The first three days' attendance figures stood at 35,000, on a par with 2006, of which some 19,600 have been international visitors, representing 56% of the total and a 16% increase on the last Ipex.

Ipex 2010 event director Trevor Crawford highlighted the show's global importance as he announced David Preskett, european professional print director at Canon Europe, as the president of Ipex 2014.

"The strong international attendance throughout the first half of Ipex reiterates the importance of the Ipex brand within the global exhibition calendar," he said.

Preskett, who is the first ever Ipex president from the digital community, said that his appointment was a reflection of the way the industry was evolving.

"Digital will continue to grow, but the great thing about Ipex is that it allows digital and offset to stand side-by-side as complementary technologies," he said.

"If you look at the last two years, it has been shown that having a mix of digital and offset technology has been key to achieving success."

Prior to joining Canon, Preskett held senior UK, european and global positions at Agfa, and his international experience is likely to prove crucial as Ipex continues to grow its worldwide attendance.