RIMS 2016 in San Diego kicked off with an opening reception in the historical Gaslamp Quarter. Hundreds of attendees from around the world gathered together to network over good food from local restaurants and musical entertainment on a beautiful SoCal evening.

San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter has been entertaining people in the downtown area since the 1860s. The name "Gaslamp" comes from the gaslamps that commonly lined the streets of the area in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A portion of Fifth Avenue was closed off for attendees to enjoy a block party. Restaurants along the closed-off section opened their doors to RIMS attendees and served a range of food from different cultures prevalent in the area.

The reception featured live entertainment that had the crowd of RIMS attendees on their feet and dancing to renditions of some classic tunes.

Click through to see exclusive pictures from the RIMS 2016 opening reception, and make sure to tell us your favorite part of the reception in the comments below!

Attendees stand outside Dick's Last Resort, chatting and enjoying hor d'oeuvres from the local restaurants.

Diwali served Indian specialties outside its location.

Cafe Sevilla served authentic Spanish cuisine.

And of course, there were plenty of drinks on hand.

Along with serving Mexican cuisine, Rockin' Baja had a mariachi band entertaining attendees outside its location.

Jugglers entertained attendees throughout the party.

Music from yesterday and today got attendees up on their feet and dancing.

They're pretty tall, right? These stilt walkers danced around the opening reception to the delight of attendees who stopped to get pictures with them.

Fireworks went off towards the end of the party for a bright start to RIMS 2016.

Special Reports /

Party in the Gaslamp! Highlights from the RIMS 2016 opening reception

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