Trailblazers are the heart and soul of Salesforce. Their passion and entrepreneurial spirit represent a new world of equality and the many pathways to opportunity through technology. This year at Dreamforce, we celebrated our Trailblazers and their soaring productivity using Salesforce Lightning. Coupled with the skills gained from Trailhead, Trailblazers transitioning to Lightning are reporting a 41% productivity uplift and a 40% increase in collaboration. Here is why Dreamforce '17 was just the first step to empowering Trailblazers to use the collaboration and productivity from Lightning to be at the front line of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

1. Discovery

The Lightning journey at Dreamforce started at the Lightning Launchpad. Thousands of Trailblazers like you wanted to know not why, but how to start your next level experience with Lightning. Your quest for knowledge and curiosity helped the Lightning Launchpad become the third most trafficked area at Dreamforce, behind the Campground and Trailhead Zone!

In the Lightning Launchpad, nearly 3,400 Trailblazers engaged in 1:1 consultations with our Lightning experts and discovered tools, resources, best adoption practices, product roadmaps, and expertise specific to their orgs to understand specific steps required to make the move to Lightning. If you missed this, the Dreamforce '17 fun and excitement also continues at various locations for the Lightning Now Tour and Trailhead Live/World Tour events! You can also download a rollout guide to learn about how to begin your Lightning Experience rollout, and encourage your Admin to run the Lightning Experience Readiness Check.

Trailblazers also discovered a world-wind of Lightning content to consume, including infographics, guides, and trail maps. Our product demo stations across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Community Cloud, and myLightning highlighted dozens of killer Lightning features firsthand. These demos showcased the power of the Lightning framework, enabling drag-and-drop capabilities to build apps and pages without code. We were thrilled for the opportunity to connect with all of you and help you get the most out of your Lightning Launchpad visit at Dreamforce.

2. Strategic Rollout

Trailblazers are the leaders of today because they challenge the status quo, whether that be by transitioning from Classic to Lightning, or using Salesforce technology as an equalizer to opportunity and education. Although change, like transitioning to Lightning Experience, may not be easy, Trailblazers know tackling those challenges head-on are the proper steps toward collaborative relationships that drive future growth and innovation.

We heard success stories from some of our Trailblazers at our Lightning Mega Sessions, including T-Mobile and CROSSMARK on Day 1, and UPS and CommScope on Day 3. By having faster and smarter Lightning console apps for Sales and Service, and leveraging key Lightning features like path, guidance, and opportunity workspaces, our Trailblazers were able to transform their businesses.

50+ customers like Aspect Software and Cisco also delivered theater sessions at the Lightning Theater, discussing how they strategically rolled out Lightning at their company. They also explained their timeline and customizations implemented. Adoption theater sessions and product theater sessions highlighted the benefits of the Lightning component framework and features like reports and dashboards, and Kanban, which help our Trailblazers experience a 29% increase in faster reporting.

Our expansive ecosystem of partners play a critical role. Partner demos from Bluewolf, Appirio, PwC, Deloitte Digital, and Altimetrik showcased the breadth of resources and services available to our Trailblazers who move to Lightning. Our partners and developers also contribute to the wealth of Salesforce innovation, such as Lightning ready apps and components. You can find them featured on the AppExchange.

3. Optimization

The success of the Lightning Launchpad mirrors the collaboration and productivity Trailblazers gain with the Lightning Experience and a supportive community.

While our Trailblazers are keen on optimizing their productivity, they also like to have fun! At the Lightning Launchpad, our interactive digital activation “Lightning Badge Catchers” game was a huge hit! Players were able to catch Lightning Trailhead badges by “soaring” through Dream Valley with their motion-activated jetpacks. Teams with the highest scores each day received mini-drones. 

Our myLightning UX area also showcased features for the new Spring '18 release such as personalized navigation and Lightning Bolt solutions with our Play-Match-Win game. Winners warmed up their Dreamforce experience with Lightning camping mugs. Lightning and Astro pins, Lightning Astro kites, and stickers were also handed out at Lightning Launchpad.

Outside of the Lightning Launchpad, Trailblazers continued to soar with Lightning at the Campground on an immersive digital experience.

Excited to make the move to Lightning? Check out these awesome customer success stories and start your journey today! Thank you again for helping us make Dreamforce 2017 a huge success. We could not have done it without you.