So, this is what happens in a championship city. Villages of energetic crowds coming together in tightly packed areas. A rockin’ stage band. Fireworks. A parade of champions and, to cap it off, a big dance party with a premier DJ.

Yep, just another day at the WEC.

Leave it to Michael Cerbelli to kick off our celebration march with his multi-talented band and exploding fireworks to fuel Monday’s first general session, leading up to his 18th Annual: The Hot List™, an always-popular showcase of the hottest, newest and most inspiring event and entertainment tech trends.

Celebrity sightings? Oh, yeah, we had those all day. We cheered this year’s superstars, the RISE Awards individual recipients, who demonstrated leadership, impact and innovation. Our MVPs included Member of the Year Joe Marcy, Young Professional Achievement recipient Julia Spangler and Meeting Industry Leadership recipient Gary Murakami. How about our chant, “We RISE with MPI,” which can be heard not only in the North, but the South, East, West and all around our global community.

But our team of winners didn’t stop there on this day. At the President’s Dinner, we honored the 66 dedicated, selfless chapter presidents of 2018-19 to thank you them for leading our chapters to success after success. And speaking of chapters, welcome to the family, Caribe Mexicano!

Our parade of champions wasn’t done yet. We honored Anne Hamilton with the Industry Leader Award. The executive from The Walt Disney Company, who early in her career was a chapter leader, would over her distinguished career become a fierce advocate for the value of meetings and events, a trailblazer for women in leadership, a champion for professional development and a mentor to future generations. She exemplifies the very best of what we seek in each other and ourselves.

For a nightcap, there was Rendezvous, the MPI Foundation’s signature event to support scholarships and research with DJ Warren Peace pumping his tunes deep into the early morning hours.

Oh, there was another parade in town?

Rich Luna
Editor in Chief, MPI
rluna@mpiweb.org