According to the London Evening Standard, hundreds of parties, concerts, events and similar spectacles will take place across the city throughout the Games and in the build up to the international sporting extravaganza. Huge events have been planned, from spectacular light shows at famous landmarks to live musical performances on the Thames.

During the events themselves, those unable to attend the games in person will be able to view the competition at several massive venues throughout the city. In addition to a 40,000 capacity viewing venue in Hackney and a site for 6,000 people near City Hall there will be locations at Jubilee Gardens and Kings Cross, as well as a huge 60,000 multi-screen venue in the middle of Hyde Park.

Yet these centrally organised celebrations are just the tip of the iceberg. Over the next two years, the Evening Standard says that companies, organisations and individuals based in London will be encouraged to host their own parties.

Enthusiasm for the landmark sporting event was evident earlier this week, as London Mayor Boris Johnson and Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 chairman, launched the official two-year countdown for the event. Mayor Johnson told Britons to start making their plans for a unique celebration.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Coe said: “There are two years to go until the Olympic Games begin and we want everyone to start planning their once in a lifetime experience in 2012.”

Inkjet printing is often used for poster printing and the creation of signage, marketing products and other forms of commercial printing. However Inkjet paper, the special fine paper designed for the printers, is estimated to only account for a total market share of the total graphic printing in Europe of less than 1%. This low rate of use has meant that inkjet paper is one of the few areas of uncertainty in the process of paper reclamation and recycling.

Now though a study conducted in France has revealed that a typical European mixed-grade waste paper recycling system is more than adequate to the task of de-inking such products. This means that recyclable banners can unequivocally be printed on the high quality paper if desired.

Print Week reports that the Digital Print De-Inking Alliance (DPDA) has announced that procedures replicating a standard recycling system successfully de-inked ‘nearly all’ of the samples used in the tests. Matthias Fromm, R&D Manager of French firm Oce Printing Systems said that the tests had been conducted to understand the impact of inkjet printed papers in commercial recycling systems.

“Based on the projected growth rates of inkjet printing, we anticipate the de-inking industry is capable at current volumes and that we have a few more years to jointly develop the appropriate technologies of paper, ink and de-inking methods to ensure good de-inking performance if and when the need arises,” said Fromm.

It’s hoped the public can help to create 30 banners during a series of workshops held at the Kirkgate Centre in West Cumbria. The banners will represent what the town means to them, and be displayed on the main street during the festival.

The recyclable banners will be made from multicoloured fabric to create a rainbow theme.

Children from the All Saints School in Cockermouth designed a banner for the Cockermouth Midsummer Festival, and now families are being encouraged to attend the workshops too, as the arts group are looking for as many creative volunteers as possible. ”We are also looking for volunteers to come and help us sew and finish the banners after each session,” said Rosy Thurston, apprentice theatre practitioner.

The sessions will be overseen by artists from Storytree, a lead partner in the West Cumbria Arts Partnership. Storytree is the engagement arm of the Theatre by the Lake in Cumbria. They work with children and adults in schools and community centres, at festivals and communities, to engage the community in creative activities.

The event gathers together professionals in the signs, vinyl banners and poster printing trade with industry suppliers and corporate clients. Some companies have been planning their exhibitions at IPEX for years, with Print Week reporting that nearly 70,000 people are expected to attend the conference and expo – a record in the event’s history.

Organisers have been concerned about how people planning to attend from overseas would find their way to the expo in the face of ongoing airspace disruptions. They have welcomed the news that the British Airways strike is to be called off and that the volcanic ash cloud has moved away for now, with event director Trevor Crawford saying the developments were a “massive relief.”

Over 1,000 companies will attend and exhibit their goods and services at the expo. As well as creation and design businesses who specialise in creating signage, there will also be post press and finishing companies, used equipment vendors and providers of digital solutions.

Trevor Crawford says that so far, the event has shown the resilience of the industry throughout the economic recession.

“The fact that just about every manufacturer is here at the show…underlines just how resilient this industry is, even in the current economic difficulties,” he told Print Week. “In every hall I walk through, I’m hearing exhibitors talking extremely positively about seminar and meeting programmes.”