There’s no question: In 10 years, your event will be markedly different from what it is now. But how different? Will social media, like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, serve as your primary marketing and communication tools? Will you be using 3-D applications online to complement your show? Will registration areas consist of self-service kiosks with little or no staffing? Will attendees and exhibitors even wear badges?

To be sure, it’s unlikely that the core value of shows will change: Despite the influx of new technologies like virtual events in recent years, face-to-face interaction between buyers and sellers remains critical. And while the look, feel and value proposition of your show might see an upheaval as shows continue to evolve, the changes you make will always be to serve the same mission: bringing buyers and sellers together.

But just because some things will remain the same doesn’t mean that we can’t speculate on what the future will bring. EXPO asked leading show organizers, exhibitors and vendors what trade shows may look like in five to 10 years. These are the key takeaways from our discussions.

BEYOND THE BOOTH. Many predict that in five to 10 years exhibitors and attendees will have more control over the experience. “In the last five years, exhibitors each wanted their own experience, which doesn’t always mean a booth,” says Karen Chupka, Senior Vice President, Events and Conferences, for the Consumer Electronics Association. “We’re trying to figure out how to provide the quality experience they want. Offering meeting space on the show floor has been very popular for us.” In addition, exhibitors are hosting more private events in conjunction with shows. “Exhibitors want to reach their best customers and engage new customers at shows through smaller, invitation-only events,” says John Jastrem, President, Global Experience Specialists.

NONTRADITIONAL EVENTS. Some forecast there will also be more nontraditional events, like hosted buyer programs and proprietary events. “Proprietary events have been around for a while, but it used to be only the Fortune 100 companies. Now smaller companies are starting to roll them out, and I think this trend will continue,” says Bob Hughes, President, The Hughes Group. But that’s not necessarily bad news. “Show organizers can wrap their events around these proprietary events, and we’re already seeing that,” he says.

ATTENDEE CONNECTIONS. “Shows are going to be a component going forward,” says Nancy Hasselback, President, Diversified Business Communications. “The power will be in the buyers’ hands, and the connection between attendees will be more important than it is today.”

DEVELOP A PERSONALITY. Using social media and blogging is one way that shows develop a personality, and that’s likely to continue. Moving forward, show organizers will need to determine whether their social communications will be handled in-house or by an agency. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is working with an agency to manage its social media strategies. “Last year was the first year that we dedicated resources to it, and we doubled our investment this year,” says Chris Brown, Director of Business Operations for NAB. “We also believe that the Web is a huge piece of building a year-round community. The economy has impacted our budget, but we’re committed to getting there.”

BUILDING A YEAR-ROUND EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE AROUND YOUR BRAND. “Exhibitors and attendees are receiving more information and messages than they can possibly digest, and that’s only going to increase in the future,” says Francis Friedman, President, Time & Place Strategies Inc. “Show organizers will have to create a brand strategy to cut through that clutter.”

INDUSTRY RESOURCE. Often, that means establishing your brand as a leader in your community by offering industry news and information, education, research, dialogue, webinars, social networking, virtual events, etc. Although none of these ideas or technologies is new, show organizers are adapting and incorporating more pieces every year. NAB held its first virtual event this year in January as a preview for its annual show in April. “I think we’re seeing a critical mass and interest level,” Brown says. “What’s driving it now is curiosity from the early adapters. But will it permeate the mainstream? We’re testing it now, but all these things take effort and resources just like a real event.”

EXPANDED DIALOGUE WITH EXHIBITORS.“We need to move closer to the marketing directors, not just show directors,” Friedman says. While show organizers have made inroads with a handful of their major exhibitors, both sides appear to be moving in this direction faster. Take the exhibitor perspective: “I think we’ll see continued integration of the marketing,” says Victor Torregroza, Program Manager of Corporate Event Marketing for Intel. “We all have a seat at the table when we’re planning and establishing our marketing budgets and programs.”

BLURRED LINES BETWEEN BUYING AND SELLING. “I can picture a day when exhibitors go to shows to get fans and friends,” says Bob James, President, Armacost Antiques Shows. “Sales will be more casual. The focus will be on entertainment and socializing.”

MORE PERSONAL, LESS SALES. “It’s a shared responsibility to meet attendee expectations,” Torregroza says. “We’re bringing our best, most well-informed staff to discuss products. For CES, we’ll bring people who speak Spanish, German, Chinese or use translators to make the booth experience seamless for international attendees.”

BUILDING A BUZZ. Exhibitors and attendees will help market the future show. For example, on the CES registration form for this year’s show, registrants could click on a button that said: I’ve just registered for CES, have you? “I was really surprised how many people did that,” Chupka says. “For attendees, it seemed like there was a sense of pride. It helped us build a sense of excitement for the show.”

FINDING EFFICIENCIES IN A LABOR-INTENSIVE BUSINESS. The pressure on marketing dollars from the Internet, private events and other media will continue to increase. “The industry is driven by logistics, rules and regulations,” Hughes says. “We need to provide strategic solutions.”

