The two-day event focuses on the delivery of fully-integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns and includes more than 50 seminars in five theatres: print & innovation, cross media, digital & direct marketing, content marketing & publishing strategies, and the mobile marketing theatre.

London Business Design Centre is hosting the event, in its second year. It is targeted at commercial printers, marketers, brand agencies, designers, publishers and other content creators looking to come up to speed on the latest technology in the communications industry.

Cross Media 2013 marketing manager Andrew Thornhill said he was confident visitor numbers would hit the 3,000 mark this year, beating the inaugural 2012 show's total of 2,500. Big draws over the two days would be virtual and augmented reality tech and the mobile theatre, he opined.

"The mobile marketing theatre is proving a big hit given the public's continued obsession with all-things mobile," he said. "Augmented reality meanwhile is a buzzword and so many magazines have run with augmented reality campaigns recently."

Thornhill added: "The first day has got off to a good start; there are queues outside the front door, which is always a good sign. The seminar theatres are all absolutely packed and the exhibitors seem happy. We've carefully staggered talks to improve the flow of people."

Exhibition stands include one from 3D-technology company Inition, which will demonstrate virtual reality experiences on a Nissan-approved 3D sky-dive and a Vertical Vertigo Challenge. Elsewhere is a "hall of fame" showing off augmented reality campaigns.

A "freestyle" cross-media feature meanwhile uses documobi technology to create interactive caricatures. Visitors will be drawn by a caricaturist and walked through an interactive and personalised campaign that links mobile, photo, video and social media with 'intelligent' print.

Speakers in the print & innovation theatre include Kaspar Roos, associate director at InfoTrends, Donna Brown, joint head of production at Ogilvy One and Andrew Harris, Canon Europe and UK graphic arts customer marketing manager.

DirectSmile will show off all-in-one software for marketing automation; Transeo Media will demonstrate how to create campaigns across web, e-mail, mobile and social media; while Special Moves will use gesture-control and facial-recognition technologies to create interactive portraits.

Ogilvy & Mather will be run an ideas workshop, offering advice to small businesses on a range of marketing disciplines.

Thornhill said: "Last year's inaugural event gave the industry a snapshot of what is possible in the fast-evolving marketing mix. This year we have parted the curtains further to present a wider, more vibrant picture of the growing cross media market."

Visit www.crossmedialive.com