The very best of Dreamforce 2019
And another Dreamforce is all wrapped up! This year’s event featured lots of brilliants keynotes, training opportunities and product demonstrations but overall conveyed to attendees a feeling of being part of a bigger community that combines social impact and business growth.
Our team was lucky enough to attend this year’s Dreamforce and it was an unforgettable experience to witness first-hand the magic of Dreamforce. We have collated our highlights below from our Dreamforce experience.
We are building a better world together
Sustainability has been a main focus of Dreamforce 2019. Salesforce reiterated its position as a leader in innovation and sustainability by incorporating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to its business strategy.
The SDGs will form a guideline for businesses like Salesforce to make lasting change – as CO-CEO Keith Block pointed out “At Salesforce we believe that business is the greatest platform for change” and through this platform, Salesforce is committing to the following initiatives:
- $90M to public education;
- 100% renewable energy usage by FY2022;
- Net-zero emissions with a carbon-neutral cloud and step up coalition;
- LEED platinum offices;
- $10M to closing the gender pay gap;
- 1M new jobs for the American workforce.
This Dreamforce has been the most sustainable Dreamforce ever – all 171,000 registered guests were given a reusable water bottle on their arrival, with 50,000 bottles refilled on the first day, resulting in avoiding a waste of 1,502 pounds of single-use plastic. That’s an amazing result!
“Diversity is not charity”- a discussion around equality
The theme of equality and diversity was also a deeply heartfelt topic of Dreamforce. We had the opportunity to see former US President Barack Obama and Salesforce’s Chairman and co-CEO Marc Benioff have a frank discussion on the issues of equality in business nowadays and how to leverage technology, to ensure that we empower people in their careers and in their lives.
Obama stresses the importance for the tech industry to take responsibility for the products put on the market and their impact on society. He believes that it is time to start a common conversation on the impact tech is having in our society and how we can do better for future generations.
The discussion on equality was a pivotal point for the Dreamforce Equality Summit – the discussion geared towards the benefits of diversity at every level of the company. Businesses need to invest in equality in order to be competitive in tomorrow’s marketplace.
Upskill for the future
The need for reskilling is the foremost focus in various businesses across the world and Dreamforce addressed this issue both in the Opening Keynote and in the Trailhead session. In the Opening Keynote, we were introduced to an inspiring trailblazer story: Merivis – the organisation connecting military veterans to Salesforce careers.
By offering the opportunity to build tech skills to start a new career path, not only we are empowering people but also addressing a gap of skills in the industry.
Missing out on the economic contribution that investing in training will bring is not an option in the modern economy. For this reason, Salesforce is making it even easier to improve your tech knowledge by introducing Trailhead GO – making all Trailhead courses accessible on mobile thanks to a strategic partnership with Apple.
Innovations & Products
Dreamforce also brought us a fresh wave of Salesforce innovation. Let’s start off with some key strategic partnerships the CRM leader has secured:
- Apple
- Amazon Web Services
- Microsoft
As mentioned before, Trailhead GO has been brought to us exclusively on iOS thanks to a collaboration with Apple to deliver an on-the-go learning experience for all Salesforce users. We can’t wait to discover all the exciting new feature in the next few months!
Furthermore, the CRM leader stepped up its AI game by introducing Einstein Voice. “Hey Einstein” will be available thanks to a partnership with Amazon Web Services via the Alexa App.
Last but not least Salesforce has teamed up with Microsoft, whose Azure platform will be the public cloud provider for Salesforce Marketing Cloud, featuring also new integrations connecting Sales and Service Cloud with Microsoft Teams, improving productivity for all customers.
Salesforce has also introduced the Customer 360 Truth Platform. The platform will connect your data from sales, services, marketing and commerce; enabling your businesses to:
- Enrich personalised journeys for your customers;
- Accurate predictions of sales patterns;
- Product recommendations;
- Proactively tackle service issues.
Make sure to visit the Salesforce website for more information on product launches, and key announcements – and don’t forget to check out our blog for more Dreamforce posts.
