Top 5 Tips for Your Dreamforce Experience
Dreamforce—Salesforce’s most-loved user conference—has been a highlight for many business professionals since its inception in 2003. This year, Dreamforce is taking place in San Francisco from September 17-19 at the Moscone Center. From on-site training and networking opportunities to exciting concerts and parties, Dreamforce brings no shortage of valuable experiences for Salesforce administrators, developers, partners, users, and prospects alike. If you’ve attended Dreamforce in the past, you know exactly why it’s been described as “more than just a conference.”
At its core, Dreamforce is a place that brings the Salesforce community together to learn, share, and grow through Salesforce technology and best practices. The can’t-miss, immersive experiences provided at Dreamforce include:
- Inspiring keynotes and sessions from Salesforce leaders and visionaries (1,000+ breakout sessions this year!)
- In-person and virtual opportunities for training and certifications to further your Salesforce career.
- Exhilarating insider events such as Dreamfest and Dreampitch.
- High-profile interviews and sessions with incredible luminaries like Kristen Bell, Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Hudson (to name a few from past Dreamforce events).
Why should you attend Dreamforce?
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what attendees have gained from Dreamforce in previous years.*
- 94% learned how to get more value from their CRM.
- 92% learned something new about AI to help them or their business.
- 91% learned something that helped their business grow.
- 89% learned how to use their data more efficiently.
*Based on the 2024 Salesforce survey of 1,386 in-person Dreamforce 2023 attendees.
With so many opportunities for learning, growth, and fun, it can be overwhelming to plan your schedule and try to get the most out of the experience. With 14 years of attendance, the Accounting Seed team are Dreamforce experts. We asked them to share their tips and tricks for getting the most out of Dreamforce.
1. Register ASAP, Book Travel Now, and Arrive Early
Depending on where you’re traveling from, transportation to and lodging in San Francisco can be both expensive and hard to find. Register and book your flight/hotel now to secure better registration rates and discounted lodging.
When you register for the conference, you will be given the option to select hotels from the Salesforce room blocks at a discount rate. Don’t delay—it sells out quickly and once the hotels are full, it can be tough to find an affordable stay. Start your Dreamforce registration today!
Additionally, we recommend arriving a day early to Dreamforce (September 16) to avoid the lines on day one for gathering your conference badge and materials at the Moscone Center. The more time you can save, the more experiences you can take advantage of.
2. Plan Your Session Schedule Before Arrival
Dreamforce has various session tracks for different roles. From marketing and sales to IT and C-suite, there are tons of sessions specific to your career and Salesforce experience. The vast number of sessions and keynotes available can make it difficult to plan while you’re at Dreamforce.
Thankfully, Salesforce makes the session schedule available online before the conference. Once available, set aside time to sift through the options and plot out which sessions, trainings, and keynotes you’ll want to attend. Our seasoned teammates even suggest blocking out time on your work calendar to make sure you actually do this before you arrive at Dreamforce.
As you’re planning your schedule, keep in mind that some sessions will be available later in Salesforce+. Thus, if there are two sessions happening at the same time that you’d like to attend, you might be able to catch one later online several weeks after Dreamforce.
3. Take Advantage of Certification Opportunities
If you’re on the path to becoming a Salesforce Administrator or you’re looking to gain expertise on a particular Salesforce product, Dreamforce is the perfect conference to prepare for or secure a certification.
Dreamforce hosts several opportunities to take certifications such as:
- Marketing Cloud Administrator
- Advanced Salesforce Administrator
- Business Analyst
- B2B/B2C Solutions Architect
- Heroku Architect
- Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist
- User Experience (UX) Designer
- And more!
Keep an eye on the Dreamforce session schedule to see what certification opportunities will be available to you.
4. Don’t Miss the Dreamforce Campground
It goes without saying, part of the excitement of the Salesforce ecosystem is its dynamic community of implementation consultants and AppExchange applications. You can discover business solutions on the Salesforce AppExchange at the Dreamforce Campground (open daily during Dreamforce). In addition to the Salesforce Customer 360, industry-specific solutions, and product demos, the Campground hosts hundreds of Salesforce sponsors ready to share their solutions with you. Companies such as Avalara, Conga, OwnBackup, and many more will be onsite this year—including Accounting Seed.
Whether you’re looking for an accounting solution built on Salesforce or already using Accounting Seed, we’d love to see you! Be sure to stop by our booth to see Accounting Seed in action, walk away with some unique swag, and score a chance to win exciting prizes.
5. Prioritize Your Time and Conserve Your Energy
Part of the fun at Dreamforce is the happy hours, dinners, and community-led experiences for building relationships and connecting with the Salesforce Ohana. From the famous Dreamfest concert at Oracle Park to happy hours hosted by AppExchange partners, there truly is no shortage of events to attend and enjoy.
As you plan out your schedule, keep in mind that the days are long and packed with learnings. While you’ll be feeling invigorated and excited about all you’re discovering, you’ll also be exhausted. Pick out a couple of select events you think you’ll really benefit from and stick to those. In a nutshell—have fun! But be mindful of your energy level and what you can reasonably accomplish.
P.S. Dress for comfort! San Francisco is a very walkable city, and during Dreamforce you’ll likely be doing more walking than you’re used to. Skip the heels and dress shoes for comfortable walking shoes to ensure you won’t be worrying about your feet hurting during the day! Lastly, if you’re new to the bay area, the weather can vary drastically throughout the day. Plan on wearing layers that you can easily add or remove as temperatures change.
Dreamforce 2024 will be a Conference to Remember
While the online Dreamforce experience through Salesforce+ will be interactive (and fun!), there is truly nothing like experiencing the power of the Salesforce Platform and community in person.
Register for Dreamforce today to secure your spot before it sells out (and it will). The Accounting Seed team will see you there!
See Accounting Seed in action
Get a close-up view of how accounting on Salesforce can eliminate the need for costly integrations—and silos of mismatched information—by sharing the same database as your CRM.