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Salesforce events are such valuable career opportunities, full of networking, inspiration, learning and fun. Whether it’s heading along to the extravaganza that is Dreamforce or attending events closer to home, like Basecamp Auckland and local user groups, there’s plenty of benefit to be had from getting out of the office.
One of the best things about the Salesforce community is how willing people are to share their experiences and learnings, and help others – this is something that’s always on show at Salesforce events.
Yes, the sessions are great, always interesting and informative, but I believe the real value of attending a Salesforce event is the opportunity for Trailblazers to connect with one another, industry experts and Salesforce Partners. As local Trailblazer Alex Crossan put it, Salesforce events are: “A great opportunity to learn how others are tackling similar challenges, and utilising Salesforce and Trailhead.”
It’s also at events where you really appreciate that Salesforce is so much more than technology – it’s a community of Trailblazers, and we work collaboratively to achieve customer success and make the world a better place. You also see Salesforce’s core values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality come alive at events.
Of course, there’s one event in the annual Salesforce calendar that’s something truly special. Words can’t describe Dreamforce – it’s so much more than a technology conference.
I’ve just returned home from my fourth Dreamforce, and what an exhilarating, inspiring four days it was. The sheer size and scale of the event is consistently mind-blowing.
When you have 171,000 people descend upon a city of 870,000 people, there’s a real buzz that permeates San Francisco that week. Locals are incredibly gracious and welcoming, especially given their city is effectively taken over for four very busy days. Streets are blocked off, temporary parks are created where live bands play all week, the big hotels in the area become an extension of the Moscone Centre to accommodate the event’s 2700+ sessions. It’s (highly organised) chaos.
The enthusiasm of Dreamforce attendees is infectious. Everyone’s there embracing the learning spirit. It’s probably the only place in the world where I can imagine seeing a bunch of business people eagerly take part in gamified activities to earn soft toys, before rocking it out to Metallica (who headlined this year’s Dreamfest concert).
To sum it up, Dreamforce is a manic week full of sessions, meetings, networking opportunities and the odd moment of respite in the APAC lounge (a floor of the W Hotel reserved for APAC customers to recharge and get a decent coffee, which is surprisingly hard to find in San Francisco).
I appreciate that it’s a big commitment for us Kiwis to take a week off work and travel halfway around the world, so it was great to see over 90 people from the Salesforce New Zealand Ohana make the trip to San Francisco this year.
Each year, my favourite part of the event is hearing from the incredible lineup of customer speakers, all sharing the innovative ways they’re using the Salesforce platform. It was also fantastic to see this year some of our New Zealand Trailblazers take to the global stage and share their success stories.
Xero’s Chief Customer, People and Marketing Officer Rachael Powell shared the lessons Xero has learnt from evolving its self-service portals and communities, and insights into matching self-service to changing customer expectations.
Spark New Zealand talked about their move to Lightning, and how they've accelerated their pace of development to deliver great business and customer-focused results. Foodstuffs shared how they’re re-imagining the B2B commerce experience in order to meet the needs of busy chefs. We also heard from Bank of New Zealand and Fisher & Paykel.
The dust may have now settled on Dreamforce 2018, but there’s already a date locked in for Dreamforce 2019 – mark 19–22 November in your calendar. And I strongly encourage you to consider making the trip to San Francisco. Yes, it’s a substantial investment but one you – and your organisation – won’t regret.
The good news is that the best of Dreamforce is coming to Auckland. The most important insights, learnings, best practices and solutions from Dreamforce 2018 have been cherry-picked and packaged up into the action-packed, one-day Salesforce Basecamp Auckland.
So, what’s in-store? At Basecamp Auckland on Wednesday 7 November at SKYCITY Auckland, you’ll hear from an amazing speaker lineup of local customer Trailblazers, disruptors and industry thought leaders. You’ll discover how some of our most innovative customers, including Fisher & Paykel, Spark New Zealand and more, are engaging and exceeding the expectations of today’s connected customers.
With great sessions, live demos, breakouts, Circles of Success, hands-on workshops and the Customer Success Expo, Basecamp Auckland should be added to your diary now.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to blaze your trail to customer success. Register to attend 2018 Salesforce Basecamp Auckland.
