Dreamforce 2022: An Entrepreneur’s Dream

After two hectic weeks in San Francisco, the team is back at Avnio HQ. We were ecstatic to fly to San Francisco this year to sponsor Dreamforce 2022, where we immersed ourselves in the Salesforce Ohana and connected with other Trailblazers. 

So what is Dreamforce, you ask? Now that the dust has settled let’s dive into some specifics and the teams’ conference highlights.

The Lowdown

Dreamforce 2022 is one of the largest global software conferences that made its comeback IRL from September 20 to 22 in San Francisco, USA. Renowned worldwide as a central hub for Salesforce users, developers, partners, and trailblazers to assemble to share and learn about the most innovative and cutting-edge technologies on the market. 

Downtown San Francisco was transformed into a ‘Disney World’ for the IT industry during the three-day extravaganza. The Dreamforce campground was ablaze with fantastic caricature, forestry, colour, and music displays. There were over 250 different seminars where participants could interact with business executives and access cutting-edge technologies. The lucky participants also had access to an array of interactive activities, including a puppy wellness hub and a L’Oréal’ create-your-own-lipstick station’, amongst many more. Dreamfest, the after-hours highlight for many, also returned. This fundraising “concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals ” was hosted by the Red Hot Chilis Peppers, with a live show-stopping performance at Oracle Park.

Over the years, Dreamforce has proven that it is an exceptional platform to learn, network, and grow with the larger Salesforce community. And Dreamforce 2022 certainly wasn’t the exception. 

The Highlights

Co-CEOs Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor kicked things off by announcing the shift of Marketing Cloud to Hyperforce for better integration.

Through the provision of automated, intelligent, real-time experiences, Salesforce’s Customer 360 fosters productivity, efficiency, and innovation throughout the whole ecosystem. The advantages of Customer 360’s cutting-edge technologies—the first real-time CRM in the world—for users and customers were a topic of intense discussion between the pair. Throughout the event, some of the most recent developments in sophisticated resource management were also displayed, producing some engaging sessions.

Following on from this, the remarkable tale of Ford, its brand, and how it reinvented itself was recounted. Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, made a powerful opening statement stating that “a company doesn’t genuinely consider change unless something drastic happens to it.” For Ford and its supply chain problems, this was the case. With the help of Salesforce Customer 360, they completely changed how they operated. They were able to streamline their data, add real-time personalisation, and create a single source of truth.

Throughout the conference, Salesforce’s continuous emphasis on sustainability was at the forefront by introducing the phrase “Ecopreneurs.” An “ecopreneur” focuses on developing and marketing eco-friendly goods and services. An innovative approach to business, ecopreneurship aims to create sustainable company models and work with (and for) the environment. On the final day of Dreamforce, four outstanding “ecopreneurs” presented their business concepts to a panel of four judges. Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda prevailed with his company, Urchinomics, which specialises in restorative aquaculture. 

Avnio at Dreamforce

As a sponsor of this year’s Dreamforce, our team set up camp in the Main Campground. The campground was brimming with enthusiasm and invention as our solution engineers gave on-the-spot, end-to-end demonstrations and engaged in in-depth discussions about Avnio Response Cloud. We spoke with thousands of Trailblazers about how we can automate one of the sales cycles’ most significant pain points, the RFx process. Avnio is a solution native to Salesforce and available on the AppExchange, so we felt very at home among the other trailblazing companies. We also led a session entitled ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees… or does it?” with Todd Janzen from the Q Branch at Salesforce. The session explored how we can use the lessons from “trees” and “RFPs” to do more of the “right business.” Plus, to top it all off, we were delighted to welcome many attendees to our booth providing ‘Avi’ merch from astronaut socks to swag bags.  

The VIP Lineup

Celebrities, activists, and world-class athletes were among the knowledgeable speakers at Dreamforce this year inspiring audiences with their personal experiences. The star-studded lineup included Jennifer Hudson, an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning artist; Matthew McConaughey, an Academy Award-winning actor; Earvin “Magic” Johnson, an NBA legend and chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises; Bono, lead singer of U2 and co-founder of One & (Red); Jane Goodall DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute; Stewart Butterfield, president and chief executive officer of Slack; and others. 

At this year’s Dreamforce, there was something for everyone, and the team is already eager to return for the celebrations in 2023!

Did an Avnio team member happen to catch you at Dreamforce 2022? If so, schedule a quick call with us to learn how Avnio Response Cloud can provide a 360-degree view of your RFP response to enable better decisions that increase revenue, decrease costs, and ensure compliance for your organisation.