The Informa Print Group has confirmed that Ipex 2014 will return to London with the relocation of the exhibition to London’s ExCeL http://www.excel-london.co.uk international exhibition and conference centre.  The exhibition will take place in the heartland of London’s redeveloped Royal Docklands from 26th March to 2nd April 2014.

“We have undertaken detailed consultation with exhibitor and visitor groups prior to making this decision, and we are extremely excited about the move to ExCeL London for the considerable new opportunities it offers for the expansion and development of Ipex going forward,” says Trevor Crawford, Director of the Informa Print Group. “While our UK audience will always remain critically important to the show, Ipex is a truly global event, and the attraction of London as a venue, and the remaining legacy of the 2012 Olympic investment into the area, will certainly add to the attraction for our international visitors.”

ExCeL London, which will play host to seven Olympic and Para Olympic events in 2012 (the most that any venue has been given), is an award winning international exhibition and convention centre within a 100 acre campus offering 100,000 sq metres of flexible exhibition space, six on-site hotels increasing to eight by 2014, numerous bar and restaurants for after hours networking and excellent transport links to central London.  This includes easy access to London City Airport and the London Underground, three dedicated onsite DLR (Docklands Light Railway) stations, as well as providing parking for nearly 4,000 cars.  The onsite facilities at ExCeL are second to none with more than 40 cafés, bars and restaurants serving cuisine from around the world.

“This is a significant decision in the history of Ipex that sees the exhibition return to London,” continues Trevor Crawford.  “Ipex has been located at the NEC in Birmingham since 1980, some 30 years of its successful history, and until now the NEC venue was the only one in the UK that could handle the sheer size of the event.  Since the expansion of its event halls in May 2010, ExCeL London has now become the perfect venue for Ipex to begin the next chapter in its development.

“Suppliers are hugely impressed with the state of the art exhibition facilities at the ExCeL and are eager to start their Ipex planning significantly earlier than for previous Ipex editions. Our recent exhibitor tours of the ExCeL, which coincided with other major events taking place at the venue, have also accelerated the booking process enormously.”

Commenting on behalf of ExCeL London, Kevin Murphy, CEO says “We’re delighted to welcome an event such as Ipex to ExCeL with our unrivalled facilities and proven track record for hosting large scale International and UK events.  We believe that the combination of the Informa and ExCeL organising teams will deliver a memorable event in 2014 and beyond”.

David Preskett, President of Ipex 2014, Chairman of the IAC (Ipex Advisory Committee) and European Professional Print Director, Canon Europe says that “Ipex’s move to London could not have come at a better time, and the enthusiastic response to the move from the industry reflects that. The quickening pace of innovation across the industry and the changes taking place in the communications landscape make this a natural next step befitting Ipex’s growth and global appeal.”

Expressing their endorsement of the move, Picon, the UK's leading industry trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers to the Printing, Papermaking and Paper Converting sectors, is delighted with the announcement. "We have been in constant dialogue with the Ipex team during the consultation process and there is enormous enthusiasm from our Members for the decision to return to London. They are very keen to exploit all the new avenues that ExCeL and the City of London can bring to the Ipex experience." confirms Tim Webb, Executive Director of Picon.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London has welcomed the return of Ipex to London.  “It’s tremendous news for London, and certainly befitting to our Olympic legacy and standing on the international events stage that the ‘Olympics of the global Printing Industry’ returns home to our City.”

“London offers enormous opportunities for Ipex,” says Nick Craig Waller, Marketing Director of Ipex 2014.  “In the coming months, we’ll be engaging with organisations such as Transport for London, as well as our marketing partners to put the fundamentals in place and commence a worldwide marketing campaign to deliver an Ipex in 2014 that is second to none.”