The company's chief marketing officer, Bill Parker, said that the show had exceeded expectations and that his company had hit its targets in the first few days, signing four contracts at the show.

"It is the first time at Ipex that we have signed deals at the show," added Parker. "We are expecting to generate £500,000-£750,000 worth of business. We would not have seen that kind of business if we had not been here."

GMC showed visitors how its suite of communications software can manage cross-media campaigns encompassing transpromo, direct mail and e-marketing.

It's the most expensive event that GMC has participated in worldwide, but it said the spend had paid off. Parker explained that the company benefited from having a clear presence, boosting footfall.

"We have stepped up our visibility and learned our lessons from previous Ipex shows," he said. "The business we have done has been spread around the world - it's been great for our new office in India. Our chief executive has gone home a happy man."

Parker added that Ipex has proved that the industry is now ready to invest. He believed that the recession had stalled investment by around 12 months and pushed businesses to look more carefully at how they run their operation.