The Xunta de Galicia will chair this body, which will serve as a platform for collaboration between Stonegal and its sponsoring and partnering institutions.
Its key functions include aligning strategic goals, providing specialized advice on innovation and sustainability, promoting international outreach, and securing resources to strengthen the event.
Stonegal, the leading event for the natural stone industry in the Iberian Peninsula, has established its Advisory Board with the aim of enhancing its impact and international projection. The Xunta de Galicia will chair this body, which will serve as a collaborative platform between Stonegeal, its sponsoring and partnering institutions, and key stakeholders in the sector.
The presentation event was held this morning and presided over by the Regional Minister of Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, who emphasized that Galicia is the Spanish autonomous community with the highest production value in ornamental rock, accounting for 41.16% of the national total in a sector that generates around €450 million annually.
“We are leaders in Spain in the production of both slate and granite, and the extraction of natural or ornamental stone actually accounts for nearly 60% of employment in Galicia’s mining sector,” said Lorenzana. She added that today “we highlight the creation of this Advisory Board to give momentum to a trade fair that will help position Galicia as a benchmark in the sector.”
The creation of the Advisory Board responds to the need to consolidate Galicia’s position as a hub of the natural stone industry and to ensure the sustainable growth of the event. Its responsibilities include strategic alignment, expert advice in innovation and sustainability, international promotion, and resource mobilization to strengthen the event.
The Vice President of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Luisa Sánchez, underscored “the importance of holding this fair in the province, as the south of Galicia and north of Portugal are home to more than 500 companies in the sector, making us the main production hub on the peninsula.” Sánchez noted that the Provincial Council is contributing €10,000 to the event, which will support initiatives such as the sponsorship of the Antonio Palacios Award—honoring a lifetime dedicated to stone—and an artistic installation using granite from O Porriño as raw material.
She also announced that “our connection with the sector won’t stop at this one-time collaboration. We will continue to strengthen ties with Stonegeal and the Cluster,” indicating that the Provincial Council will engage in “joint actions to promote the use of stone, especially O Porriño granite.”
The Advisory Board is composed of representatives from key institutions such as the Xunta de Galicia, Vigo Free Trade Zone Consortium, Pontevedra Provincial Council, ABANCA, the Official College of Architects of Galicia (COAG), the Galicia School of Architecture, and the O Porriño City Council, as well as the Granite and Slate Clusters. This institutional support reinforces the importance of Stonegal as both an economic and cultural driver for the Galician community and the sector at large.
With this initiative, Stonegal takes a significant step in solidifying its position as the leading industry event in the Iberian Peninsula, attracting companies, experts, and professionals from around the world to discuss and shape the future of natural stone.
