What if three days may pace up your online business development by three years? At Dreamforce, we’ve seen miracles occur for companies similar to yours. You’re not simply attending one other convention — you’re stepping right into a world the place 1000’s of innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders collect to share concepts that reshape their future. The vitality is electrical, the probabilities are limitless, and the proper dialog on the proper second may result in alternatives you by no means noticed coming.
For small and medium-sized companies (SMBs), Dreamforce isn’t only a networking occasion — it’s extremely compressed development. This fast information gives a whole roadmap to profiting from each second.
What we’ll cowl:
What’s Dreamforce and why is it useful for small enterprise?
Dreamforce is an annual occasion the place Salesforce unveils new AI instruments, options, and product bulletins. It goals to offer attendees with hands-on expertise with Salesforce merchandise and new AI applied sciences.
Mark your calendars round September or October yearly, as a result of tickets promote out quick. Dreamforce for small companies is getting the identical backstage go to innovation as business leaders and rockstars at one occasion. The place else are you able to take a look at drive the most recent synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments, see your favourite musician stay, and stumble upon your dream associate within the lunch line?
Previous attendees know the key: don’t attempt to do every little thing. Dreamforce consists of:
- Keynotes from business leaders and Salesforce executives
- Product bulletins and demos
- Buyer success tales and case research
- Breakout periods and workshops on numerous subjects
- Networking alternatives with professionals and companions
- Palms-on expertise with Salesforce merchandise and new AI applied sciences
The key is constructing your individual roadmap via the occasion. With 1000’s of periods and experiences to select from, sensible attendees zero in on content material that instantly addresses their largest enterprise alternatives and ache factors.
Why you could join at large occasions as a small enterprise proprietor
Hundreds of SMB leaders from across the globe present as much as Dreamforce yearly. But it surely’s not concerning the headcount. It’s about momentum. Consider Dreamforce as three years of enterprise improvement packed into three days.
You’re not simply listening to about AI — you’re seeing it work in actual time. The periods are hands-on sensible workshops on utilizing actual AI to resolve actual issues. Marc Benioff’s opening keynote alone provides you sufficient dialog starters for all the convention. When he unveils the most recent improvements and shares the imaginative and prescient for Salesforce’s future, everybody in that room shares the identical “aha” moments.
Right here’s what’s lovely about Dreamforce: Everyone seems to be there for one shared goal — development.
– Nicole Watson, Director, Product Advertising, SMB
Whether or not they’re studying, networking, promoting, or all three, everybody has widespread floor — to attach and develop along with the instruments that matter most. Plus, interactive actions like quests and hackathons naturally carry individuals collectively. Nothing bonds you quicker than collaborating to resolve a problem — and these interactive experiences create connections which can be far stronger than conventional networking handshakes.
Pre-event: Community prep
Success at Dreamforce begins the second you purchase your ticket. You get entry to the Success Group, the place the pre-game networking begins and also you get entry to assets, guides, and recommendations on navigating Dreamforce like a professional. Begin your networking earlier than you land in San Francisco.
Arrange your digital command middle
First, obtain the Dreamforce cellular app — your command middle for all the occasion. Use it to bookmark periods, join with attendees, and get real-time updates.
You’ll additionally desire a system to handle all of the connections you’ll make, so think about using a buyer relationship administration (CRM) with built-in advertising and marketing instruments to log contacts in a single devoted place. Arrange customized tags for “Dreamforce,” dialog notes, and automatic follow-ups earlier than you arrive. You’ll be able to customise all data with tags, add notes, and even schedule your subsequent steps from the Salesforce cellular app. Extra to return on that, later.
Simply get began.
Irrespective of the place you’re in your journey as a small enterprise, you will get began with Starter Suite — the all-in-one CRM for SMBs.
Begin networking earlier than you land in San Francisco
Use social media strategically earlier than, after, and through Dreamforce. Interact with fellow attendees’ posts, take part in hashtag discussions, and construct rapport on LinkedIn. Share insightful content material associated to the occasion’s themes, tag people in posts to point out appreciation, and be part of event-specific teams.
You can even try Salesforce’s Trailblazer Group to community with different entrepreneurs and business leaders — this rising group has 1000’s of boards and teams that host digital and offline occasions for enterprise homeowners of every kind.
Whenever you meet these individuals in particular person, you’re persevering with a dialog, not beginning chilly. This proactive engagement not solely helps you stand out but additionally gives useful context for face-to-face conversations.
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Establish your must-meet individuals
There are lots of people you’ll meet at Dreamforce, so it’s good to whittle down your most vital connections. Strive utilizing a CRM to create your prioritized record. Select a choose variety of individuals that you just’d like to satisfy, not too many, in order to not overwhelm your self and them as targets in your CRM. This might embrace prospects, a brand new associate, or an inspiring speaker.
Select your periods with Agenda Builder
It’s time to construct out your Dreamforce agenda. You should use Agenda Builder as your occasion GPS. Preregister for must-see periods that may actually impression your online business. Listed below are some examples:
- Small enterprise success tales
- Palms-on workshops for brand new options
- Trade-specific periods on technique
- Certification prep or upskilling
Professional tip: Choose up your badge on the Monday earlier than the occasion if you happen to can, when it’s quieter. And, be sure you put on snug sneakers, pack further enterprise playing cards, and produce a charged cellphone — you’ll be taking a whole lot of photographs.
