XDP's host Lisa Kay Solomon, author, speaker, and managing director of Singularity University,  explained how to use the XDP workbook each participant received on site, along with radios and earbuds they could use to hear the zone captains.

Author, speaker, and management advisor with Strategic Horizons James H. Gilmore, who literally wrote the book on experience, led the experience zone participants into some very experiential explorations about events.

One of the discussion pods at one of the XDP Day 1 Lab zones

Layer3 TV Chief Marketing Officer Eric Kuhn and Amplified Growth CEO and Founder Kiki L'Italien helped participants fuel their events' FOMO factor in the marketing zone.

Marketing zone captains Kiki L'Italien and Eric Kuhn joined the conversations and sparked new lines of thought as they roamed their section.

Discussions got pretty intense at times in the Lab zones at XDP.

MGM Resorts International Chief Sales Officer Michael Dominguez led the XDP Lab's location zone discussions, which included the importance of looking for "micro spaces" or places to tuck in meetings within a meeting—and getting creative about sponsorship opportunities.

Participants deep in discussion in the XDP Lab's learning zone

Participants used a soft, tossable Catchbox microphone during their report-outs.

Learning zone captain Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO of Credly, shared a story of how his first gig as a magician—at age 8—kickstarted his lifelong learning journey.

Melissa Garcia, CAE, Society for Neuroscience, making connections

Cvent CEO and Founder Reggie Aggarwal, technology zone captain, told participants that "Technology needs to be a core competency of your organization."

Here are some of the many seating options used in each of the XDP zones.

Speaker Kelly McDonald had people roaring with laughter as she delivered an exceptional speech on how to deliver exceptional customer service.

Participants dug into challenging topics during the Lab roundtable discussions (which may or may not have been held at an actual round table).

Shannon Burke, CAE, National Association for College Admission Counseling, taking it all in

Former U.S. Army Apache helicopter Captain and Pilot Shannon Polson gave a 15-minute "pop-up" talk on how participants can reach their full leadership potential in an uncertain, dynamic environment.

When participants speak, ASAE President and CEO John Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, listens.

Gretchen Zito, Infocomm International, chatting at the XDP reception

Left to right: Peter O'Brien, CMP, CASE, Marriott Global Sales; Lisa Kay Solomon, Singularity University; and Amy Ledoux, CMP, CAE, SVP, ASAE Meetings and Expositions

The B-52s rocked the house at the Connections evening event at the MGM National Harbor.

Musician with a message SaulPaul co-created a song with the audience, then invited participants on stage to learn the Texas Two-Step.

The Business Exchange on Day 2 was a hive of activity as association execs and industry partners talked shop.

MGM's Michael Dominguez found a kindred spirit in Day 2 opener and fellow University of Texas at Austin Longhorns fan SaulPaul.

ASAE staffers were on hand to help guide participants like Terrence Sykes, Emergency Nurses Association, to their next appointment at the Business Exchange.

Don Neal, 360 Live Media, delivered insights on the three things event planners need to know about their audience at one of six Idea Accelerator sessions held on Day 2 of XDP.

Performance painter David Garibaldi closed the event with live-action painting.