Fourteen weeks today the doors at Birmingham's NEC will swing open on the first day of Ipex. Doesn't time fly? This week organiser IIR is holding its pre-show Media Summit so we're getting a clearer picture on how the show is shaping up.

I'm sure the IIR team could write a book or two about their experiences in organising an event of this scale during a period of global financial meltdown. I imagine it's been a white-knuckle ride in parts.

Looking at the latest floorplans, the show looks in good shape with all of the industry's major players in attendance - the notable absence being Adobe, but I guess that tells us something about Adobe's level of interest nowadays in the sector that made it great.

They've also ditched plans to use that awkward marquee-like structure outside the atrium end of the NEC, so now the whole thing fits into the eleven halls around said atrium, in a nice horseshoe shape that should make life straightforward for visitors.

Some interesting stats from the IIR team reinforce one of the industry's big shifts: last time around 41% of the show space was classed as "presses and output", in 2010 that has fallen to 26%, while the space taken up by pre-media and digital exhibitors jumps from 26% to 38%.

Now IIR's efforts revolve around getting the requisite number of bums on seats, or feet in halls, if the show is to retain its status as the major international print event for the English-speaking world. The signs are encouraging, visitor pre-registrations were at 10,900 at the beginning of this month, a whopping 360% up on the equivalent figure last time around. The aim is for the visitor split to be 50:50 domestic/international.

Why would a printer with no money to spend attend? Perhaps it's more useful to ask, why wouldn't you? With such a wealth of information on our doorstep there's bound to be ideas and inspiration to be had, even if there's no cash to splash.