(Supply: Dreamforce, Salesforce 2024.)
Throughout Dreamforce: Making connections that depend
You’ve executed the prep work. Now it’s showtime. However bear in mind — networking at Dreamforce isn’t about gathering probably the most contacts. It’s about making connections that matter.
Work the room neatly
To successfully work a room at an occasion utilizing clever knowledge, begin by analyzing attendee profiles to establish key people who align together with your targets. That is the place your CRM turns out to be useful. Rapidly logging data to tailor your strategy can create significant conversations. By combining data-driven insights with a strategic networking plan, you may maximize your impression and obtain your aims.
Undecided the place to begin? Check out enjoyable occasions just like the Annual Dreamforce Group Enjoyable Run that begins vivid and early at 6 a.m. on Wednesday earlier than the occasion. Even if you happen to’re not a runner, displaying up for the group vibe begins your day with vitality and connections. Nothing breaks the ice like sharing a 5K collectively.
Discover your individuals strategically
Subsequent, let’s give attention to a method to satisfy some new individuals. Group Cove turns into your networking command middle for the occasion. Totally different session occasions appeal to totally different crowds, so right here’s your cheatsheet:
- Morning periods appeal to early-bird go-getters. Enjoyable Runs, breakfast chats, and yoga meetups draw motivated choice makers and entrepreneurs who profit from their Dreamforce expertise.
- Lunchtime attracts individuals searching for connections. It’s prime networking time when attendees actively search conversations over shared meals and meetups.
- Late afternoon brings people needing a break from periods. Attendees are able to decompress and have relaxed, in-depth conversations.
Dreamforce isn’t nearly tech — it’s additionally a celebration of music! The convention has hosted a powerful lineup of performers through the years, together with the Foo Fighters, Inexperienced Day, and Think about Dragons. Different notable acts like Alicia Keys, Usher, and The Black Eyed Peas have additionally taken the stage, making Dreamforce a novel mix {of professional} improvement and leisure.
Be part of Live performance Buddies to satisfy fellow attendees on the pre-concert meetup, stroll to Oracle Park collectively, and luxuriate in VIP Quick Lane entry. The fantastic thing about Dreamforce isn’t simply the world-class leisure — it’s watching 1000’s of enterprise professionals rework into excited followers, all united by music and the Salesforce group. These moments of pure pleasure are when genuine connections occur.
(Supply: Dreamforce, Salesforce 2024.)
Use the Mindfulness Meadow on Mission Road if you want a breather — simply search for the indicators; you may’t miss it. This devoted area helps you step away from the hectic convention vitality to calm and refresh. You’ll typically meet like-minded Trailblazers searching for the identical psychological reset.
Professional tip: The conversations throughout intermission and whereas strolling again from Oracle Park typically yield higher enterprise connections than formal networking occasions. There’s one thing about shared experiences and nice music that breaks down skilled boundaries immediately.
Set real looking targets
Outline what success seems to be like earlier than you arrive at Dreamforce. SMB homeowners who set particular Dreamforce targets get measurably higher outcomes:
- Income purpose: Join with 3-5 certified prospects in your goal market
- Partnership purpose: Establish 2 potential referral companions or collaborators
- Studying purpose: Resolve 2-3 particular enterprise challenges you’re dealing with
- Development purpose: Uncover 1-2 Salesforce options that might simplify your operations
- Community purpose: Construct relationships with 3-5 friends one step forward of your online business
- Observe-up purpose: Decide to significant contact inside 48 hours of assembly
Professional tip: Enter these targets as duties in your CRM earlier than the occasion. Publish-Dreamforce, automation can remind you, schedule follow-ups, and assist observe which contacts become clients or companions.
Make each dialog depend
Dreamforce is all about conversations that join companies. So make your conversations depend, even the small speak. After you meet somebody, check out these occasion ice-breakers:
- “How has Salesforce modified your online business?”
- “What’s one factor you’re hoping to study right here as we speak?”
- “Any periods you suggest for me as an SMB proprietor?”
- “What did you consider the keynote?”
Then, to construct enterprise and delve deeper into connection, listed below are some ice-breakers that can aid you enhance your model. Create dialog starters that spark curiosity:
- “Our mission is to assist [audience] resolve [problem].”
- “We simply realized methods to lower churn by 40% — blissful to share what labored for us.”
- “Searching for SMBs who’ve scaled past 50 staff with out insane overhead.
Professional tip: Whenever you make an observation of your “lead” from Dreamforce in your CRM, you may remind your self to carry this dialog up within the automated follow-up emails after the occasion.
