The biggest takeaways from Dreamforce 2022

It’s been three long years since we were all able to gather in San Francisco for the biggest tech conference and party of the year: Dreamforce. After two years of virtual gatherings, the Apps Associates team and 40,000+ other Trailblazers and Salesforce MVPs from all over the world descended on San Francisco for the conference’s 20^th anniversary. This incredible milestone is extra special to the Apps family, as we also celebrate our 20^th anniversary this year. We are proud to have partnered with Salesforce for nearly 15 of those years, helping hundreds of companies realize their business goals with smart technology solutions.

Dreamforce famously blends a lively atmosphere with productivity, activism, and learning. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from Dreamforce 2022.

• The Partner ecosystem is strong and growing stronger
  • Salesforce is the fastest-growing software company in the world, recently surpassing SAP to claim the ‘largest software company’ title. They are projected to hit $50 billion in revenue in the next 5 years.
  • Salesforce Partners like Apps Associates play a huge role in this ecosystem and the global economy. It’s estimated that Salesforce and the partner system will create 4.2 million new jobs and $1.2 trillion in new business revenues worldwide. By 2026, every $1 Salesforce makes will earn the partner ecosystem $6.19.
  • This partnership is paramount as 70% of Salesforce customer implementations are done by partners!

• Activism & motivation are front and center
  • In his keynote address, Salesforce CEO and Founder Marc Benioff discussed the incredible importance of philanthropy, especially regarding our climate. He encouraged all to become “Ecopreneurs” – companies and individuals working together to create a net-zero environment. Be it by planting trees or reducing carbon emissions, we can and should put climate at the top of our priority list.
  • He also encouraged attendees to adopt the Japanese mindset of “shoshin” – having a beginner’s mind with an attitude of openness and eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject.

• Salesforce is investing in Slack and data capabilities
  • The biggest product announcement of the conference was Salesforce Genie, a real-time scalable data platform that unites customer data. Salesforce Genie will connect real-time data streams to create dynamic workflows for a personalized customer experience. Representatives from Ford and L’Oreal were highlighted to emphasize the importance of focusing on the “Entire Customer Buying Journey”.
  • Since the acquisition of Slack in 2021, Salesforce has been making a real investment in improving the collaboration tool including a new feature called “Huddle”, which allows for better collaboration, screensharing, and drawing capabilities. Salesforce also unveiled a new feature called Canvas, which allows teams to integrate data from their system of record and automate workflows with buttons and forms.

• Inspiring stories and words of wisdom
  • Each year Salesforce presents the Golden Hoodie Award, and this year’s recipient was truly inspiring. The Golden Hoodie award was presented to artist, refugee, and Salesforce developer Sima Samara. Pressured by government warnings to flee her country, Sima moved to the Netherlands, homeless, with no family support. Sima worked as a housekeeper when one day she noticed an advertisement for Salesforce classes for refugees. With limited experience, Sima utilized Salesforce Trailhead to reach Ranger status within two months and secure a tech job. With the income her new tech job provided Sima was able to buy a home in the Netherlands in one year. Really very inspiring!
  • In a conference with such inspiring speakers as Sima, Al Gore, and Jane Goodall, there were also guests from the entertainment world including Bono himself. He had so many amazing words of wisdom to share:
    • “Metaphorically, I was born with my fists up.”
    • “I don’t trust people who are not funny.”
    • “That’s my bottom-line prayer, to be useful.”
    • “You don’t have to agree on everything if the one thing you agree on is important enough.”

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Dreamforce this year and are once again grateful to Salesforce for hosting such an inspiring event. Can’t wait for next year!