Close-up: Live Issue - Pop those Champagne corks: the good times are here again.

Campaign asks adland if it has seen any signs that the recession is at an end. Well, the surveys are concurring: the end of the downturn is nigh.

The Bellwether Report is optimistic and ZenithOptimedia's research, which for two years has been a barometer of doom, last week started getting sunny. Its European survey found that adspend in real terms would grow this year for the first time since 2000.

So, have agencies begun to feel the downturn's downturn? Campaign asked several industry figures what signs they had noticed that things really were beginning to pick up. Here are their answers.

Kevin Dundas, chief executive, Saatchi & Saatchi

'We are in the busiest production cycle we've had for the past couple of years. Half of our creative department is shooting at the moment and it's across the spectrum of our clients. It includes clients that held back and many are shooting two films, not just one. When bricks-and- mortar clients are out there putting money down, feeling confident, that's a good sign.'

Gerry Boyle, managing director, ZenithOptimedia

'Quarter-one spend numbers are being met and companies are reinvesting this. There is general confidence in the four key sectors - retail is up, finance is looking like it will be, cars are driven by big launches (and there are plenty this year) and telecoms is growing. I've also noticed that the outdoor conference is back in Barcelona this year. Conferences moving abroad again is a sure sign that things are looking better.'