Publish-event: Flip connections into enterprise development
The occasion is over, PHEW! Take a breath. It’s not over, nonetheless, that is the place the actual connections occur. Give your self a while to recoup, then it’s time to double down on these connections. Listed below are the actual methods to make Dreamforce connections depend:
Actual-time follow-up technique
You don’t have to attend till you’re house to log connections. You should use Salesforce’s cellular app to seize particulars in actual time. With the CRM cellular app, you may:
- Create new data, corresponding to contacts, accounts, or alternatives
- Log calls, emails, and conferences with new companions or leads
- Assign follow-up duties and reminders to your self or others
- Entry and edit data, together with contact data and account particulars
- View historical past and exercise timeline
- Use mobile-exclusive options like cameras and GPS to seize knowledge
Professional Tip: Add context whereas it’s contemporary. “Met at Agentforce demo, has a 50-person help workforce, pissed off with response occasions, loves espresso (talked about favourite SF cafe is Refuel)”. When that is logged into your CRM, all the workforce has entry to assist personalize all interactions with the contact shifting ahead.
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Observe-up formulation that get responses
Generic follow-ups are connection killers. Strive hyper-personalized follow-up messages that reference particular particulars out of your dialog. Attempt to observe up inside 48-72 hours after the occasion with automated electronic mail nurture campaigns.. Reference shared moments: that keynote wow second, the restaurant suggestion you gave them, and the mutual connections you found.
Your follow-up components:
- Particular reference: “Liked your perception about buyer retention through the SMB panel”
- Worth add: “Right here’s that article about scaling previous 50 staff we mentioned”
- Private contact: “Hope you made it to that taco place within the Mission!”
- Clear subsequent step: “Espresso subsequent week to proceed our dialog? Right here’s my calendar hyperlink.”
Probably the most profitable SMBs at Dreamforce don’t simply community — they combine networking into their technique. Utilizing Salesforce’s personal small enterprise instruments means you’re not solely studying the platform however constructing a relationship administration system that works lengthy after you allow San Francisco. Listed below are two particular instruments that rework likelihood encounters into lasting enterprise relationships:
Starter Suite: Your networking basis
Salesforce Starter Suite is your go-to networking hub, and at $25 per consumer per thirty days, it prices lower than your convention espresso funds. Import these contacts in bulk, arrange sensible segmentation, and observe each interplay with out breaking a sweat.
What you may do on day one among your occasion:
- Bulk import contacts with customized fields for Dreamforce notes
- Set automated follow-up reminders (no extra sticky word reminders)
- Create segmented electronic mail campaigns (“Met at AI session” vs. “Met at SMB keynote”)
- Observe engagement metrics to see who’s , and what might be modified
Professional Suite: Automate the follow-through
Able to scale your networking? Professional Suite turns handbook follow-up into automated relationship constructing. Lead scoring tells you which of them Dreamforce connections are heating up. That individual that opened your electronic mail and visited your pricing web page? They simply grew to become your prime precedence.
Use superior networking automation:
- Lead scoring based mostly on engagement (know who to name first)
- Campaigns that regulate based mostly on how individuals reply
- A/B take a look at your follow-up messages (what resonates with Dreamforce people?)
- ROI monitoring to show Dreamforce was value it
Agentforce: Subsequent-level networking
For SMBs able to revolutionize follow-up, Salesforce Foundations gives free entry to expanded capabilities. Mix with Agentforce to create AI brokers that by no means drop the ball.
Your AI networking assistant can:
- Reply product questions 24/7 with excellent recall
- Qualify leads based mostly in your standards
- E-book conferences when curiosity peaks
- Ship customized content material based mostly on Dreamforce conversations
Your Dreamforce networking recreation plan begins now
You’re prepared to attach at Dreamforce — this annual powerhouse occasion brings collectively all the Salesforce ecosystem yearly, and it’s your likelihood to remodel three days into business-changing connections and insights.
Tickets go quick every year, so don’t wait till the final minute solely to search out your self on a waitlist whereas your rivals are closing offers within the hallways. Register early to safe your spot for this 12 months’s Dreamforce, taking place yearly each Fall.
Begin your journey with Starter Suite as we speak. Searching for extra customization? Discover Professional Suite. Already a Salesforce buyer? Activate Foundations and check out Agentforce as we speak.
AI supported the writers and editors who created this text.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions (FAQs)
Dreamforce is an annual occasion hosted by Salesforce, the place new AI instruments, options, and product bulletins are unveiled, providing attendees hands-on expertise with Salesforce merchandise and new AI applied sciences.
Dreamforce gives small companies a novel alternative to community with 1000’s of SMB leaders, innovators, and specialists, uncover new AI improvements, and probably double their community by assembly clients, companions, mentors, and potential collaborators in a single place.
Preparation consists of establishing a digital command middle with the Dreamforce cellular app and a CRM, partaking on social media and the Trailblazer Group, figuring out key people to satisfy, and utilizing Agenda Builder to plan your periods.
Throughout the occasion, give attention to high quality over amount. Use your CRM to log particulars, take part in enjoyable occasions just like the Group Enjoyable Run, strategically discover individuals at Group Cove throughout totally different occasions, and attend concert events to construct genuine connections.
Salesforce instruments like Starter Suite, Professional Suite, and Agentforce may help you seize leads, observe follow-ups, launch advertising and marketing campaigns, automate relationship constructing, rating leads, and use AI brokers for next-level engagement, turning connections into enterprise development.
