A Face to a Name

Dreamforce is such a large conference, there's so much to do AND so many people to connect with in such a short period of time! For me, this year stands out from all others past, as the year of putting a face to a name.

So much of what I've learned and how I tackle challenges, has come from my interactions with other Admins/Developers on Success Community, Salesforce blogs and Twitter. I've formed bonds with these individuals that are sometimes stronger than those of coworkers that I see in the office every day.

These people have walked a mile in my shoes. They get me. It is a crazy phenomenon.

Dreamforce focused on a lot of great initiatives this year. Before DF15 officially kicked off, I had the opportunity to explore the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and got a firsthand look at the technology and features of the hospital.

TUGs roam the hospital delivering food, toys and medicine. We sorted and prepared welcome bags for children and expectant Mothers. I connected with new users as part of VET FORCE and discussed the best ways for learning the platform and networking with existing users.

Marketing Cloud featured a number of sessions this year, including the TOMS Pop Up store, as well as the Store Tour, which featured marketing solutions being utilized by B2C businesses. It was a unique opportunity to get some Q&A with Salesforce AE's on the potential functionality made available in the B2C space.

It also never hurts to throw in food/drink and some shopping discounts!

The first Dreamforce Filmfest kicked off and I was pleasantly surprised to be voted one of the three winners!

It's an odd feeling to walk by a Dreamforce display and see your face in a video broadcasted for all to see. Being recognized while walking around the expo was also a fun experience - it got me wondering if that is how SteveMo feels on a regular basis?

So many parties, so little time! This year the parties were bigger and better than ever before. Although I tried to do as many as possible, I'm only human and need to sleep at some point!

Some of my favorites included singing folk songs at Workato while playing the accordion (thank you, Shiv for singing!), Grace Potter and Taylor Hicks rocking out with Radius, getting a baseball at Pardot's Ballpark tour, after making a custom bag with the reps from Timbuk2 and grabbing breakfast with Apttus before heading back home to Charlotte.

One of the BEST parts of Dreamforce was the Admin Lodge. It was a great place to meet up with old friends, grab a drink and listen to your favorite Podcasters.

I only wish the volume was higher, but it probably needed to be lower to accomodate the Admin Q&A booths.

Jen Spanner and I were back again this year, helping connect users to resources. Jen gave out instruction at the Welcome Booth and I was a floater this year, jumping from booth to booth answering questions where there was a queue of eager Admins.

My favorite conversation was one that started out with a simple security question and evolved into an exploration of data modeling best practices and the capabilities of workflow, permissions sets and validation rules. It's really rewarding when you can share a passion for Salesforce with another user!

I finally had time to eat a proper lunch while waiting for the keynote to kickoff. A great experience to have reserved seating and a bit surreal to be a few rows back from Salesforce investors!

MVPs made the best of the downtime by snagging selfies and catching up with one another. Stevie Wonder captured our attention with a surprise performance and Parker Harris never disappoints, by grabbing the biggest laughs with his Mr. Lightning costume.

So many integration capabilities, so little time. I went into DF15 with a set list of companies to speak with and to thank. As usual, I walked away with a much larger list. There are so many options available to enhance an Org, it is amazing how fast the platform has grown and how each of these partners stays up to date with the changes.

Conga still holds the record for best customer support in my book and CRM Fusion is really my Go-To App for all list processing. DocuSign really surprised me by their willingness to help find their location on the Expo floor (still not sure how I missed them - HUGE sign saying 'DocuSign'). I was able to dig into some options for data backup and was a great opportunity for me to visit with Cloudbilt to thank them for their support of my User Group.

The best outcome for DF15 was getting the chance to put a face to a name. So many of the wonderful people I 'talk' to every day are just virtual interactions. Having a chance to meet someone in person (Shout out to Misty Jones, Nana Gregg and Zachary Jeans) while grabbing food/drink was a wonderful experience this year.

I FINALLY made it to Lori's Diner (special thanks to Bill Greenhaw, Adam Marks and Rachael Ballien for making it possible) to grab a meal and am so happy that I had the opportunity to meet so many Salesforce Geeks like me!

MVP time on the Dreamboat was so much fun. I can't imagine being surrounded by a smarter group of individuals. These talented folks are a huge part of my success and I am so very grateful for the opportunity to connect again.

A few FUN FACTS that I've learned this year:

Charlie Isaacs can dance better than most people half his age

Leyna Hoffer listens to my bestie, Alexis Thompson's radio show in MN

Holly Goldin can rap...... like REALLY rap! Like pay money to see her rap!

Jennifer Wobser and I share similar jewelry tastes