The events organiser IIR Exhibitions said the result was in line with the preliminary announcement it made at the show.

"It is gratifying to see the statistical data confirming the anecdotal evidence from the exhibition," said IIR marketing director Ashley Whitworth.

Overseas visitor numbers and the quality of visitors were also in line with expectations, Whitworth said. Overseas visitors accounted for 36% of the total attendance, up slightly on Ipex 98. The percentage of senior personnel attending was up from 65% at 70%.

"Our exhibitors told us that the quality of visitors was very high and most of them met or exceeded their sales targets. We hope Ipex 2002 will mark the start of an upturn for the industry," said Whitworth.

The Audit Bureau of Circulation is auditing the attendance figures and the data is with the agency for final verification. IIR is also carrying out a variety of post-show exhibitor and visitor research, the results of which will be distributed in the autumn.

Story by Lauretta Roberts