My first trip to Dreamforce was in 2010, when I had the opportunity to speak in ICMI’s Contact Center program track. I remember feeling a bit like someone visiting New York for the first time; as I stood at the escalators overlooking the main lobby, I was amazed at the sea of people moving in tandem toward the expo floor. Little did I know that I would join Bluewolf in 2012 to become the leader of their Service Cloud practice — and become a part of the excitement that Dreamforce brings.  

After three visits to Dreamforce, I feel that I’ve garnered enough experience to share some tips for the inexperienced Dreamforce attendee. Here are six of my top recommendations designed specifically for service and support leaders to optimize your experience:

1. Set-up your agenda NOW.
   Salesforce has made it easy for you with their Agenda Builder — the hub of all Dreamforce content. When setting up your agenda, be sure to test the filters or tags on sessions via Roles, Products and Themes to ensure you don’t miss anything. Salesforce also creates suggested itinerary depend on your industry or departmental function. Check out their top recommendations for Service Professionals.
2. Remember that sessions actually fill up.
   This conference is unlike many other conferences — sessions quickly reach capacity. Consider the size and location of the session of interest when building your schedule. Although many of the service-focused sessions are at the Westin this year, there are sessions throughout downtown San Francisco. Be sure to look at the map and give yourself time to go back and forth between keynotes and sessions. The walk between venues can take upwards of ten minutes.
3. Don’t miss the Service Cloud keynote.
   If you want to see the events “live” and not on closed-circuit video in the overflow room, get there early to grab a seat. If you are interested in seeing the best client stories and uses cases, this is the place to be. The “demos” in this event will knock your socks off — and give you a view for where Salesforce is taking the industry in the future. For preparation, take a look at last year’s Service Cloud keynote customer highlight, Stanley Black & Decker.
4. Have a strategy for visiting the expo floor.
   Tackling the expo floor can indeed be overwhelming. Make your way to the Cloud Expo NorthNew to gain access to one-on-one discussions with Service Cloud experts and view the latest Service Cloud demos. Also don’t forget to visit the Service Hub in the Westin St. Francis to learn the latest customer service news.
5. Visit the Salesforce “live” contact center.
   Typically located in the back of the main expo floor in North Moscone, this is the place to see the latest in Service Cloud functionality in action. Check out the small booths back there; you will be pleasantly surprised at the treasure-trove of small companies that do amazing things inside Salesforce. This is where the best new app companies typically live – so if you are looking for the best new reporting app or a new way to measure agent productivity – these companies typically do one thing – and often do that one thing well.
6. Visit the Bluewolf booth in Moscone West.
   We will have a great team of Salesforce SMEs to answer your questions. Whether you want to talk about Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Governance, Analytics, Communities or Mobile – we have you covered! I would love to find some time to talk with you. Tweet me @bobfurniss for additional pre-Dreamforce advice, or to meet up in person during the conference. Or simply request a meeting with a Bluewolf expert. I expect to be on the showroom floor a lot and would love to meet you!

Every year around this time, the excitement starts to build and the buzz surrounding keynotes and industry trends grows to new heights. With a little planning and help from Bluewolf, you can make this your best Dreamforce experience yet. Be sure to bookmark our Dreamforce microsite to stay up-to-date on key sessions, events and offerings. While on the microsite, don’t forget to sign up for our Daily Dreamforce Buzz to receive updates on the latest announcements during the week of chaos, right in your inbox. We look forward to seeing you in just a few week in San Francisco.

Here are some additional resources for general tips on how to have the best Dreamforce experience.  

• Blog: Tips For Dreamforce First-Timers
• Blog: Five Tips For Dreamforce First-Timers And Sophomores
• Webcast: 10 Tips For The Ultimate Dreamforce Experience
• Webcast: Tips, Tricks & Secrets to Make the Most of Dreamforce