Use the Dreamforce, Luke

Every year, thousands of administrators, executives, and developers gather in San Francisco to celebrate another year of Dreamforce–the Coachella of the Salesforce world (minus the desert conditions). Bitwise Industries sent our robust Salesforce team to experience the awesomeness firsthand. This year’s speakers included Salesforce Co-CEOs Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor, as well as celebrity appearances from Jennifer Hudson, Matthew McConaughey and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. It’s the chance for over 100,000 users to discuss, learn, and teach about all things Salesforce. We asked a few attendees from our team what their highlights were of this momentous annual event; here are a few of their experiences at Dreamforce 2022. (Maybe these will inspire you to go in 2023!)

Focusing on Inclusion

This was Rae Sage’s first time at Dreamforce. A Salesforce admin on the Bitwise team, Rae was initially overwhelmed by the amount of people at Dreamforce. “It definitely seems like a huge networking event,” but still, they found plenty of panels  that were informative and useful. They attended discussions with a focus on workplace inclusivity, including talks on Disability and Diversity Inclusion, along with Admin and Project Management sessions. “The Disability Inclusion session was my favorite. Everyone there was super friendly, welcoming, and very patient. I got to meet other folks with disabilities, while also hearing stories of folks living with disabilities while being in Salesforce. It was a very low-key, calm, and quiet environment to be in, which was a great break from the overcrowded/loud sessions.”

Discovering Pathways for All

For Joe Wheelock, this was his first full Dreamforce after attending only one day of the conference in 2019. This year, he was able to participate in the full conference, and was able to attend “way more sessions, as well as network with industry folks, and attend the Dreamfest concert.” (The Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined!) Joe’s focus was on architecture and admin sessions to support his career pathway, along with building skills to support Bitwise’s needs. One of his favorite sessions was about Mobile Pathways, a company that focuses on using a Salesforce tech stack to provide support and updates to immigrants coming to the United States, helping them to navigate the legal aspects of the immigration system.

Sharpening Skills to Share with Others

Salesforce Apprentice Lead, Victor Carranza, was also a Dreamforce first-timer. “It exceeded my expectations. From learning about new products and their tips and tricks, to meeting a wide range of folks, it was just an amazing experience!” He prioritized admin-focused panels, attending the Admin Keynote, DevOps Center Workshops, and the Dreamforce Main Keynote. A favorite panel of his was the Winter ‘23 Release Admin Preview. “They covered material that immediately impacts all instances, and staying informed with admin-specific sessions to arm my apprentices with knowledge and perspective was important.” For Victor, the highlights were all about hanging with his team–“It was so awesome to meet our Salesforce pals that I don’t get to see on a daily basis, and touring the Salesforce Tower was one of the highlights, especially because we came together as a team and truly enjoyed each other’s company.”

Diving into New Features

For Casiano Payawal, Salesforce Project Manager, this was his first time attending Dreamforce. He prioritized Tableau sessions, admin-level workshops for Flow Orchestration, as well as the Admin Keynote. “The Admin Keynote was really fun to sit in on, especially after watching them online for the past two years. It was great to see new features and to hear other admins talk about how they implemented them, and to also see how the product managers speak and carry themselves during their demos.” Casiano appreciated the time with so many other members of the Salesforce ecosystem. “While I was a bit shy during the daytime sessions, I really enjoyed sparking conversations with like-minded folks at the networking events outside of Dreamforce.”

Leaning into Accessibility for All

Roxanne Finks, a Project Manager on our team, experienced the excitement of her first Dreamforce. “To help with the anxiety of the conference, I created a goal for each day. The first day, I wanted to make connections with vendors and future partners. The second day, I made my way through the Dreamforce Quest, and on the last day, I paired up with Bitwise team members to attend sessions I wouldn’t normally go to.” Roxanne prioritized a variety of different sessions ranging from general Salesforce admin sessions, to fellow Bitwise teammate Tiffany Spencer’s session on Being Black In Tech. A highlight for Roxanne were the accessibility sessions, “They were very informative. I left those sessions thinking about the challenges those with disabilities have and even though technology has made it better, we still have a long way to go in supporting them.” For Roxanne, being amongst so many members of the Salesforce community was overwhelming, but great. She met tons of new peers within the Salesforce ecosystem, and got to connect with Bitwise teammates as well.

The Admins Have Spoken: Dreamforce 2022 was a Success!

Whether you’re an admin or a user, consider attending Dreamforce in the future to get the full, immersive experience of support, networking, tips and ticks, and advice from the pros on what’s new and exciting in the Salesforce ecosystem. Our attendees are just a handful of the mighty Salesforce team in our organization, and the rest of our team has loads of information to share about our services for anyone who might be curious–schedule a chat with us!

Let Us Be Your Salesforce Obi Wan

Bitwise Industries specializes in custom software development and Salesforce implementation and administration. Our technology professionals have deep experience applying cutting-edge technology solutions to help entities of all sizes navigate the technology landscape to find solutions to optimize their operations.

This post was written by Amber Carpenter, Jr. Copywriter at Bitwise Industries. When she isn’t writing up a storm, she is crying over the classic Whitney Houston film, The Bodyguard, and (spoiler alert!) was deeply relieved Kevin Costner didn’t die at the end.

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