Top 10 reasons to go to Dreamforce '10
In about 4 weeks time, over 20,000 people will be attending Dreamforce, Salesforce.com's yearly user and developer conference that has been labeled "The cloud computing event of the year." This year it will be better then ever and for those out there wondering why they should go I figured I would share my top 10:
#10 Chance to visit San Francisco
I know this isn't something you can bring to your boss to justify the cost but its worth pointing out. San Fransisco is a beautiful city that offers a lot to do. If you can plan to get out there a little earlier or stay an extra day or two, the city has many attractions like a tour of Alcatraz, Fisherman's wharf and the home of the 2010 World Series Champs the San Francisco Giants.
#9 Hands-on Training
Salesforce offers more then 30 hands-on training sessions from building custom applications, how to create valuable reports and dashboards to trying out the new features from the latest release. Its a great opportunity for administrators as well as general users to try something new that could save your company time and money!
#8 "Wonder"-ful Entertainment
Not only does the city have nice places to go after your busy days but Salesforce and some of its partners provide some very exciting entertainment! For starters, Salesforce always has a concert and this year you get to see a legend in Stevie Wonder! On top of that, there are always a slew of parties and sponsered events to attend where you can mingle with the experts and fellow clients.
#7 Networking Goldmine
It is literally impossible to not meet someone at Dreamforce. With 20,000+ people and a setup built to encourage conversation you are going to meet someone worth your while and not necessarily for business reasons. Some very good friends of mine today started with a conversation at Dreamforce. Add the Dreamforce portal which can help you setup meetings and get introduced to new people before the conference, you are foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity!
#6 Inspiration and Motivation
One of the biggest things I get from the conference every year is the insane amount of motivation. Whether it's CEO Marc Benioff talking about the future of the cloud and how we are all apart of it or the guest keynote speaker talking about our country, you feel inspired. This year's guest speaker is Bill Clinton and whether you like him or not, he is one of the best speakers I have ever heard. To give you more prospective, Marc's keynote last year was a major contributor to the creation of Arkus.
#5 The Cloud Expo
The Expo is a great place to meet new people and hear about new products that can potentially save you time and money. The biggest names in cloud computing are there to speak to you directly and in most cases gave you great takeaways to bring back to your office to share with your colleagues. Some of the previous names that I enjoyed talking to where HTC, Echosign, Informatica and Motorola. I will also mention Salesforce being on the floor because it's another great opportunity to get hands-on experience with new features like Chatter.
#4 The Keynote
The Keynote is something I particularly love. I know you can watch these on Youtube but there is nothing better then sitting live hearing Marc or other industry experts speak about the future of the cloud and actually showing you what is in store. To go back to the motivation piece, it really makes you feel like you are part of something special. And I will also say Marc always has some kind of surprise to share.
#3 Free Stuff
There is no conference or expo that you go to without coming home with some free stuff from a vendor. This conference is no different. I am not the kind of guy that looks for this kind of stuff but I will say the pair of crocs I got last year are pretty comfy. I will also mention, even though you paid for the conference, Salesforce always give you a nice little package. Last year, everyone got Marc's book, "Behind the Cloud" which is a great read.
#2 Arkus will be there
If you havent had a chance to meet us already, here is a great opportunity. We will not have a booth at the expo but we will be there and would be glad to spend a couple minutes talking about how we can help your company. You can reach us on the Dreamforce portal, tweet us at twitter.com/arkusinc or just look for the guys wearing the Arkus logo.
#1 Education
The most important thing you will get from the conference is an education on the cloud. Whether its hands-on training, client success stories or just walking around the expo, you are going to learn something new about the cloud. I look at this as the largest focus group your company could ever put together. You are exposed to what works and what doesn't, what products you didnt even know existed and potential vendors that help you succeed. It doesn't get any better then that!
Conclusion
So there is my list. I can't wait to go and hopefully my little points here can push you over the top and sign-up. If that wasn't enough, or if you need to convince your boss to let you go, Salesforce has a nifty little tool that can help you justify your trip - give it a shot. Whether its networking, learning or shopping for vendor, you will get it. I look forward to seeing you there and feel free to come say hello.
