Mar 21, 2017 By Pip Morphet

Destination Success 2017: They Came, They Learned, They Conquered.

in Events, Learning

What an inspiring week. Our second year of Destination Success saw over 1K attendees, double the number from 2016! With nine role-based learning tracks, including a brand-new track for Domain Architects, and 3+ chances to get certified, it was THE training and certification event of the year. And it wasn't only learning—there was some fun and networking, too. Customers celebrated Salesforce's 18th birthday, enjoyed a keynote, participated in a Championship Showdown, got their steps in with three Wellness Walks, danced at the LIGHT party, networked in the 10x Circles of Success sessions and Cloud Services demos, learned from the experts in the 8x breakout sessions, smiled for the biggest Trailblazer group photo ever, and crammed for exams in the study hall.

If you weren't there, you're going to wish that you were. Here are the top three reasons why our award-winning learning conference was such a phenomenal event:

1. It Broke Records
Not only did we get 520 people with Trailblazer hoodies to take part in our group photo (the biggest group yet!), we also broke some certification records, too. Although training took the majority of the agenda, there was the chance to sit for three certification exams as well, and our #DST17 attendees took full advantage of it. By the end of the week, we saw a total of 1,154 new certifications added to the Salesforce ecosystem—simply incredible.

2. We Celebrated
And we had much more than certification wins to celebrate over the week. Salesforce turned 18 on Tuesday, so what better way to honor such an achievement than to eat blue snacks and join in a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” during the keynote—priceless!

We also celebrated some of our women Trailblazers for International Women's Day. This amazing group of Salesforce-certified women couldn't better represent the #BeBoldForChange theme of IWD 2017 by investing in their own advancement and unleashing their potential through learning.

And what better way to wrap up International Women's Day than by welcoming Morgan Foley into the elite group of

Salesforce Certified Technical Architects (CTA). It was at Destination Success that Morgan found out she had passed her CTA Review Board exam—the final step to reaching the summit of expertise in the Salesforce Architect Journey. It is one of the most stringent tests in the industry, requiring hours of preparation, as well many years of experience deploying end-to-end Salesforce solutions. You really have to know Salesforce inside and out to pass this exam, but it takes more than just knowledge and skill—you also need dedication, grit and talent, so huge congrats to Morgan!

3. The Ohana Spirit Reigned Supreme
The feeling of togetherness and family that is key for Salesforce was even stronger for our #DST17 Ohana. We had daily Trailblazers, like Aravind, our first person certified. We welcomed Trailblazers from all over the globe, including Spain, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand. We crowned our new World Champions—Admin Michael, Marketer Caitlin, and Developer Joris—cheered on by everyone at the celebration party.

We all reveled in each other's successes: We high-fived the wins (or fist bumped, if you were in Brian's Marketing class), hugged out the misses, and made new and lasting friendships, building up support networks that will last beyond Vegas.

And the love fest didn't stop there! In the time-honored Ohana spirit of giving back, #DST17 attendees went above and beyond donating an impressive haul of school supplies for Clark County district students.

After all the prep, training, and study. After all the stress of exam time. Some crazy people still wanted more! So, when it all drew to close, we weren't the only ones feeling a little sad. Roll on, Destination Success 2018, we say.

Next year, we'll be heading to the East Coast and the Nation's capital, Washington D.C. Still not convinced you'll be there (why wouldn't you!)? Here are a few parting comments from our #DST17 fans.