Ah, Las Vegas. The mere mention of the city is enough to incite memories of poker, pools and all-night hedonism. With that in mind, there’s no better place than Sin City to host the annual Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show, a five-day gathering place for the nation’s leading nightlife enthusiasts, club owners, bartenders and spirit vendors. This year (March 7-10), Drink Me headed out to partake in the madness for three days (the perfect amount of time, we think, to live it up without losing sanity).

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the tradeshow acted as the meeting spot for daytime networking, educational seminars and vendor booths. The crowd — a mixture of industry insiders, promotional models and wide-eyed revelers — strolled from one booth to the next with drinks in hand (thanks, free-pouring liquor brands!). From lighting experts and stripper pole sales to bar games and the newest spirit offerings on the market, each row offered a variety of nightlife necessities. In an adjacent conference center room, Spirits of Mexico Las Vegas drew patrons with sessions on the evolution of tequila and mezcal along with distillery tastings of Mexico’s famed beverage. After sipping shots of tequila or beer in the Craft Brewers Pavilion, convention-goers on Tuesday were presented with a special treat: a rockin’ performance by Camp Freddy (we spotted Wee Man from Jackass fame in the VIP area).

Not to be outdone, of course, were the nighttime events — this was the Nightclub and Bar Convention, after all. Held at the city’s hottest clubs on the Strip, these offsite parties drew dressed-up conventioneers with liquor specials and exclusive, before-hours access to some of the world’s leading clubs. Monday night’s kick-off party at Caesars Palace was the meeting place before everyone headed over to Haze, one of the city’s newest clubs inside Aria. Holding onto glasses rimmed by glowsticks, partiers danced into night (while trying to sneak a peek at Jersey Shore’s The Situation in the VIP lounge). Tuesday night proved equally entertaining with a party at Pure, Caesars Palace’s mega-club. With three themes that night, party-goers could choose between dancing in the main room, hearing an acoustic concert by rising country star Ashley Ray or kicking it on the roof among one of the best views of the Strip.

Known as the “Disneyland of the bar and nightclub world,” this conference is always a perfect mixture of education, fun and networking. We look forward to what tricks they’ll pull out next year.