Just like Slamdance is becoming a “thing” at the Sundance Film Festival, Retailforce is becoming a, well, “force” at Dreamforce this year. On October 4-7, 2016, thousands of retailers will gather in San Francisco to discuss the latest tools and techniques available to get closer to their customers. Not sure what to expect? Get a quick glimpse of what Salesforce has in-store for retailers here.

We’ve heard past attendees describe Dreamforce in a number of creative ways. Some of our favorites include, “Burning Man with Wifi” or “A giant party in the middle of San Francisco.” Others that might fall more on the technology side of things include “The Cloud Explained” or “Progress in Tech Conference.” But in reality, it’s so much more.

As Salesforce has evolved, Dreamforce has alongside of it. Today, Dreamforce is a point of convergence for sales, marketing, IT and service professionals to get together and talk about how to get closer to their customers. But not just for professionals across industries - but specific for professionals within a single industry, such as the retail industry.

Thousands of retailers will gather in San Francisco to explore emerging trends and obtain practical guidance on how to know, service, surprise and delight their shoppers. If you siphon off the retail audience at Dreamforce, you’ll see it’s larger than many of the major retail trade shows. And more comprehensive.

Retailers come to Dreamforce to listen to and share strategies and success stories related to social media, mobile marketing, email marketing, personalization, customer journeys, predictive intelligence, agile development, digital commerce, omnichannel operations and more. Since Dreamforce offers content for retailers just cutting their teeth on segmentation and the seasoned Salesforce customers accustomed to building 1:1 journeys at scale, it’s easy to get lost in all the sessions that the conference has to offer. Don’t worry: we’ve collected the top 5 list of activities every retailer should attend at Dreamforce 2016.

#1 The Retail Thought Leadership Session at Dreamforce

Join three leading retailers as they discuss the future of retail in “Connect to Your Shoppers in a Whole New Way”. SVP of Salesforce Industries, Retail, Shelley Bransten will host leaders from Aldo, Walmart and vineyard vines to explore the trends shaping the industry today and how these retailers are incorporating marketing into every facet of business operations to deliver connected shopping experiences. October 4, 2016, 11:00-12:00 pm Pacific.

#2 Experience the Future of Retail in the Salesforce Campground

Most retailers will admit that no two shoppers are alike. And most cases, these retailers will admit that no two shoppers should be treated the same. Dreamforce provides the chance for attendees to walk through three distinct ways retailers are delivering true shopper-centricity in the Campground. First, any retailer should explore the Aldo Shopper Success Experience, and see how the specialty retailer is building 1-to-1 shopper journeys, delivering intelligent service and supercharging store associates to deliver connected retail experiences. Special tip: don’t miss the x-ray vision of the showcase. Salesforce has developed a special experience to showcase how retailers can understand their shoppers in a whole new way.

Then any attendee should pop into the vineyard vines pop-up store, where you can see Salesforce solutions in action when you elect to purchase the brand’s latest and greatest merchandise (we encourage you to buy the ties!).  Then, retailers can saunter on down to the T-Mobile Consumer Success Experience to discover how the communications industry is taking a modern and mobile approach to the retail store. October 4-7, 2016, during EXPO Hours.

#3 It’s Party Time: Making It Fun for Retail Stores and Employees

OK, if your conference is called “Burning Man with Wifi”, you need to up the ante in your thought leadership sessions. And Dreamforce will deliver for retail! Don’t miss this amazing session on how Party City has adopted an agile platform that fosters growth and supports constant innovation. Experience how the specialty retailer is able to surface relevant information filtered by inventory, price or promotion to enable employees to operate more efficiently across channels, increase per customer basket size and loyalty and drive innovation across the organization. October 5, 2016, 10:00-10:40 AM Pacific.

#4 Crush Your CSAT Goals with Shopper Service

360-degree view of the shopper with legacy systems? No problem! The key to delivering world class shopper service starts with having the right platform in place to create a unified customer experience across all channels. Join our specialty retailers, The Men's Wearhouse and B&H Photo, to learn how to provide smart, personalized service to deepen customer engagement any time and on any device. October 5, 2016, 9:00-9:40 AM Pacific.

#5 Cocktails, Canapes and a Modern Retail Revolution

We saved the best for last. Mark your calendars for an extracurricular retail session at the event - a VIP experience hosted at a special retail store location. Join Salesforce for an executive event at Suitsupply, for nonstop networking, cocktails and canapes and, of course, thought leadership. Hear an executive from Suitsupply share the brand’s incredible story of how they are disrupting the retail industry - and how it’s working. It’s a story of retail personalization at scale and incredible success. To request your event invitation, please visit here. October 4, 2016 6:00-8:00 pm Pacific.

Want to learn more about the retail program at Dreamforce? Catch a glimpse of the session schedule here: www.dreamforce.com/retail