Dreamforce ’18 Prep

With Dreamforce just around the corner, I thought I’d put together a list of my top Dreamforce tips both for newbies and returning conference goers. Let me know if there are any that I missed! And check out my recap from last year to get you psyched up about #DF18!

Tip Number 1: Come in with 3 things you want to learn about

With over 3000 sessions to choose from, 150K people, and a seemingly unlimited amount of things to see, it’s important to have goals to focus on. Whether those goals involve making a new connection, learning about the latest and greatest products, gaining a new skill, or reinforcing your existing knowledge, I highly recommend choosing 3 major things you want to focus on. For me this year, that’ll be Lightning Components, Salesforce DX, and the Integration Cloud. While it’s great to try to learn everything, especially if your employer is paying for you to be there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and for that reason it’s important to focus on what you really want to focus on and come away with something you can bring back to your company. Now that Agenda Builder is live, use the filters to build a session that will accomplish your goals. Check out Salesforce’s Agenda Builder tips if you’re having trouble!

Tip Number 2: Give yourself some free time

Marc Benioff likes to joke that there are 3000 sessions and he expects you to attend every one of them. Not only is that not possible, I wouldn’t recommend packing in as many sessions as you can, since you can find most of them on YouTube after anyway! I’d refer you to Tip #1 and only add the sessions that you find most important and interesting. In addition to the sessions, there’s also usually an Admin Meadow, a Developer Forest, and more Trailhead themed locations surrounding different products and industries. These areas are great for getting quick demos, meeting new people, and completing your Dreamforce quests to earn swag. There’s also an expo hall that has a ton of great sponsors that offer solutions to help you improve your Salesforce implementation. Make sure to leave some gaps in your calendar to take advantage of these Dreamforce only opportunities.

Tip Number 3: Make sure to network

While you probably won’t have time to meet all 150,000 attendees, try to connect with a few people if you can! Salesforce MVPs such as myself are always up for meeting new people and sharing our love of Salesforce! Circles of Success sessions are also great ways to meet people to talk about certain topics of interest of specific industries. Just walking around the Trailhead zones, you never know who you might run into!

Tip Number 4: Have fun

While there’s a ton to learn at Dreamforce, there’s also a lot of fun to be had! If the smiling mascots and passion about technology and innovation doesn’t do it for you, the week of Dreamforce is also packed with parties! Check out the lists and make them part of your plan. There are also some pretty light hearted sessions such as the #AwesomeAdmin Lip Sync battle, which yours truly won last year, and #AwesomeAdmin Karaoke so don’t be afraid to let your hair down and have some fun with your fellow attendees! The conference also takes place in San Francisco so try to make some time to enjoy the city!

Tip Number 5: Dreamforce is more than a tech conference

While Salesforce has been consistently named one of the most innovative tech companies for several years in a row by Forbes, co-CEO Marc Benioff has said that “the business of business is improving the state of the world”. Nowhere is this more prevalent than at Dreamforce. In addition to learning about the latest and greatest technology, there are sessions such as a talk on Global Sustainability with former Vice President Al Gore, a session about Ethical Responsibility with Salesforce Chief Equality Officer Tony Prophet, and many others surrounding Equality and Diversity. These are also valuable topics to bring back to your companies and to incorporate in your work and personal lives and part of what makes working with Salesforce so special.

Bonus Tip: Use hand sanitizer

This is a bonus tip but something that I seem to forget every year. In your Dreamforce bag that is provided for being an attendee, there will be a bottle of hand sanitizer. MAKE SURE TO USE IT! The Dreamflu is a real thing! With 150,000 people in close quarters, you can bet that unfortunately not all of them will be as you are so using this hand sanitizer is a great way to help ensure that you can get back to work the next week.

Have a great Dreamforce!