People have slowly got used to the fact, that conferences and trade shows only take place digitally these days. However, the concepts and implementations are yet very different.
The Hamburg Games Conference surprised me very positively this year. There was a real expo area with virtual booths, where you could move around freely with your avatar. It was possible to start a chat or video call with other visitors at any time. To simulate the many random encounters at the buffet, the bathroom, in the hallway, or at the party, there were Open Call areas, where you could jump into a video call with random visitors. Of course there were the usual talks and panels.
All in all, it came very close to the feeling of an on-sight conference. I'm curious to see how far other conferences will push this concept forward.