This year at Marmomac, House Mazur and Biasi Marmi are hosting An Evening in Verona: a guided walk through the city, created to bring together and champion women working across the international natural stone industry.
We sat down with House Mazur founders Paula Mazur and Holly Skousbo to hear what inspired the evening, what guests can expect and why some of the most valuable conversations at Marmomac happen once everyone has finally escaped the exhibition halls.
We are Paula Mazur and Holly Skousbo, co-founders of House Mazur, a natural stone specialist working with architects, interior designers, contractors and private clients.
We manage natural stone packages from early specification and sourcing through technical development, manufacture and installation.
Between us, we bring experience across the full natural stone process. Paula has spent more than 15 years working throughout the industry, spanning sourcing, procurement, fabrication, technical detailing, programme management and installation. Holly’s background is in interiors, creative direction and material specification, with a particular focus on how stone sits within the wider design of a space.
Our backgrounds are different, but very complementary. One of us may be thinking about fabrication, tolerances and how something will physically be installed, while the other is considering the architecture, the design intent and how the finished stone needs to feel within the room.
We created House Mazur to bring those conversations together and maintain one clear line of responsibility throughout a project. Natural stone involves a great many decisions, and we believe the best results come when those decisions are connected from the very beginning.
Marmomac is one of the rare occasions when almost every part of the natural stone industry comes together in one place.
Quarry owners, suppliers, fabricators, designers, machinery manufacturers, installers and specifiers are all moving through the same halls. You can begin a conversation with someone involved at the quarry face and finish it with someone responsible for the final installation.
Some of our best Marmomac memories have been made outside the fair itself. Each year brings thousands of steps during the day and, somehow, even more by night. After the halls close, Piazza delle Erbe becomes a meeting point for people from across the stone industry, gathering for dinner, drinks and the conversations there never seems to be enough time for during the day.
There is a particular buzz to Verona during Marmomac. You hear different languages at every table, run into people you may not have seen since the previous year and find that a quick drink often becomes one of the most valuable conversations of the week. It is an atmosphere we fell in love with years ago, and one that still feels unlike anything else in the industry.
Natural stone is international and deeply relationship-led. Emails and video calls are useful, but there is still no replacement for standing beside a slab, discussing it properly and understanding the people behind it.
Verona gives the fair a character that would be difficult to reproduce elsewhere. Stone is not confined to the exhibition stands; it is part of the streets, buildings and history of the city. It feels entirely natural that the conversation should continue beyond the fairground.
Marmomac is exciting, but it is also intense.
The days are spent crossing exhibition halls, visiting stands and trying to fit meaningful conversations into small gaps between meetings. You often see someone you know, exchange a hurried hello and promise to find one another later. Sometimes you do. Quite often, you do not.
We wanted to create the time for those conversations to happen properly.
Rather than arranging another formal reception, we liked the idea of experiencing Verona together. The evening has enough structure to bring everyone into the same place while still feeling relaxed and informal.
It is an opportunity to step away from the pace of the fair, see more of the city and spend time with people working across different areas of the international stone industry.
We also wanted it to feel welcoming. There will be no name badges to scan, no panel discussion and no pressure to deliver the perfect introduction before someone moves on to their next meeting.
We will meet outside Hotel Due Torri at 6:45pm on Wednesday 23 September, beginning with a welcome drink on the rooftop.
From there, Marianna Trevisan, whom we first met through the natural stone industry, will lead us through her home city of Verona. She has kindly offered to show us the city from her own perspective, sharing its history, architecture and some of the places and stories that make it special to her.
We will then make our way towards Castel San Pietro, with a small surprise planned along the route, before continuing to dinner at Ristorante Re Teodorico for those who would like to join us.
The evening is intended to be relaxed and sociable: a chance to walk, talk and enjoy Verona with others who share a connection to the industry.
The only real requirement is footwear capable of handling Verona’s cobbled streets. Marmomac may be a place for beautiful shoes, but this particular part of the week may call for a little more practicality.
The natural stone industry remains predominantly male, but women are doing brilliant work across every part of it, from quarrying, machinery and sourcing to specification, fabrication, installation, journalism and design.
Yet, because we are spread across different countries, disciplines and stages of the supply chain, we may rarely find ourselves in the same room. We wanted to create that room, or, in this case, a walk through Verona.
The evening was originally conceived as women-only. The aim was simple: to create space for women to meet properly, exchange experiences and build relationships beyond the rushed conversations that tend to happen during the fair.
As interest grew, male colleagues began asking whether they could join too, not to change the focus of the evening, but because they wanted to support it.
In many ways, that response reinforced what the evening is about. If the industry is to become more balanced, women cannot be solely responsible for making that happen. Genuine progress also relies on men who recognise the value of women’s contribution and are willing to champion it alongside us.
Women remain firmly at the heart of the event, but its purpose has never been to create another divide. It is about giving women greater visibility, stronger connections and a stronger network within the industry, with the support of the wider community around them.
If you would like to join us, we would love to hear from you. Places are limited, so please contact House Mazur at info@housemazur.com to reserve your place.
The guided walk and hosted drinks are complimentary. Dinner at Ristorante Re Teodorico is optional and costs €70/£60 per person.
This year will be a fleeting visit for us, with live projects and installations requiring our attention back in the UK.
We will be in Verona from Tuesday 22 September to Thursday 24 September and will be visiting Marmomac across those days.
Anyone who would like to speak to us about a current or future project, discuss natural stone sourcing or simply meet us while we are there can contact info@housemazur.com to arrange a time.
We are looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones and making the most of our few days in Verona, however brief the visit, and however many kilometres we inevitably cover around the fair.
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