Every year for the past 30 years, business, government and community leaders from across the state have gathered in Raleigh for an invitation-only event put on by the NAI Carolantic Realty commercial real estate brokerage firm.

The event eventually grew so large that the only venue in Raleigh that could hold it was PNC Arena, home to NHL team the Carolina Hurricanes and N.C. State University’s men’s basketball team.

For this year’s event, organizers at Carolantic are expecting a record 1,800 peopleā€¦