TILE OF SPAIN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– When you think of trends, the tendency is to think macro – big picture. What sizes, designs and colors are trending this year? But that’s only one side of the story with a rapidly innovating indus- try. As the industry moves into a mature phase of digital technol- ogy, the colors and designs we use in ceramics this year are only the prelude; the really interest- ing things that are happening in ceramic design are the seemingly small augmentations that enhance the whole so much more than can be imagined. In a world where we can print any picture we want on a tile, how do you differentiate your tile from the competition – how do we make our products unique and harder to be value-engineered? Join the Tile of Spain pavilion to explore the macro trends, and then dig deep into the broad array of micro tools that creative direc- tors can employ today to create the most effective and layered looks the world of ceramics has ever seen. Purchasers, sales people, specifiers and end users alike should all find valuable takeaways from this session as they become sommeliers of tile by learning to distinguish the mul- tiple layers of modern design and production techniques in ceramics. Optimal Approach to 2018 Ceramics: The Building System Tuesday, May 8 - 12 pm and 2 pm Thursday, May 10 - 2 pm Friday, May 11 - 12 pm Tile formats continue to broaden the array of options and suitable applications for tile. Many of these new formats can add significantly to a building’s overall performance, resource-efficiency strategy, occu- pant health and safety, lowered operating and maintenance costs and overall lifespan/sustainability of the property – but only if the decision to use tile for a given area or purpose is made during the preliminary/structural design stages. Further installation costs, prep-work requirements and even the suitabil- ity of the intended product for the task are becoming more and more dependent on proper space config- uration, construction methods and spatial dimensions so early selec- tion of tile is key to adoption rates. Participate in this session at the Tile of Spain pavilion where key tips and tricks to getting the most out of tile in your buildings today will be revealed. As a supplement to the conference session “Skin vs. System,” the program will explore sales channels, specification prac- tices, and material selection mod- Visitors to the Spanish Pavilion witness advanced ceramic tile technology and breathtaking design choices from 85 Spanish ceramic and stone manufacturers. 108 TileLetter | 2018