WEC 2017 emcee Dena Blizzard, president, One Funny Mother (left), asked for some brave volunteers to come to the stage to showcase their special talents, which ranged from karaoke to a Marilyn Monroe impersonation.

Attendees lined up by the stage to dance and take photos of the first-night-reception entertainment, the B-52s.

The B-52s brought their special brand of weird and wonderful to rock the crowd with hits including “Love Shack” and “Rock Lobster.”

Participants enjoyed the warm evening air and the even warmer ambience at the opening evening reception, held at The Park, Las Vegas at New York New York.

At the Chapter Leaders Forum, held before the conference officially kicked off Monday evening.

The floor of The Exchange—which is what MPI now calls its hosted buyer appointment area—was bustling with activity during breaks.

Therapy dog Bentley, one of several pups who visited the show from Love Dog Adventures, was a big hit with WEC 2017 participants in the puppy-cuddling area on the Exchange floor. Called Paws for a Break, the area was sponsored by Visit Norfolk.

Indianapolis, which will host WEC in 2018, brought a race car to the Exchange floor, which quickly became a sought-after spot for a photo opp.

Each day included volunteer activities attendees could participate in to give back to the local Las Vegas community, including packing lunches and sorting bulk produce for the Three Square Food Bank.

Participants visited The Farm at MGM area on the Exchange Room floor, where they could meet pigs from the farm where MGM sends its surplus food.

Visitors to The Farm in the MGM area enjoyed chef-created salads with ingredients plucked directly from living wall of leafy greens while learning how to infuse sustainability, health, and CSR experiences into their meetings.

MPI outgoing Chairman Brian Stevens (right) presented Michael Dominguez of MGM Resorts with the Chair’s Award at the RISE Award luncheon.

World Education Congress emcee Dena Blizzard shared a mic Blue Man Group-style after one of said Blue Men appeared to eat the one she had been holding.

Four attendees got up on stage to take part in a dance-off during the rock and roll game show put on during Tuesday’s luncheon by corporate events and entertainment solutions specialists SongDivision.

MPI Chair Brian Stevens (left) and MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer presented Colleen Rickenbacher, CMP, CSEP, CPC, CTA, CPECP, of the MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter, the RISE Award for Meeting Industry Leadership during the RISE Awards luncheon.

MaryAnne Bobrow, Bobrow Associates, and Michael Owen, EventGenuity, caught in between their sessions on emergency preparedness for meetings and events

This year’s RISE Chapter Awards went to the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter (Educational Programming); Northern California Chapter (Educational Programming and Marketplace Excellence); the MPI Texas Hill Country Chapter (Industry Advocacy).

What would an evening gala in Vegas be if it did not feature an Elvis impersonator? The Big Deal did not disappoint.

Participants said, "Deal me in" at The Big Deal event, a fundraiser for the MPI Foundation.

The 2017 Big Deal champion Nick Donato of Freeman beamed at having won a $10,000 seat to compete at the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event. In second place was Kimberly Scherr with ABA, followed by Robyn Mietkiewicz, Meeting Sites Resource. In addition to poker, the Big Deal event, co-hosted by Caesars Entertainment and Encore Productions, included blackjack, craps, hors d'oeuvres, open bars, music, and some serious raffle prizes.

Jim Lewis, CIO Best Meetings, Inc. and a cofounder of the Meetings Community listserv, talked with emcee Dena Blizzard about his penchant for kilts and Renaissance fairs.

While some may have been disappointed that luncheon keynote speaker Magic Johnson had to cancel his appearance, pinch-hitter dance troupe the Jabbawockeez provided a high-energy alternative that was a hit with the crowd.

This year’s MPI President’s Dinner honored Ray Bloom, chairman and founder of the IMEX Group, for his contributions to the meetings industry.

Participants enjoyed good food, good music, and good company at the MP Foundation’s Rendezvous event at The XS Nightclub at Encore.

SongDivision’s Sam McNeil and the band rocked the Rendezvous, with a little help from some attendees who weren’t shy about committing a little karaoke for the cause.

To keep the engagement level high to the end, SongDivision held a sing-off for volunteers from the final luncheon crowd, who performed a shared rendition of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll.” Jett and her band The Blackhearts later played the same song at the closing night celebration at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, CFPM, founder and chief connecting officer of Thrive! Meetings & Events (left), joined Tracy Wallach, event lead, Executive Incentives and Travel, Inc., at the mic to jam with the SongDivision band during Rendevous, one of the MPI Foundation fundraisers held during WEC 2017.

MPI Chair-Elect Amanda Armstrong, CMP, corporate travel and meetings director with Enterprise Holdings, Inc., shared the story of how volunteering with MPI has made all the difference for her career.

Josh Kaufman, an Indianapolis native who won the sixth season of the TV show "The Voice," performed at the Indy preview luncheon on the final day of the conference. Indianapolis is hosting WEC 2018.

The final luncheon closed with Kaufman singing Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” flag-waving from the Indy crew, confetti cannons fired by members of the Blue Man Group, and a whole lot of dancing in the audience.