There will be a world of stone on show at ExCeL in London next year (9-11 March) for the UK\'s sixth Natural Stone Show.

Major stone exporters from Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Turkey have already booked their stands for the UK\'s premier stone event.

At the heart of the exhibition is the UK\'s own stone industry. More than 50 UK companies have, with six months still to go, booked their stands to exhibit their goods and services. And, of course, Stone Federation GB will have their \'stone village\' at the very centre of the Natural Stone Show 2004.

The Stone Federation are one of the major sponsors of the exhibition, along with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the lead conservation body English Heritage, The Architects\' Journal, and Natural Stone Specialist.

There is also a special conservation feature at the Show and a major conference, the Natural Stone & Building Conservation Conference, is being held in conjunction with the exhibition.

It is no wonder that space has sold so well at ExCeL that the floor area allocated to the show has already had to be increased to accommodate all those who want to exhibit.

And, as with all the major stone exhibitions, it is the whole spectrum of the stone industry that exhibits, including the machinery suppliers, who will be discussing the latest developments in stone processing with the trade - a vital contingent among the visitors.

The exhibition manager is Richard Bradbury (contact details below). He says: "This show has a lot to offer every part of the stone industry, from the professionals who use stone in their designs - or who will do in the future! - to the conservation market and stonemasonry companies themselves, whatever sector they work in.