A week today Ipex will be underway and visitors will [hopefully] be eagerly flocking through the halls. Exciting!

What more is there to say, apart from the fact that there will be tons and tons AND TONS of interesting stuff to see, do, and learn about at the NEC. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I truly believe that any printing company owner who either isn't planning to go, or isn't sending a suitable posse from their team, wants their head looking at.

I'm still attempting to nail down my own personal "must-see" list and I can already tell it's going to be a struggle to see everything. And that's without factoring in some all-important wandering around time looking for "things I didn't know I was going to be interested in until I stumbled across them".

Visitor pre-registrations have now breached 60,000, and ash-willing let's hope that most of them - and more - turn up. This is an impressive figure considering the amount of contraction in the industry since Ipex 2006, which attracted just over 52,000 unique visitors.

Looking at both the shape of the show from a visitor perspective, and the kit and significant launches that will already know will be there, I do think 2010 already has a more compelling feel to it.

Us PrintWeekers will of course be beavering away producing the Ipex Daily during the event - do come and give us a wave (Hall 6, stand B530) if you are passing. And if you happen to spot anything particularly fantastical on your perambulations around the halls please let us know via email at ipex.daily@haymarket.com; or you can tweet us @PrintWeek.

Oh, and for those involved in print buying and procurement, don't forget to check out this highly-affordable trip to the show including travel from London and overnight accommodation for a mere £70. Bargain.