NEW PRICING MODELS. “How we charge for services has to change somehow,” Brown says. “I don’t know what the answer is. But there’s too much cost-shifting, and it’s too complex for customers. There’s too much uncertainty for exhibitors. We’re pushing them to plan ahead yet we’re making it impossible to determine their upfront costs.” Charging by the square foot isn’t really in alignment with the quality our shows offer, Hasselback says. “Will we move toward impression-based pricing? It’s hard to say,” she says.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH VENDORS. “All partners need to work better together to make the show easier and deliver value for everyone,” Jastrem says. For example, at one show this year, GES worked with a show organizer to create a new product area, which included mini booths set up like a retail store. What made this new product area unique was that attendees were given handheld devices to scan the products they were interested in, find booth information and download it so both attendees and exhibitors could track and follow up.

LABOR AND DRAYAGE. “I think we’ll see more packaging and bundling,” Hasselback says. Others agree. “There hasn’t been a real sense of urgency up to this point,” Brown says. “Sometimes it takes a crisis or pain to get things moving. And we’re seeing that now in Chicago, and how that plays out may impact where we’ll be heading.”

GOING GREENER. “Exhibitors are already bringing less collateral and fewer giveaways, but the industry as a whole still produces lots of waste,” Torregroza says. “Things like show dailies and banner sponsorships and other printed material may morph into digital or something else completely.”

ATTRACTING A NEW GENERATION OF ATTENDEES.“The environment will evolve and become more dynamic to address what the new generation of attendee will be used to in their personal life,” says Brown. “Shows will have to adapt to the Twitter age and respond to reduced attention spans.”

CUSTOMIZED EDUCATION. “Attendees will be more involved in shaping the learning objectives and focus,” Brown says. “Something more like an ‘unconference’ that enhances adult learning in a variety of formats. Crowd sourcing technology could be a powerful tool for face-to-face going forward.”

LESS TIME, MORE PREPARED. Attendees will research companies before the show and will come with a deliberate agenda. “They’ll want to confirm their perceptions, find out how a product works and have meaningful interactions with exhibitors,” says David Saef, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Marketing for GES. “Shows may be shorter in length as everyone seeks to minimize the out-of-the-office time,” says Ann Pennino, Exhibit Manager for Praxair Inc. and President-Elect of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association.

METRICS MATTER MORE. “The rationale behind participating in shows isn’t going to change, but what’s different today and going forward is that exhibitors are demanding more accountability,” James says.

SCIENTIFIC APPROACH. “I think we’ll be experimenting with new floor layouts,” Brown says. For example, GES uses Ethnometrics to analyze attendee behavior, including traffic patterns over the course of the show and use of common areas, and the level of engagement with products and booth staff.

AUDITS AND DATA. “Managers need to become more savvy on the benefits of exhibiting,” says Chupka. “We present exhibitors and prospects with data, like surveys, audits, database breakdowns, media interaction and press coverage.” As technology improves, this will only get easier and more pervasive.

EXHIBIT MEASUREMENT. While some major corporations have been measuring booth ROI for several years, it’s beginning to trickle down to smaller companies. “We’re using the data to determine where we need to make changes to enhance the booth experience for attendees,” Torregroza says.

MOBILE APPS. Pretty much everyone agrees that handheld devices could revolutionize the trade show experience, but we’ve barely touched the tip of the iceberg up to this point. Debit payments, lead systems and RFID may some day run through smartphones. “More companies are playing in this space, and I think we’ll see more and more new products for shows,” Brown says.

DIGITAL LEAD TRACKING AND FOLLOW UP. Some predict traditional badges and swipe cards may be a thing of the past. “We need better digital tracking and delivery at the show, from leads to fulfillment. The digital data has to be easy for exhibitors to integrate into their CRM database,” Hughes says.

VIRTUAL EVENTS. Although virtual events are quickly becoming a complement to many physical shows, expect the model to continue to change to mimic the traditional event experience. “The current model is screaming for innovation,” Torregroza says. “I haven’t been wowed by any of the online event offerings. There’s a huge gap between face-to-face and virtual.”

ONLINE CHANNELS. As video becomes ubiquitous online, show organizers will likely develop channels or networks with industry information, research and new products. These online channels could not only offer new revenue streams through sponsorships but also provide associations and b-to-b media with valuable content to drive traffic.

MINING YOUR DATABASE. “Show organizers have to figure out other ways to monetize their databases,” Hughes says. “It’s your biggest asset.” New technology products are likely to make that easier in the future.

CHANGING CODES. As some industries, including the medical industry, continue to put more and more restrictions on exhibitors, shows will evolve to reflect those changes. “As medical show producers, we’ll need to invest in learning environments to make up for what we’re losing in square footage revenue,” says Tom Pellet, Divisional Director, Meetings and Conventions, American Academy of Family Physicians. “Our exhibitors want to be with us and support our shows, but the new PhRMA codes limit their booth activities, so we’ll need to produce satellite events, publishing pavilions, learning galleries and such.”

THE NEW MARKETING. In five to 10 years, will direct mail become totally extinct as a form of trade show marketing? Even if it doesn’t totally die out, look for direct mail to become increasingly minimal as social media and online strategies become the go-to mode of communication. “We’re all going to have to drastically change our marketing approaches,” Pellet says. “Sending attendance brochures is an antiquated method. Social media is changing the marketing game.”