Dreamforce Through the Eyes of a Rookie
Unlike my colleague, Sean Speer, I’m not a Dreamforce veteran. Truth be told, I’m a Dreamforce rookie and 2018 was my first time attending this epic event. It certainly won’t be my last!
As I prepared for the event, I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I reached out to a few of my teammates for advice. Everyone mentioned that I would be blown away by the sheer volume of people at Dreamforce (and I was), but then came the practical tips. Wear comfortable shoes. Attend as many sessions as possible. Learn what’s new with Salesforce and what’s around the corner. Take time to visit the booths of other companies and listen to their presentations. Be a sponge and soak up as much information as possible.
This sound advice helped me make the most of my first Dreamforce experience. The event definitely surpassed all my expectations, even though I missed the concert with Janet Jackson. Sad face.
One of the most memorable aspects of Dreamforce was standing alongside my colleagues, watching them team interact with customers. No matter what questions or difficult problems customers threw at them, my teammates responded confidently, leveraging their in-depth knowledge of the Salesforce platform. I was left inspired to dive deep into everything Salesforce has to offer.
Among the various sessions that I attended, my favorite was with Dr. Vincent Matthews, who is the SFUSD Superintendent. He spoke about equity equaling equality, and supported this theme with a tangible example. Specifically, he showed a photo of three children as they tried to watch a baseball game. One of the children was very tall and had a great view; the second was average height, so could see the game by standing on a one-step stool; and the third child—the youngest and shortest—needed a stool with three steps in order to watch the action. Dr. Matthews explained to the audience that not every child has the same abilities as other children, but that does not mean that they can’t reach the same goal, which, in this case, was watching the baseball game. Indeed, in a classroom setting, some kids need no help, some need a little, and some need a lot. Everyone is different and has their own strengths and weaknesses, but with the appropriate help, they can all reach the same goal. This effective example reminded me of the impact that we can make on people’s lives by giving them the tools they need to succeed.
I wrapped up Dreamforce over a debrief dinner with my colleagues on Thursday night. As we shared our learnings, favorite moments, and insights, I was reminded how lucky I am to be part of the Salesforce ecosystem. I’m already counting down the days to Dreamforce 2019!
