Dreamforce ’20 has officially been announced and even though it’s going to be virtual, it promises to be the silver lining to a year that has had a myriad of challenges, twists and turns. The virtuality of it allows us to experience the best that Dreamforce has to offer from the comfort of our kitchens, living rooms, gardens and terraces.
Events around the world are being reimagined. While it’s not quite what we’re used to, it provides attendees with a unique perspective and allow them to immerse themselves in the learning and sharing of information without the need to be physically present.
Extentia has also transitioned some our most popular initiatives to virtual mediums including our XEN LAB Design Thinking Workshops, Our Step-Up upskilling initiative, and our Friday Reboot sessions. All of this took a fair amount of adjusting to but once we did, we realized the number of untapped advantages to holding events online. Of course, there are drawbacks (we can no longer whisper to each other between sessions), but by no means do they detract from the overall experience.
With that in mind, as we look ahead to what’s going to be an entire month of Dreamforce, we thought we’d talk about a few things we’re going to miss about a physically-present Dreamforce as well as what we think is going to be even better attending Dreamforce in its new virtual iteration.
What we’ll miss – Things that won’t quite be the same from home
Catching up with the Ohana
While we’re all going to be very much present and part of Dreamforce virtually, we’d be lying if we didn’t say we’d miss the thrill of running into a familiar face while walking to your next session or being able to just mosey on up to someone and introduce yourself. The spontaneity of interactions between fellow Trailblazers is what makes Dreamforce such a vibrant place and allows for the strongest bonds between members of the Ohana to be forged. We’re all going to have to learn to replicate this virtually.
The snacks and goodies
Picture this, you’re walking along the halls of the Moscone Convention Center after a long, exciting yet exhausting day of attending sessions and demonstrations. You’re thirsty and absolutely famished and in the distance you see a table laden with an assortment of sandwiches, cookies and cupcakes.
After gorging on those you look over and see a table full of the coolest Dreamforce swag you’ve ever seen and zip over to hoover up as many keychains, bracelets and coffee mugs as you can. There’s nothing like Dreamforce to awaken that childlike sense of wonder and contentment at the end of a long day of adulting.
Meeting the mascots and taking selfies
We are going to still be able to see and catch-up with Codey, Astro and the gang virtually, but we won’t be able to take our traditional group pictures and selfies with all of them. Watching all of them amble through the halls, interacting and goofing around with Trailblazers, spreading cheer to all who come across them is something that everyone needs to witness at least once and we’re looking forward to doing so whenever we’re able to interact with the Ohana once again.
Live band performances and the parties
Watching Metallica tear it up on stage at Dreamforce ’18 was one of the highlights of that year for all of us. It’s only at Dreamforce where you’d be attending meetings, demonstrations and sessions during the day and grooving and headbanging in unison with one of the biggest bands in the world and thousands of other conference-goers by night.
Salesforce has always managed to strike the perfect balance between being non-stop learning and non-stop partying. There’s nothing like kicking back with a drink and some great company at an afterparty following a long day. We’ll be attempting to do all of this virtually of course, and we can’t wait to see all of you at a Dreamforce Zoom Party and welcome you into our homes.
A Virtual Dreamforce – things that will be even better
Widespread access for the whole Ohana
While it’s always great to have an event that is as busy and in demand at Dreamforce, it does mean that some people will be left out of keynotes, roundtables and sessions once it reaches capacity. Thanks to the wonders and convenience of modern technological innovation, Dreamforce ’20 is going to be more accessible than ever before.
No more booking hotel rooms and scrambling for passes and worrying about missing out on the best sessions because they’re full. For the first time every single member of the global Salesforce Ohana will be able to be a part of the action. We’ll even be able to get our actual families to see precisely what they miss out on every year.
No crowds and no walking (unless it’s to the kitchen for snacks)
While we love being around the Ohana, the sheer crowds that Dreamforce draws can sometimes make it quite a Herculean task to move from one place to another. The size of the Moscone center also means getting in more than your recommended daily steps over the course of the day.
Dreamforce ’20 going virtual means you can veg out on your couch or bed and still take in the same amount of insights, participate in as many discussions and network with the same amount of enthusiasm and energy as you would if you were there in person.
The ability to attend more sessions
The biggest problem all of us have while attending Dreamforce is deciding precisely which sessions to attend. While they keynotes are usually the highlight, there are so many hidden gems amongst the multitude of demonstrations, workshops and discussions that take place on a given day.
Catching one session and then making a mad dash to catch the end of another taking place simultaneously is something of a tradition for any Dreamforce veteran. This year, we no longer have to worry about doing any running to avoid missing out and we’ll be able to view and attend far more than ever before. We’ll even be able to go back and re-watch our favourite sessions multiple times at our own convenience.
Celebrating the success of the Ohana
The best part about Dreamforce ‘20 is without a shadow of a doubt going to be being able to embrace all that Dreamforce has to offer from the safety and solace of our homes. The current situation has made all of us revaluate and take stock of what’s truly important in our lives from the work that we do, to our friends and family, to giving back to those who live lives of considerably less privilege.
We’ve taken refuge from a temporarily turbulent outside world to continue to excel and exceed professionally from within our homes. Wherever in the world we are, the versatility of Salesforce ecosystem allows us to deliver long term solutions for a better tomorrow.
Dreamforce ‘20 will be a celebration of every challenge that the collective strength of the Ohana has navigated and adapted to. It’s only fitting that such a celebration take place in the environments where all of our success stories this year have been forged: at home!
We can’t wait to see what an entire month of Dreamforce has in store for us. We hope we see you there. Let us know if you’re going to be tuning in as well. We’d love to catch up over a Zoom party and a hot cup of coffee!
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