The end of email and the genie is out of the bottle: My Top 5 takeaways from Dreamforce
Dreamforce 2022 is done, but the event reports keep piling up across LinkedIn and email!
It was a fun and informative few days, and in sharing my experience, I really want to collate some of the key takeaways that I think could be useful to everyone in the near future.
Another bonus this year was the fact that we could (almost) fully return back to regular programming with in-person networking. It was great to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones, especially from the APAC cohort.
A huge shout out to all those who primed themselves at the side event co-sponsored by CalibrX the night before Dreamforce too. It felt more like a party than a business gathering, with dancing, piano singalongs, and lots of good vibes!
So, with Dreamforce behind us for another year, what did I learn? I’ve whittled down my top 5 takeaways with some interesting and unexpected developments that will shape the tech world in the years ahead.
1. The Chilli Peppers still rock
Alright, first things first. I’m old enough to remember when Under the Bridge was a new release, so I was keen to see if the Red Hot Chilli Peppers could still kick it.
And I’m happy to confirm that they most certainly can. For a band that’s been pumping out hits for nearly 40 years (!), they’re as sharp and energetic as ever.
They weren’t the only big names at the event though, with Matthew McConaughey, Al Gore, and Jane Goodall taking the stage to impart their respective nuggets of wisdom to a tuned-in crowd.
2. Sustainability is key for business success
Speaking of Al Gore and Jane Goodall, the theme of sustainability was strong at Dreamforce ’22.
One big takeaway was that there’s a growing industry expectation that being a good global citizen extends to organisations more than ever.
To this end, Salesforce has created Net Zero Marketplace, a climate action hub for everyone and a trusted site for organisations to purchase carbon credits. You can sign your organisation up here.
3. The Genie is out of the bottle
The hyperpersonalisation of data continues to reach dizzy new heights.
Salesforce used the event to unveil their newest product Salesforce Genie, a hyperscale real-time data platform that powers the entire Salesforce Customer 360 platform.
Billed as the first ever real-time CRM, Genie connects customer data at scale and delivers a connected, personalised experience to customers like never before.
More and more, consumers are expecting personalised experiences, and the Genie is well and truly out of the bottle to make it happen.
4. Certification will continue to be a big deal
Even though the job market is producing some pretty favourable conditions for skilled workers right now, it never hurts to back up your experience with certification.
That’s why Trailhead is as significant as ever, and with new products like Genie set to explode, Trailblazers have plenty of certifications to chase.
We only know what we know, and it’s all out there to be discovered.
5. Could the end of email be nigh?
The Slack behemoth is evolving, and it could spell the end of email as we know it.
With Salesforce investing big dollars into the product, the true potential of it as a platform is starting to be revealed.
Internal comms is such an important part of a business (and brand’s) success, so if employees are engaged with open and clear lines of communication, this will be reflected externally.
I think internal email has always been a bit of a clunky thing, so it’s great to see Slack moving to occupy that space in a more dynamic way.
Did you make it to Dreamforce or catch the event online?
As was to be expected, Dreamforce was a great event with plenty of handy insights to digest and I’m already planning my 2023 return.
Who else is coming next year?
As always, feel free to get in touch if you’d like to chat.
