The worlds premier trade show dedicated to natural stone wrapped up this fall after four event-packed days in Verona, Italy, and suffice it to say, it rocked. Marmomac 2024 drew more than 50,000 attendees representing every link of the stone-production chain, from quarrying raw materials to designing interiors with finished itemsand even beyond, exploring still-experimental applications for manufacturing, architecture, and design.Ennevi VeronafiereThe immense show comes together each year in the vast Veronafiere exhibition spacepicture 12 show halls and seven outside areas stacked with stone slabs, stone interior installations, stone decorative pieces, and high-design stone creations the exact identity of which might present a mystery but whose beauty cant be denied. The venues Plus Theatre was also home to the astonishing Walk of Stone (shown above), a riff on the Hollywood tourist attraction, composed of squares of stone from around the worlda magical carpet, as the projects mastermind, architect Giorgio Canale, put it, that served as an ode to the materials diversity of colors, textures, and finishes.Ennevi VeronafiereA crown jewel of the show is the A Matter of Stone pavilion. Curated by ELLE Decor with an interior layout designed by the famed Italian design studio Calvi Brambilla, the hall showcased innovative uses of stone in architecture and construction, home furnishings, and interior and exterior design. The exhibitorssome 20 companies from nine different countriesare all in contention for the ELLE Decor-sponsored Matter of Stone Award, as well. EffezetagroupThis year, top honors went to Italian limestone company Pimar for its exhibition La casa di pietra (House of Stone), curated by Gumdesign, which demonstrates the role of marble in our homes through a collection of functional, iconic, and poetic objects. First conceived for Marmomac in 2014, the exhibit has gone on to be widely shown, along the way adding pieces and evolving in concept to reflect sustainability and the ideals of conscious design. It made a triumphant return to Marmomac for its 10th anniversary.EffezetagroupSpecial mention went to the Portuguese company Natstone, for its display featuring stone-processing innovations including honeycomb technology, which allows for natural-stone constructions such as furniture to be both strong and lightweight. EffezetagroupMarmomac serves as a microcosm of the industry, bringing together manufacturers, importers, equipment makers, buyers, architects, and designersanyone and everyone connected with this age-old, much-prized, and endlessly versatile material. All were there this year for exhibits by nearly 1,500 major players in the industry representing 55 countries; a jam-packed schedule of lectures, seminars, and workshops, including talks by renowned designers Henry Timi and Ron Arad organized in conjunction with ELLE Decor; and ample opportunities for professional development and networking.The show, a confluence of art, science, engineering, and design seen through the lens of natural stone, takes place annually; Marmomac 2025 is scheduled for September 23 to 26.