The main event of the year!

A breakthrough on all fronts, a vivid and memorable exposition, a rich program, fun and exciting contests, virtual reality, fifty-five new VIRTU & MAESTRIA products from Gracia Ceramica, nine collections of the new Unitile Life brand and UnitilePro, a package proposal for builders – these are, briefly, the results of another success of the Unitile Group of Companies at Batimat-2018, which was highly appreciated by everyone!

— A breakthrough on all fronts, a vivid and memorable exposition, a rich program, fun and exciting contests, virtual reality, fifty-five new VIRTU & MAESTRIA products from Gracia Ceramica, nine collections of the new Unitile Life brand and UnitilePro, a package proposal for builders – these are, briefly, the results of another success of the Unitile Group of Companies at Batimat-2018, which was highly appreciated by everyone!.

— “After each exhibition, “during the feedback session” in our directorate, we say that the current one was the most difficult in terms of organization. And it is truly so”, Marketing Director Guzel Isyandavletova says. “But at the same time every year our expositions are getting better. “Blowing up” the atmosphere, breaking the patterns and exceeding expectations have become our tradition. And we once again demonstrated - today we are the most advanced company and the undisputed legislator in the ceramic fashion market in Russia. Not only we, but also our competitors admit this.

TILES, LARGE AND SMALL – ALL ARE LOOKING NICE

The main focus of this year’s Unitile exposition was on the most advanced formats. Among them is a large 30x90 format, which is currently conquering the market.

— “Even ten years ago, many people believed that the large-format tile is appropriate only for large public facilities. Today it is increasingly used in the creation of private interiors. So far, it is mostly offered by import manufacturers, which we plan to actively press at the expense of a more favorable price with absolutely similar high-quality products. Among the main advantages of this format impressive appearance and solidity are especially noteworthy, achieved due to the minimum number of seams. The latter is very important because it enhances the effect of natural textures of marble, fabric, stone, concrete, metal that are at the height of fashion”, Marina Akinina, Head of the Brand Marketing Department says. “And it is not by chance that the demand for collections of large formats is constantly growing, not only professional designers but also ordinary consumers are increasingly turning to them.

Another trend, widely represented in the collections of Unitile is a porcelain tile of small format by Gracia Ceramica.

— “Small formats are one of the unconditional and absolute trends of recent times. All leading manufacturers have them. They are developed by all leading design studios in the world. Buyers in stores constantly ask about them”, Marina Akinina continues. “And such behavior is understandable. There are no design-related limitations for small formats: here you can combine all elements together not only within the same collection or texture but also different collections and textures among themselves. In other words, small formats open up more room for creating an absolutely individual and unique style. And if, buying a thing in a clothing store, you will sooner or later meet with a person in exactly the same clothes, it is not so when you use the same collection of small formats, as it is unlikely that someone else will reproduce the interior, completely similar to yours.

All presented collections continue and develop the unique Casa cube philosophy, expressing all the infinite possibilities in three main areas: the classic luxury Casa elegante, the urban chic Casa moderne and the refined naturalism of natural materials and textures Eco casa.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE “IN THE FIELD”

There is always uneasy, and to be honest, very hard work behind the glitter of the stage and the bright spotlights.

— “The exhibition is amazing and our stand exceeds all expectations. It is a pity that I cannot view everything properly in the finished “assembled” form due to continuous negotiations with the current and future partners”, Anastasia Tverdokhlebova, Sales Director says. “I must say, there have never been such a rush and so many meetings in my career. And it has started since the morning of the very first day, which is usually a day of the slow rollout. Now it would be somewhat premature to disclose all the details; I can only say that the results have surpassed our wildest predictions. Moreover, for our part, we have offered our partners several exclusive support programs, which are available with none of the manufacturers.

— “If we talk about large formats, we’ve not only established production for them but also formed stocks. As for small ones, the line for them will be launched in mid-April, so we had to use a creative approach. But now I can say with confidence that this product will be in demand. And it pleases me personally very much. I can hardly say that the preparation was easy, but this is associated with a wonderful drive. Especially when you see the response of the visitors and you realize that we have organized an A-plus event", Production Director Sergey Ilyin says.

— “How do we feel? And how do people feel who, almost to the last day, broke spears, bayonets and everything that can be broken, arguing about designs that should be exhibited. And then, over the course of three days, how could they survive when they had to let thousands of people literally “pour” through them, each of whom needed to be given attention by telling about and showing the product, directing to stores, arranging a meeting and issuing a catalog?”, the head of the trade marketing department, Yevgenya Shurupova, wondered. “I will answer you: despite fatigue, it is an incomparable sense of pride, joy, and victory. We proved our worth, we succeeded, did not disappoint anyone and ourselves. Next year, we promise, it will be even cooler!”

— “I participated in many exhibitions, but beyond any doubt our present stand is the best. I am afraid that in 2019 the marketing department will find itself in a difficult situation - after all, they get used to surprise. And after this exhibition the task will not be simple, the unusual features and the “toughness” of our exposition was noted even by the “spoiled” frequenters of Cersaie”, Alexander Dushenin, Head of Sales for the Dry building mixes product line admits. “I worked mainly with a proposal for professional developers. And I must say that they were pleasantly surprised by our proposal for monocolors, typesetting and 98x98 to 60x60 formats. Also, much attention was attracted by the so-called. “metro tiles”, which are now used by many large developers instead of clinker tiles, because, firstly, they offer more aesthetic possibilities, and, secondly, they are much cheaper. But the most successful was, of course, our comprehensive offer, which included porcelain tile, dry mixtures, masonry mortars, and bricks.

AND LET NONE LEAVE DISCOURAGED

And not a single visitor left the stand disappointed. Many of them arrived at the exhibition directly from the plane. And some even with children. Because besides the amazing collections they anticipated many pleasant and interesting surprises. Masterclass from Gracia Design Italy, developers of collections of the Gracia Ceramica brand.

Virtual journey through the interior and the tree of desires.

NEW BRAND TO NEW REALITIES

One of the features of the current exposition of the Unitile Group of Companies is the lack of products manufactured under the Shakhtinskaya tile brand. Starting from this year, the old brand is becoming a thing of the past.

— “It was not an easy decision for us. Especially considering the fact that, according to the results of the research carried out at our request by the leading international branding company Nielsen, it became one of the three most recognizable brands in the domestic market in terms of recognizability”, Sergey Klykov, General Director of the Unitile Group of Companies says. “Its main drawback is that it arose a long time ago when production in the Group of Companies was carried out on the only site in the city of Shakhty, from which, in fact, the name came. Today, it has ceased to comply with the federal status of our company. Yes, and you see, it looks a bit strange when the Voronezh plant produces the Shakhtinskaya tile. Therefore, we have made a logical and, in our opinion, the only correct decision that from April 2018, the Shakhtinskaya tile will be produced under the brand Unitile LIFE”.