Here's what it's like to attend Walmart's 14,000-person shareholders meeting, a 3-day extravaganza

Thousands of Walmart employees from around the world arrived in Bentonville, Arkansas this week for the Walmart Shareholders Meeting.

The meeting itself is on Friday, but over the next few days, these employees, analysts, and members of the media will experience a nonstop Walmart carnival that includes first looks at how the world's largest retailer plans on keeping a competitive edge, tours of its premiere facilities, and a concert featuring Top-40 pop stars.

In 2016, the shareholders meeting had more than 14,000 attendees and took place at the University of Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

I was there.

Here's what I saw last year, during my four days immersed in the culture of the world's biggest retailer.