Like the paperless office or the Segway, the advent of virtual events came with predictions that the physical trade show would go the way of the dodo bird. Physical events still hold too much star power, glitz and glamour to be entirely replaced by their virtual counterparts. But low price tags – not to mention the lack of travel expenses – has turned online events into a hot space. In fact, virtual event trade shows and conferences are expected to generate $18.6 billion by 2015, according to Market Research Media. by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this. Mix It Up.