Sept 20 2022 was my first ever dream force and I had an amazing time. I was able to get 2 architecture certifications, learn so much about the products, and overall had a very productive Dreamforce. With a little bit of planning, you can too make sure you get everything you want out of your next tech conference.

Here’s how

Before booking

First things first. If this is your first time going to San Francisco then highly recommend doing this.

I looked at all my connections living in the Bay Area and reach out to them letting them know about my trip and the dates. Fortunately, some of my really close friends live in SF so it was great to catch up with them and do a bit of sightseeing before the conference. You can either plan in such a way that you can use either weekend before or after the conference. I got greedy and had a couple of friends so used up both weekends.

I would highly recommend reaching out to your salesforce contacts and seeing if any one of them is going to be the DF and may scheduled time beforehand to meet them. As you will find out, time just gets away from you in Dreamforce.

Your Reason for going to dream force

I would like you to just take a minute and think of your why. Why are you going to dream force and what would you like to get out of it? it's good to write it down so that it can guide you in utilizing your time effectively during the event.

Bookings

Once that's out of the way and we confirm our dates and next is the hotel and flight booking. These can go from $800 to $1000 each night, depending on where you are staying. You don’t have to stay in San Francisco as it might be expensive living closer to the city. I stayed in Oakland and Dreamforce has shuttles every day to and from the event. So just make sure you have your daily trip figured out based on where you stay.

Certifications

Take the opportunity to sign up for the free certifications during Dreamforce. More on this later, but I would encourage you to at least appear for one, even if you are not prepared.

I was able to get 2 architecture certifications, so with enough planning and a little bit of luck, you might be able to get certified.

Things I need to buy for the conference

Just make a list of things beforehand and get them shipped to you sooner.

• Clothes
• Shoes?
• Backpack?
• Tech items
  • Camera?
  • Battery backup

Registering for the Session and Events

Salesforce sessions

The way I went about selecting the session was

1. Picked a domain which I wanted to learn more about eg: Integration, AWS, Architecting solutions, etc
2. Looked at all the available sessions and did 3 passes to finalize what I was planning to attend.

In the First pass, I saved any session which seemed remotely interesting to me. So, that came to around ~65 sessions. Now there was no way I was going to attend even half of that.

For the second pass, I curated the session by looking at the timings-overlapping sessions, content (How-to, panel interviews, hands-on activities … ) and got a good mix of everything.

The third pass really eliminated many and dialed down my schedule in terms of the location of the previous session and following sessions and how far these venues are. Because remember, salesforce events will be in different buildings and it could take up to 20 mins to run from one session to another

Happy Hours

There are going to be a lot of vendors Happy hour event. Just be sure to register for them beforehand. These are great to learn more about the product offering and learn what's out there. Obviously, it's also a great networking opportunity.

During the conference

• Wear Comfortable shoes: You are going to be walking a lot, I mean a lot. So I definitely recommend comfortable shoes
• Strike up conversations: You are at a conference, and there is not a better time to network than now. So try to chat with as many people as possible. I met people from all over the globe, South Africa, Singapore, and Europe, and was just fascinated with their stories. Some very easy ways to start are below, But use your imagination and be creative

“This is my first dream force how about you”
“Did you attend any interesting sessions today?”
“Are you looking forward to the concert tonight?”

• Meet the Salesforce MVP’s: All the salesforce MVPs are going to be here so its a great time to be able to talk to people whose videos/blogs you have been following and see how they are in person. Everybody is super nice by the way
• Collect Swag: Go to all the booth and collect a boatload of swag
• Appear for certifications: Salesforce offers free certifications during Dreamforce and I was able to get 2 architect certifications which was amazing.
• Don't forget to have fun: Attend the concert, participate in as many activities as you can, and just be part of this amazing experience

After the Conference

Reach out to the people who you met at the conference. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Write about your experience and be awesome!!