Throughout the history of time, there has been thought-provoking and stimulating literature that transferred from an inspired author’s brain to paper. The written prose could have conceptually poured out like a waterfall or sputtered over a random period based on how often inspiration struck. We didn’t always know what inspired that person, whether it came from a personal traumatic experience or a quirky phase in their life or they just happened to roll out of a bed a certain way. Beloved Reader, at the time of writing this compelling article on sessions I’m excited about seeing at the upcoming Salesforce Dreamforce conference in September, I am barely a couple of hours removed from seeing the Barbie movie.

 

I’ve never classified my opinions in the same thought leadership class as my intelligent colleagues and counterparts, but I’d like to think a Barbie approach to a topic may possess a little more clout. So let me be a Will Ferrell fake Mattel CEO for a moment and recommend five incredible Dreamforce sessions that would intrigue the most timeless of icons.

 

 

 

 

Five Sessions We Recommend

 

 

 #1 Dreamforce Main Keynote

 

Why we recommend it: So, I will admit that I started with a main keynote session recommendation in my Salesforce Connections post a few months ago. This isn’t me being lazy though! As the Barbie movie playfully demonstrated some deep societal and psychological topics of patriarchy and self-worth, these opening keynotes pack a similar empowering energy that can match that of the climactic ending. (Without giving away spoilers, but cue the Billie Eilish music.)

 

 

Metaphorically at the surface level, the Salesforce community can be perceived as a room full of stereotypical Barbies and Kens who are drinking the consumerism Kool-Aid while looking and acting a certain way, and I’ll admit that I optically felt these feelings during my first time at a conference (not just Salesforce, but conferences in general). There is, however, an incredible human element with hundreds (if not thousands) of unique personal life paths that led someone to their industry or skill set or this invested opportunity to be at Dreamforce in San Francisco on behalf of a company. If you strictly attend the sessions and walk the campground for free stuff (guilty) without engaging in the human element, it can still be a fun experience. But, if you allow yourself to get out of your bubble and talk to folks while waiting in line for sessions, sitting next to someone new at a workshop, chatting at a bar, or at a post-conference event, you uncover incredible stories. I’ve uncovered individual stories that reveal where folks are both in life and on their corporate ladder, what opportunities their Salesforce knowledge has given them thus far, and what promises of hope and corporate success, and personal career trajectory the latest releases could provide for them as experts, developers, creators, owners, etc. So, when we circle back to the main keynote, which has and always will bring energy and excitement to the conference, it’s cool to apply the human layer and ask WHY these individuals are excited. It won’t be as perfect as the demo, but non-perfect, inspiring people are going to carry these new ideas with renewed energy back home, and they will adapt them in their own innovative and beautiful way.

 

 

AI for Admins and Developers (Dreamforce 2023 Agenda)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#3 Innovation Spotlight: AI Analytics with Tableau

 

 

Why we recommend it: “Cause I’m just Ken, anywhere else I’d be a 10.” – Ken (Ryan Gosling).

“I’m Just Ken” Poor Ken (not really). It’s always Barbie AND Ken, not just … Ken. Ironically, I feel like Tableau is getting the Barbie AND Ken treatment with the emerging topic of AI. When you read the sessions, it’s “AI Analytics with Tableau” or “Elevate Your AI + Data Strategy with Tableau’s Blueprint,” etc., etc. For years, the Tableau platform has been a 10 in my eyes, and fortunately for us, the partnership between AI and Tableau is a great one. I recommend attending any of the sessions that combine these two to learn how to view insights and improve decision-making within your organization.

 

 

 

#4 Sales Cloud Hands-on Workshop: Forecasting

 

Why we recommend it: I love a good hands-on workshop. Love it, love it, love it. What intrigues me about this forecasting session is the time of year we will be in. By the time we reach September, the end of Q3, many companies will be deep into 2024 strategic planning, submitting next year’s capital expense and operating expense budgeting needs for approval, and painting a semi-accurate forecast picture. When Barbie first leaves for the real world in the movie, she thinks she is entering a space that will love her and reward her for her hard work in societal advances of female empowerment. If only she had a more accurate forecast of real-time data at her disposal …

 

 

 

#5 Retail’s AI Revolution: How GPT Is Transforming Shopping

 

 

Why we recommend it: As I read the session description that includes the statement “Explore GPT’s impact on productivity,” I wonder whether I should have given GPT a first crack at this article? You’ve stuck with me this far, so let’s keep trucking through my human-driven cuckoo logic. The holiday season approaches, GPT is being used in fun and creative ways by our marketing faithful, and we all need to know about it. If you are, oh, I don’t know, Mattel for example, there is a movie out there that is collecting over $1 billion globally at the box office, and you have a timeless product riding a pretty large wave of marketing buzz and exposure. How do you continue to convert popularity into massive holiday sales? Or even more importantly, how do you create massive holiday sales when you DON’T have a billion-dollar movie in your back pocket? While several real-life Barbies and fake Mattel CEO Will Ferrell-types may know this answer, I think we owe it to ourselves to attend this session and make it our own!

 

 

 

 

ATTENDING DREAMFORCE?

 

Explore the current sessions and let us know which ones interest you the most!

 

P.S. If you’ll be there, then get in touch with our team to discuss how we can help your business thrive by unleashing the power of Salesforce  ☁