How to Engage with Salesforce Partners and Customers at Dreamforce 2017

Dreamforce 2017, the #1 Technology Industry Event in San Francisco, according to BizBash, has started on November 6 and promised to bring together Salesforce experts from all over the world. Considering the new features introduced in the Salesforce Winter ‘18 Release and the exceptional speakers, this is surely an event that will leave a lasting impression. If you’re attending this year’s edition or are preparing for the next one, there are several things you should know in terms of reasons to attend, ways to connect with others and expected outputs.

Why Attend Dreamforce In the First Place?

Salesforce has named Dreamforce 2017 the biggest customer service event of the year and the most extensive software conference in the world. While these are some big claims, it would be extremely difficult to prove them wrong. However, there are plenty of other arguments why you should attend Salesforce’s annual event. Marc Benioff, the company’s CEO, kicked off this year’s edition with the announcement that Salesforce, the #1 enterprise cloud company and global CRM leader, initiated fiscal 2019 revenue guidance of $12.45 billion to $12.5 billion.

The main reason would be if the company you own or work at uses Salesforce as the CRM platform to optimize the performance of your business. Considering that there are thousands of Salesforce experts attending the event, engaging with the right consultants could lead to very fruitful collaborations.

Another justification would be if you are a Salesforce consultant who wishes to engage with current customers, prospects and other consulting companies. Dreamforce is an excellent opportunity to bring yourself and your company up-to-date with the latest Salesforce features and with the best solutions used for overcoming Salesforce implementation challenges.

Salesforce takes pride in having the largest partner ecosystem of any tech company in the world. Then there are the company’s customers, of which there are more than 1.8 million all around the globe. Besides two categories of attendees, at Dreamforce you’ll also encounter Salesforce developers and experts in Salesforce AppExchange, the #1 enterprise app marketplace.

Connecting with the Salesforce Ecosystem at Dreamforce

Generally speaking, you should start connecting with the other attendees of an event right after securing your ticket. In particular, there are multiple ways of getting in touch with the other Dreamforcers. The first way is to find and connect with them on social media. People will usually promote the event and announce their presence well ahead of time, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Instagram. How hard is it to identify them? Not at all, considering that they are using hashtags such as:

#Dreamforce
#Dreamforce2017
#DF2017
#DF17
#RoadToDF2017
#SFDC
#CRM

Since Dreamforce 2017 has kicked off yesterday, it might seem that this way of connecting with the other attendees is obsolete. You couldn’t be more wrong! People will keep using these hashtags throughout the event, even though the messages may differ.

The second way is the Success Community (aka Trailblazer Community), where Salesforce users gather to discuss their issues, challenges and (as the name of the community suggests) their successes.

Go Beyond Dreamforce

Attending Dreamforce 2017 may only take 4 days, but it takes a lifetime to reap the benefits. In other words, the partnerships that you establish here with like-minded professionals can turn into collaborations that could last for years, if not decades.

Need Help Preparing for a Large Scale B2B Event?

When it comes to large-scale B2B events, the focus shouldn’t be on how nice the venue looks, but on the things over which to connect with others. Because of the high number of attendees, preparing well in advance is highly recommended, as to make sure that you engage with the most relevant prospects. Without proper arrangements, the event may seem chaotic, and you won’t take advantage of it to the fullest.

Need help? Whether you’re attending or organizing a large scale B2B event, we can assist you with social media management, content marketing, LinkedIn networking, email marketing and other lead generation activities that will help you stand out of the crowd and help you make the most out of the event. Keep in mind that each event may involve a certain mix of such activities to yield the best results!