Dreamforce to You will be a free virtual event that spans from 12 Nov 2020 through December and includes live events, keynote sessions, personal consultations, and recorded material. The virtual conference is the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced Salesforce in April to announce its plans to cancel its winter event at the Moscone Center that draws over 170,000 attendees.
Attendees will select the events and content they wish to see, ranging from product updates and demos to customer success stories about their digital transformation to advice from other executives and best practices from Salesforce partners.
“Everyone will experience Dreamforce to You differently, and it will depend on the experience they are enjoying. For example, customers will be able to build a tailored experience to address their unique needs; and our entire ecosystem will have the opportunity to tune into the opening keynote on Nov. 12 and Trailblazer celebration in December,” said Stephanie Buscemi, chief marketing officer of Salesforce.
Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff will be the keynote speaker on Nov. 12, when he will share the company’s vision for the future and new features that will be brought to the Salesforce Customer 360 platform. Benioff’s virtual presentation, as well as that of the Trailblazer community, will be open to the public, but other sessions and events will be limited to attendees of the virtual conference.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to network virtually during the two-month event, Buscemi said.
“Connection will be an important part of Dreamforce to You. Throughout November and December, we’ll have opportunities for our communities to come together through our marquee moments and in more intimate groups,” Buscemi said.
Salesforce is also exploring options to bring its Dreamforce mindfulness sessions to the virtual event, as well as its live concerts.
The overriding goal of Dreamforce to You is to be helpful and relevant with customers and the community and show them how to succeed in this new normal, she added.
“We’ll know we’re successful if our customers are successful. We’re co-creating Dreamforce to You with them,” Buscemi said.
The greatest challenge Buscemi faced when designing Dreamforce to You was having to start from scratch, she said. Her team knew it would be unlike any other technology conference that they had attended in the past, so they adopted a beginner’s mind to transform it, she added.
As part of the Dreamforce transformation, Salesforce was cognizant of the impact it would have on San Francisco’s economy to forgo its week-long event at the Moscone Center, where about 170,000 attendees typically descend on the city for the user conference.
“When we were reimagining Dreamforce, we had to reimagine how to serve our communities — especially in light of the pandemic and the converging crises of 2020, which have amplified existing inequalities,” Buscemi said.
Salesforce is creating a $2 million grant fund to support small businesses in San Francisco that are facing financial difficulties. Businesses that have between 2 to 50 employees are eligible to apply for the grant money. The size of the grants has yet to be determined but that information is expected to be ready in November.
“The Covid-19 global crisis has hit small businesses especially hard. They are the heart of our communities and we care deeply about the challenges they are facing in this crisis,” Buscemi said.
Additionally, Salesforce will donate $3 million to its global nonprofit partners, such as World Central Kitchen and Eat.Learn.Play, which both focus on addressing hunger. Proceeds will also go to health equity (RED) and CareMessage, and climate action with Plant for the Planet.
This article was originally published by Business Journals. Algoworks does not take any credit and is not responsible for the information shared in the article.
Algoworks is attending Dreamforce To You 2020! We have been attending this behemothic event since 2013 and look forward to another amazing year. Comment below if you are attending too and we can plan our e-meet. Can’t wait to network with fellow Salesforce enthusiasts 🙂
