At CERSAIE 2018, the seventh edition of Tiling Town event attracted more than 1,000 visitors (+15%), taking advantage of the new CERSAIE layout that brought together exhibitors of installation equipment and materials in halls 31 and 31A. These logistics facilitated meetings between visitors and tile installers and master tile layers from Assoposa – the Italian association dedicated to ceramic tile installation. Tiling Town offered daily showcases of installation work with large-size panels and slabs.
There were three separate initiatives devoted to slab installation:
- Promotion of Assoposa training courses for slab layers. Slab installation is a completely new kind of work that requires specialist skills. With this in mind, Assoposa has organized a specific training course designed to transform tile layers into professionals capable of installing large slabs in compliance with standards in all operating conditions. The four training modules presented at CERSAIE were held at the Scuola Edile (building school) in Reggio Emilia this year on November 29 and 30 and December 1. 2019 dates are:
- ° January 10, 11, 12, 31
- ° February 1, and 2
- ° March 14, 15 and 16.
- Participation is free and reserved for Assoposa members with the professional tile layer or master tile layer credentials.
- Seminars for architects and designers that qualify for professional training credits in Italy, organized to encourage design projects using these innovative products and to promote the use of large slabs. All problems relating to the new products can be resolved by qualified specialist retailers and installers.
- A proposal for managing logistics and transport of these new products by drawing up a series of non-obligatory “Good Practices” for the logistics and transport of slabs in coordination with manufacturers, transporters and retailers.
Tiling Town 2018 also hosted installations devoted to special cutting and the “continuous vein” effect. Replicating the successful “RIGHT/WRONG” initiative of previous years, these showcases clearly demonstrated how a carefully designed installation project based on the tile’s vein pattern produces far superior results to a random layout. The exceptional aesthetic results achieved in the floor tile waterjet cutting demonstration further underscored the importance of proper installation.
Software for online compilation of the Traceability Sheet in accordance with Italian standard UNI 11493 was also presented. This sheet must be issued to the client by the contractor or sub-contractor and must provide an orderly and technically correct description of the key aspects of the operations performed, the materials used and the professionals involved. The Traceability Sheet serves as a kind of identikit of a ceramic tile installation, a document that sets out the key characteristics of a floor installation and validates the work of Assoposa member tile layers.
Eight new professional certification courses have been scheduled for the qualifications of tile layer and master tile layer and will be held in the period from October 2018 to March 2019 in the Italian cities of Bergamo, Cuneo, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Avellino, Pisa, Brindisi and Frosinone.
EITA (European Innovative Tile Academy), an advanced training school for instructors, was presented with the aim of promoting training courses for slab layers organized in accordance with a shared European standard at various national levels.
“What five years ago seemed like a dream – the creation of a highly respected association of professional ceramic tile layers and dealers with hundreds of members and a continuous, high-quality program of activities – has now become reality,” commented Paolo Colombo, Chairman of Assoposa.
Cersaie 2018 and the activities of Tiling Town also saw a surge in applications for Assoposa membership (30% more than at Cersaie 2017). Following an intense promotional campaign, visitors showed a keen interest in the initiatives organized by Assoposa, including the presentation of a highly popular illustrated tile installation manual entitled “Assoposa per noi” which was distributed free of charge at the show.
