Welcome Back: Dreamforce Reminds Us What We’ve Been Missing
These were the highlights from Salesforce's Dreamforce '22 event, from Genie to the Chili Peppers.
In the 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter,” Gabe Kotter returns to his alma mater to teach a band of misfits to tap into their potential. Rough around the edges and academically remedial, nobody expects much of them.
With many conferences on hiatus due to the pandemic over the past couple years, many of us felt a bit like social misfits ourselves — working from home, unaccustomed to being in big open spaces and making small talk. So, when Salesforce announced Dreamforce’s full-force return this year, it felt a bit like a homecoming of sorts.
While it would be impossible to detail everything that kept us busy — from the big announcements to company achievements to quieter victories — here is some of what we took away from this year’s conference.
On a macro level, this year’s big announcement was the launch of Salesforce Genie. The real-time CDP is a game-changer. The platform creates a unified customer profile that draws data from copious streams and gives customers access to them instantly.
As an experienced Salesforce partner, our team is excited to show our clients how much potential this new tool can unlock. Lots of exciting options leave us sitting on the back of our chair like Vinnie Barbarino.
While Genie was all the buzz across companies at Dreamforce, we had some triumphs on a company-wide level. Jacob Hofmann, our senior vice president of sales, and Marley Schiesz, our Salesforce solution architect, joined marquee client PGA Tour Superstore onstage for a customer panel.
The standing-room-only presentation illustrated how our team helped PGA Tour Superstore unify its data, get its marketing and IT teams on the same page and have confidence in their automation and personalization. Talk about a hole in one!
Going all out, Salesforce brought the Red Hot Chili Peppers to “give it away, give it away, give it away.” It was likely a highlight for many in attendance. Our team was no exception. We ramped up to the spectacle with happy hour at Mission Rock Resort prior to the show — a real case of Californication.
On a quieter note, our team also had the chance to sit down with 13 of our esteemed clients for dinner. To show our appreciation for their continued business, our team was able to get to know the people behind the business a bit better, which goes a long way in any partnership.
All in all, the conference was a smashing success. So, the names have all changed since we’ve hung around. But that Dreamforce has remained and they’ve turned around. Welcome back. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.