Attention: Marketing directors, managers, and yes, even IT. This is a great blog post to forward to your CMO. They will thank you later.

This year is my ninth Dreamforce. And yes, even if Bluewolf wasn’t a fourteen year Global Strategic Partner of salesforce.com, I would still attend salesforce.com’s annual user conference. Here are my top reasons why you should attend, and how to make the most of your experience.

1. Actually visit the show floor.
   Endless rows of badge wearing khakis and frenzied booth scanning would scare any seasoned executive back to the St. Regis for “a meeting with email.” But instead, try leaving your business cards at the hotel and pick times that are less crowded — I recommend lunch hour or Thursday. This will give you time to have some real conversations with this robust ecosystem. From content management and data solutions, to real answers about complex ROI, you’re bound to get quick insight from vendors and consultants without the investment and roundabout “demo” schedules. Get demos later — instead come with your list of questions or ideas. Spend one hour, and leave with more ideas around how to integrate CRM more deeply in order to drive business outcomes than when you’d walked in. My favorites marketing technologies vendors right now at Dreamforce are: FullCircleCRM, Leadspace, and ExactTarget Marketing Cloud.
2. Network with CIOs — not just other CMOs.
   This is a special topic for me, in my recent column for the Guardian, I talk about how CMOs and CIOs can come together in deeper ways to deliver on customer expectations. Whether you are aligned with your CIO or not, this is your opportunity to hear from other CIOs. For several years, salesforce.com has courted CIOs, so there is sure to be a great pool of leading CIOs all under one roof — well, several now that Dreamforce has expanded to over a hundred thousand attendees. Top CIOs to follow during Dreamforce are: Steve Gallagher, Alex Izaguirre, and Rietta Stoneman.
3. Spend less time with salesforce.com.
   Sorry, salesforce.com. I know this is your conference, but sometimes your customers have current needs that can be solved without an investment in “machine-to-machine” today. This doesn’t mean that it’s not relevant, but sometimes your best moment will be the random coffee break in Moscone West, where you meet someone who has just solved that pesky SLA alignment issue, or who has just come up with an innovative model to organize your marketing team — all of which are moments that have almost nothing to do with technology. Take advantage of the more  intimate experiences with customers — come by our booth, we are happy to introduce you to other CMOs and CIOs like yourself. Listen to salesforce.com talk about the future of their products and what it means for you, but also listen to the street, listen to customers who have been using and iterating on the platform for more than ten years. You will be glad you did. And when the time comes to leverage the latest “cloud,” you’ll be five steps ahead. The Bluewolf booth is located in Moscone West. Come visit.
4. Be inspired: “It’s ok to drink some Kool-Aid.”
   ​Now, back to me for a minute: the main reason I still go to Dreamforce is that it’s the best industry event to “get inspired.” Marc Benioff, as a leading marketer himself, has done exceptionally well in helping businesses see past the end of their nose. He sees the future. As CMOs, we tend to spend our time preparing for board meetings, talking to sales leadership about broken SLAs, and working on how to really talk to the CEO about ROI (that’s not double counted in salesforce.com). We sometimes forget that great marketing is — and always will be — the right mix of being creative and scientific. Data alone can’t “engage” employees around your brand. Sometimes, it not just when they get communication, but how it makes them feel that can sway client decisions. An inspired leader means an inspired team — and an inspired organization. My top five sessions at Dreamforce are:

• T-mobile Goes Digital: A Disruptor's Approach to Mobile Transformation
• How The Best Marketers Use Salesforce: The Top 3 Insider Tips You Need to Know, Brand Marketing in the Digital Age
• Four Ways Mobile Customers Are Forcing an Overhaul of Customer Service
• IT Visionaries CIO Roundtable: Innovate or Die

So now you have a few extra reasons to go to Dreamforce. Take the leap if you haven’t already. Want to learn what Bluewolf is up too? Visit our Dreamforce site. Want to meet for that coffee break? Message me @csklar.

Enjoy. Happy Dreamforce.

Corinne Sklar
Global CMO, and nine year veteran of Dreamforce.
Bluewolf