British exhibition and conference organiser ITE Group Plc posted a rise in full-year profit, helped by cost controls and positive currency movement, and increased its dividend.

The company said like-for-like sales volume could fall up to 10 percent in 2010, compared with a decline of more than 20 percent in the year ended Sept. 30, 2009.

ITE said the current trading conditions in its core markets were stable, although it had yet to experience an upturn in booking patterns.

Headline pretax profit rose 24 percent to 45.8 million pounds ($75.3 million) for the year ended Sept. 30. Revenue was up 6 percent at 116.7 million pounds.

Analysts on an average were expecting a headline pretax profit of 42.3 million pounds, on revenue of 116.2 million pounds, according to data compiled by the company.

ITE increased its dividend to 5.5 pence from 5.3 pence.

Shares of the company have gained 27.6 percent in the last three months, compared with a 7.6 percent rise in FTSE all share consumer services index .FTASX5000.

They closed at 124.75 pence on Monday on the London Stock Exchange.

($1=.6081 Pound)

(Reporting by Purwa Naveen Raman in Bangalore; Editing by Vinu Pilakkott)