The change of venue also involves an earlier date for the show, which will take place from 26 March to 2 April in 2014, in order to avoid Easter and the May bank holidays.

Exhibition director Trevor Crawford said: "All the time we were at the NEC there had never been another real choice, but the development of phase two at Excel took it up to 100,000sqm of space and made it a genuine alternative for us to look at."

Ipex will take over the whole of Excel, and Crawford believes it will be possible to create more of an 'Ipex City' feeling in London's Docklands than was possible in Birmingham.

The attraction of London to Ipex's all-important international visitors is one of the prime reasons behind the switch. The number of non-UK attendees increased from 40% in 2006 to 48% of the total at Ipex 2010, and is expected to breach 50% next time around.

Based on the firm's calculations of the "worst possible scenario" for weight and vibration, Informa will pay for strategic underpinning to floor areas where presses will be installed, to ensure the necessary rigidity.

The South Asian edition of Ipex is scheduled for 16-19 September in India at Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai. It has the stage ready to showcase leading domestic and foreign companies. Agfa Jeti, Canon, Konica Minolta, Shuttleworth and Ricoh among others, have confirmed their presence.

"Ipex South Asia 2011 will be a major industry event for the developing printing industry in India and it’s neighbouring countries," explained Crawford, director, print group, Informa Exhibitions UK.

The event will be supported by North India Printers Association (NIPA), Delhi Printers Association (DPA) and Screen Printer Association of India (SPAI).

PrintWeek India will be producing the Ipex South Asia 2011 show daily "live" during the four-day event.

This article initially appeared here.