I want to thank all the contributors to the end-of-year review series – and indeed all guest posters throughout 2010. The end-of-year series provided a comprehensive overview of this year’s developments in the European exchange space. In case readers missed any of the end-of-year reviews, I've summarised some of the juicier predictions for 2011 into easy-to-consume sound bites. Here are some European-focused predictions to ponder as we get closer to the end of the tens.

Tom Jenen, Commercial Director, EMEA at AdMeld

In a fairly extensive piece on European sell-side developments in 2010, Tom Jenen also highlights a number of trends he thinks will have the biggest impact on publishers in 2011. Here are a few choice examples of what we can expect next year:

- RTB continues to become a central plank for driving efficiency and transparency. And demand will explode because of impression-level trading. Expect search firms and marketers to enter the display space to take advantage of RTB.
- The Data Management Platform will emerge next year, as publishers look to leverage their data. As Jenen puts it, "data management will get white hot as publishers begin to tap the value of their first-party data more strategically".
- Publishers will need to get smart about selling audiences and valuing data in 2010 - as audience-selling will have to become an essential part of their business
- Networks will have to pick sides. With agencies now looking to set up their own ad network, traditional ad nets will have to pick a side (see the GMM post for better overview). What to do? Jenen highlights a couple of options: own the client direct relationship, and become an agency; develop what I like to call a demand-side network, or DSN; or revert to the publisher side completely, similar to how German sales houses operate.

Martin Kelly, Managing Partner of Infectious Media Ltd

Martin Kelly gives his views on developments in the European buy-side for the year of 2010, and some predictions for next year. Here are those trends that Kelly thinks will dominate in 2011:

- We will start to see the potential of RTB as a game changer. Kelly rightly points out that RTB is used mostly for re-targeting in the European market. He sees RTB’s full potential being realised as more innovative methods involving complex advertiser integrations, dynamic creative and granular bid strategies are used.
- Ad networks will have to become more transparent. The “black box” offering will be thrown out the window as ad nets will be required to tow the transparency line.
- CPC remarketers will start to feel the squeeze. The dominance of CPC remarketers will be challenged as dynamic creative tech becomes commoditised. And he’s right. If I see another piece in the mainstream press about how innovative retargeting is, I might be forced to write a post debunking its mythical status.
- Publishers will realise it’s their data that’s valuable. Kelly reckons publishers are leaving a lot of money on the table by not passing relevant data on a user to potential buyers. Expect that to change next year
- Search agencies will get involved. There’s no doubt this is going to happen. Search firms are going to pile into data-driven display and RTB in 2011 – as they look to add more value to clients.

Paul Childs, Chief Operations Officer at Adfonic

Paul Childs gave us the end-of-year mobile display perspective for 2010. Mobile will continue to grow, and here’s the trends he reckons will accelerate the growth of the mobile display market next year:

- Developments throughout 2011 will see advertisers and agencies take advantage of the opportunity to buy and target specific mobile audiences
- Mobile video campaigns begin to gain traction as networks develop inventory specifically for video
- Explosion of tablet devices will lead to a significant ramp-up of tablet inventory for mobile media buyers across iOs and Android platforms
- Smartphone and tablet shipments will surge in 2011 and the number of phones versus PCs and laptops will continue to rise

Other end-of-year reviews you should be reading:

- Sacha Berlick, Mexad CEO And Founder
- Marco Bertozzi, Managing Director EMEA at Vivaki
- Kurt Edwards, Digital Commercial Director at Future Publishing
- Paul Turner, Head of International at Invite Media