled content.

For the first time in the Italian Pavilion’s history, the exhibit will be built on an elevated flooring system. A solution for uneven floors, this system is ideal for a modern office or home renovation. The booth will also feature two ventilated wall facades, clad in large format porcelain tiles to demonstrate the ease of installation and technical benefits of this energy-saving system. After the show, the tiles will be donated to the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture for an upcoming project on the Taliesin campus in Arizona.

In terms of events, the Ceramic Tiles of Italy Press Conference will take place on Tuesday, March 15 at 4:00PM where representatives from Confindustria Ceramica and Aniello Musella, Trade Commissioner and Executive Director for the USA of the Italian Trade Commission, will introduce the winners of the 2011 Design Competition. After the conference, Ceramic Tiles of Italy will host its annual “Serata Italiana” and announce the recipient of the North American Distributor Award. This distinction celebrates the close connection between Italian tile manufacturers and their valued North American partners.

Knowing the importance of showing products in a real-life setting, Ceramic Tiles of Italy will also sponsor the second edition of The Installation Design Showcase. Chicago-based designer and HGTV star, Ali Azhara, will use new collections from several Italian tile companies to design a 10’ x 20’ vignette. It will be built by Artcraft, an NTCA installer, using Mapei materials, and celebrated on Wednesday afternoon at an event on the show floor.

For more information on Italian Tiles in the US and upcoming trade shows and events visit www.italiantiles.com.