I have been selected as one of the VIP guests at IPEX, the global print and communications event planned for ExCel next year. Less than a year to go.

I am suitably inspired and starting to think more like my fellow guests who I imagine take a longer term view of the UK and probably come from somewhere else. I realise I may upset some people with some of my views but a blog is there to explore things. Probably there will be something constructive in time for the actual event.

There is enough news about cancelled stands (booths) to show that this is a very significant occasion. The London College of Printing changed their name to include the word Communication. Gradually it becomes clear what this means. Print is part of something else.

Print culture could change in various ways. So far I find the print Guardian is still trying to carry on as if not much has changed. More on this later. Here is another way to describe things and avoid repeating myself too often. I don't think there will be much equipment on show from manroland. As memory serves at the NEC last time they were there but not with equipment. ( I'm not sure if they are booked for ExCel but I am assuming lots of people may or may not be there officially but will probably have a look, including Adobe and Apple ) Some time ago Guardian Media Group spent about £500m on new equipment for a new page size. This is not the sort of thing that will happen again.

So speculation about the Guardian ending a print version Monday to Friday is not that significant in this context. On the planet much is changing. Here in Exeter we now have a local paper that is just on a Thursday. I think it would be better on a Sunday to complement the Western Morning News but maybe the presses are doing something else at the weekend.

The Cross Media Live event is on a relatively small scale but needs to be very sorted out by the time it concludes.