3 tips for your most progressive Dreamforce yet
Dreamforce is coming September 25-28 in San Francisco– are you ready?
There has never been a more important time to use the power of technology for good, so without further ado here are our top picks for your most progressive Dreamforce yet:
1. Spend some time in the Salesforce.org lodge.
If you work for a nonprofit, this is a no-brainer. But even if you work for a business or a Salesforce partner, nonprofits are doing some of the most innovative stuff on the Salesforce platform today and you are bound to be inspired and heartened by all the impact they are having.
Here are some of the sessions/events we’re most excited about:
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How Oregon Humanities Made Their Consulting Budget Stretch (Thursday at 2:30 pm in Colonial Theater): Idealist Consulting’s own Brent Shively will be speaking with 2017 Idealist Grant winner Oregon Humanities about how to best partner with a consultant. You don’t want to miss this.
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Amplify breakfast Wednesday 8-10 am: while this event is technically sold out, there are waitlist tickets and organizers say they’re committed to getting in as many people as possible.
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Salesforce.org Product Roadmap for Nonprofits: Where We Are & Where We're Headed (Tuesday at 12:30 pm): Roadmap sessions typically aren’t recorded and are led by people who work on the frontlines of product (rather than salespeople), so you are bound to get juicy new tidbits on what’s coming up for Nonprofit Cloud.
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Salesforce.org ISVs: A Shared Vision for Partner and Customer Success (Thursday 1 pm at Park Central): Idealist Consulting's own Rob Jordan joins a thought-provoking panel on how to leverage the Salesforce.org ecosystem to deliver a complete solution that ensures customer success. Hear directly from other Salesforce.org ISV partners, customers, and Salesforce.org experts as they discuss winning strategies and best practices for ISVs working with nonprofit and education customers. #DF18Partners
2. Spend some time learning something new about something you love
This is what Dreamforce is all about: those happenstance experiences where you meet someone or learn something you had no idea about, and it opens up possibilities for how you can use the Salesforce platform.
The folks at Salesforce have made it easy for you to customize your experience based on your role–-check out the custom Trailmaps for every role from Nonprofit to Admin to B2B Marketing (we’re particularly excited about the “Pardot Trailblazer Spotlight: Top Insights from B2B Marketing Experts” session).
3. Hit up at least one Dreamforce party
I am a big believer in not letting the endless stream of information overwhelm you at Dreamforce. One way to mitigate this is to let yourself take breaks to take in a non-Dreamforce San Francisco experience...from MOMA to great Mexican food in the Mission district, you have so many great options.
But also, even if you’re bleary-eyed from all the free happy hours and sessions, go to at least one real Dreamforce party. This is where you truly get a sense of the people behind the Salesforce community: a fun, wacky, engaging bunch with great dance moves.
We’ll make this easy for you: carve out time Thursday night (September 27) for our Engagement Party from 9pm-late at The Monarch nightclub. Nonprofits always get in free, just email marketing@idealistconsulting.com for the code.
Bonus: Pick one (or many) things to not do
If all the buzz about Dreamforce has left you overwhelmed with options on how to spend your time, take solace in the simple tips (wear comfortable shoes).
But also, accept that you can’t do everything and intentionally pick at least one area that you will not go to this year.
For me, I plan to spend each day in one hotel zone so that I don’t spend tons of time trying to get between sessions (which can easily take an hour out of your day). Maybe you pick one night to cash in early and get rest. Maybe you say this will be the year that you won’t worry about checking out the Expo zone. Whatever it is, saying no to something will only make your yeses more meaningful and will make for a better Dreamforce experience all around.
We’d love to hang out with you at our party!
