Saturday morning, lovely sunny day in Brum. There's a continental feel about the place as people enjoy coffee and breakfast outside and soak up some rays before Ipex opens at 10am.

It will be interesting to see how busy the show is today and tomorrow, as logically the weekend will be the most time-efficient option for some SME business owners to visit. We're expecting it to be a hive of activity.

I'm pleased to report that the show seems to be going really well, there really is a good vibe about the place. And thank goodness the threat from ash and/or strikes abated. Even from the confines of the PrintWeek/IpexDaily goldfish bowl I've seen heaps of printing companies I know passing by, never mind all the others I don't recognise. And the wandering about test points to international attendance being strong too. Hopefully those impressive pre-reg figures will turn into an equally impressive overall visitor number - the mid-point attendance at close of play on Thursday evening was 35,000, so looking good. 

Still not convinced? With four days left of the show there's plenty of time to come along even at this late stage. You wouldn't want to miss out. Just picture it now, the NEC bathed in sunlight...