The design of exhibition stands may seem to be a lightweight and ephemeral concept, since it is intended only for the short duration over a few days of an event, as regards the use of materials and artefacts that allow transport and rapid assembly, as well as the need for continuous renewal to achieve distinction and thereby capture the curiosity of potential visitors.
Within the scope of Marmomac, these features join the unusual variety of materials on show: not only cyclopean quarry blocks and slabs but also gigantic machinery or tiny yet precious tools for processing stone materials. These complex topics give rise to the structure of the Best Communicator Award, the annual prize promoted by Veronafiere which was assigned in 2018 for the twelfth time.
The prize structure
Organised across four sections (Design, Stone, Machinery and Tools) in turn focusing on Italian and international operators, the Best Communicator Award involved a jury chaired by journalist Giorgio Tartaro alongside Camilla Bellini (designer and design blogger), Umberto Branchini (interior designer), Marco Piva (architect and designer) and Matteo Ruta (scientific director of Arketipo). After an initial evaluation of candidatures presented directly by the companies, the jury reviewed the 1,600 plus exhibitors attending the trade fair, completing the selection process and identifying the stands to receive awards for research and care of the exhibit spaces.
The award ceremony
A festive award ceremony took place as part of the Marmomac Water Night Gala, the evening hosted in the Italian Stone Theatre that highlighted the spectacular side of the set-up for 2018 edition designed by the curators of the hall, Vincenzo Pavan and Raffaello Galiotto. The reflections in the large pool of water were the setting for the traditional “and the winner is…” ceremony after the presentation of a short list of nominations in each category. The tailor-made concept is also valid for exhibit design, a garment tailored for the occasion and the items on show – blocks of stone or a diamond-tipped pulley – that does not interfere with the nature of the material available but, rather, exalts virtues and hides defects. This is what good tailors are needed for.
The winners Best Communicator Award 2018 Design
First prize Italy to A&G 23 “for originality in showing technological and formal research applied to recreational and domestic objects”.
First prize International to HSMARBLES – HELLENIC SUPERIOR MARBLES (Greece) “for the overall interpretation of the entire exhibition space, choice of materials and highly expressive forms”.
Stone
First prize Italy to SANTUCCI GRANITI “for the elegant compositional review of iconic shapes and large to small scale display capacity”.
First prize International to MARMYK ILIOPOULOS (Greece) “For the rarefaction of exhibition space highlighted by rhythmic play with volumes and textures”.
Machinery
Fiest prive Italy to PEDRINI “especially appreciable for overall coherence, attention to detail and the integration of machinery as elements of the exhibit area”.
First prize International to D2 TECHNOLOGY (Portugal) “For strong colour impact and graphic coherence enhancing the product”.
Tools
First prize Italy to TYROLIT VINCENT “for the impressive expressiveness of the metaphor evoked in large-scale photographic images and lighting effects recalling processing operations”.
First prize International to KGS DIAMOND INTERNATIONAL (Netherlands) “for the simplicity of the exhibition space nevertheless capable of enhancing the technological details of small components”.
