After all the planning, excitement, (a little worrying), and anticipation, I can’t quite believe that my first Dreamforce is over already. Although I did venture out a few times to see for myself the epic-ness that is Dreamforce, the majority of my time was spent in the Salesforce U Lodge, specifically in the Peak Performance Theater area.

Special thanks to all of you who trekked it over to the Hilton to join us. And for those who didn’t make it over (shame on you) here’s what you missed.

1. In-depth Training and Certification Exams

We delivered our award-winning curriculum to over 11,000 customer Trailblazers, with our pre-conference training that starts the weekend leading up to and continues during #DF16. Customers learned directly from the source how to hone their admin, developer, marketer, and end user Salesforce skills. In addition to training, our certification exam sessions were at capacity, as 1200+ Salesforce Pros sat for the chance to earn the coveted credential in their area of expertise. And because teaching is what we are most passionate about, we presented an additional 60 workshop and theater sessions that covered hot topics such as How to Drive Salesforce User Adoption and Tips for Earning your Salesforce Certification.  

2. Details of the All-New Architect Program (Psst...the Learning Materials are now FREE!)

Daily Workshop and Theater sessions detailed the announcement of the new and improved Architect Journey, making the path to becoming one of the Salesforce Elite more defined than ever. Now, you can progress by building your skills and knowledge in specific domains, accumulating specialized domain Salesforce certifications along the way. The framework is well-served by our library of robust, FREE, self-directed training guides, which are aligned to each certification. Learn More.

To augment this announcement, we invited CTA Steven Herod to share how he achieved 6 of these certifications in just one day! Look out for his blog detailing his incredible achievement coming soon.

3. The Launch of Destination Success 2017 – The Award-Winning Salesforce Training and Certification Conference

After an outstanding (and award-winning) inaugural event held earlier in the year, Destination Success 2017 was launched at Dreamforce. Designed so you can immerse yourself in 5 days of expert instruction and Salesforce certification, this event provides over 100 hours of expert-led training, 9 learning tracks for 5 different Salesforce roles, and multiple FREE certification exam opportunities — putting you on the fast track to mastering Salesforce. Secure your spot at a remarkable early-bird price. Learn more and Book Now.

4. Additional Learning Opportunities at the Peak Performance Theater

Ahhh, my main stomping ground for the duration of Dreamforce. This was a new section for us this year, not only providing a lovely mock fireside environment to kick back and relax (and eat a spot of lunch), but it was also the venue for over 40 informative, interesting, and inspiring quick-fire 20-minute sessions. How-to’s, hints and tips, Certification Q&As, Salesforce U product overviews, and some incredible Certification Story blog guest speakers made up the varied array of topics. We also streamed in the event keynote for those who couldn’t make it back over to Moscone West.

5. Friendly Fun and a Healthy Dose of Competition at the Summit Slalom and Climb the Summit Gif Photo Booth

Many joined the friendly competition of hurtling down the slope on the interactive ski machine. What started as a way of earning a stamp on the trail map to get some cool swag at “Mount Swagmore” became a “bragging rights” must as the queue to join the high score list grew longer over the course of the event.

Competition was also fierce in the unofficial “Who can create the craziest Climb the Summit” gif. I may be a little biased, but I think that our marketing team did pretty well in these stakes. Yes, we did actually push poor Teddy off the rock, so that expression is 100% real.

Not only did people leave the Salesforce U Lodge trained and/or certified, but there were also plenty of happy memories, good times, friendly banter, meaningful conversations, and mountain climbing puns.

See you next year when we do it (bigger and brighter) all over again!