The awesomeness that was Dreamforce 2017

Ohana.

I had never heard this term before I dived into the Salesforce ecosystem in June of last year. I found out that, “In Hawaiian culture, Ohana represents the idea that families — blood-related, adopted, or intentional — are bound together, and that family members are responsible for one another.”

Large corporations have well-oiled marketing teams that churn out corporate slogans and buzzwords like no one’s business, but Ohana is different. Why?

Salesforce lives, breathes and propagates the Ohana culture among its 10,000+ employees and more than 150,000 customers. I had already experienced this Ohana as a customer, but Dreamforce took this to a whole new level. It was my first Salesforce mega-conference, and it did not disappoint! The opportunity to reunite and network was remarkable.

It was wonderful to connect with Salesforce customer and employee friends that have helped me on my crazy journey. These amazing people were far more impressive in person than in social media, and my only regret was not having more time to sit and chat.

Steve Molis and Megan Petersen

Daniel Peter and little mois

Becka Miller and her Trailhead competitor

Cheryl Feldman!

As for San Fransisco itself, I was thoroughly impressed. The climate was very pleasant for this time of year, and the city reminded me of Sydney in many ways, which is a good thing (of course!). Definitely a desirable vacation destination – maybe I’ll add a few days of R&R after Dreamforce next year.

Oh, and the food. Did I mention the food? My goodness! Sydney has some great places to eat, but San Francisco eclipses my city in this respect. San Fran has every conceivable type of cuisine, and caters to most any budget, from Mel’s Diner to Bobo’s steak and crab house. Even the hot dogs are awesome!

Did I mention the food? 😁

Neil smashed his fried chicken at Mel’s Diner

Steak and crab at Bobo’s. ‘Nuff said.

SanFran hot dog rocked.

I was overwhelmed and excited to present at my very first Dreamforce. Doug, Pooja and I were chosen by Geraldine Grey for the inaugural Admin Demo Jam. We were given four minutes each to present something that we had built in our orgs, why we had built it, and what the result was. Hopefully the session was helpful to those who attended. We certainly had fun presenting!

On a business networking level, Dreamforce excelled. My business partner, Neil Moodley, and I were able to make new contacts, investigate strategic partnerships, and solidify exisiting relationships. I would have to say that, on a business level, this was the most important and profitable aspect of Dreamforce.

How about the sessions, keynotes, demos, etc.? Extraordinary. The challenge was sifting through the plethora of sessions and choosing those that you really needed to attend. I found that it was best not to overbook yourself, as it was quite exhausting to walk between a myriad of consecutive sessions, never mind the mental energy required to concentrate on so many different topics. Best to focus.

How about 2018?

Am I planning to attend Dreamforce in 2018? Absolutely! At this stage, the conference dates appear to be September 25-28, but I suggest you keep your eyes peeled and confirm these dates for yourself.

I hope to see you there!