The end of October marked the close of the 2021 Tahoe Dreamin’ conference. Every year, the Salesforce User Group based in Sacramento, Calif., hosts a two-day event that provides rich opportunities to network, transfer knowledge, and learn from industry experts and regional peers about topics ranging from tips and tricks with code to the latest use cases for new Salesforce features. After being cancelled in 2020 because of COVID-19, the excitement of meeting again in person was palpable. This year’s Tahoe Dreamin’ event was nothing short of excellent. Let’s look at some of the key takeaways and explore why events such as these are powerful, connective, and unifying forces for everyone immersed in the Salesforce community.

Key Takeaways

Experience the Ohana Culture

Regional events are an incredible way to join a larger community that supports its members as they progress along their Salesforce journeys. Experience the “Ohana” that Salesforce lives by!

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s commitment to not leaving anybody behind is genuine and evident in his tireless efforts to enhance Salesforce’s employment culture, inclusion efforts, customer support, and corporate social responsibility. Although technical innovation, product enhancements, and new solutions remain the core of Salesforce’s business offerings, culture serves as the force that drives delivery and performance. Salesforce describes this philosophy as Ohana:

Many years ago, Marc Benioff had a vision of a company with a purpose beyond profit ... a company built around the spirit of Ohana. In Hawaiian culture, Ohana represents the idea that families – blood-related, adopted, or intentional – are bound together, and that family members are responsible for one another. Today, the #SalesforceOhana is our close-knit ecosystem of employees, customers, partners, and communities. We take care of each other, have fun together, and work collaboratively to make the world a better place.

As part of the Salesforce Talent Alliance, every member of the Oloop team is proud to be a part of this essential movement, at a time when it’s most needed. 

Industry Experts

Tahoe Dreamin’, as with similar events, also offers educational opportunities with the presence of industry experts. This conference’s highlights included:

• Charlie Isaacs and his entertaining, innovative use of IoT that has driven outside-the-box solutions.
• David Liu and Matthew Eastling on best practices for enterprise engagements.
• Shonnah Hughes on the Einstein Prediction Builder

See the Latest and Greatest

After the opening keynote address comes one of Tahoe Dreamin’s liveliest and most anticipated features: the Demo Jam. Here, you can learn about new ISV partners and how they’ve enhanced productivity and solved pain points in the ecosystem. The Demo Jams were entertaining and informative skits, but they also showcase in live demonstrations the innovations that ISVs have brought to the Salesforce ecosystem.

MK Partners’ Matt Kaufman took home the big prize for an in-org document generation tool called Mambo Merge. The presentation was a rousing and humorous exhibition of an app that showed just how versatile Salesforce development can be.

Networking

Obviously, building out your network is one of the primary benefits of industry conferences. The easy atmosphere and resort town setting of Tahoe Dreamin’ are fantastically conducive for sparking conversations and connections. Get to know others on the same journey and help each other out when challenges arise.

A Wellspring of Inspiration

Events like Tahoe Dreamin’ feed inspiration. After spending two days around other Salesforce Trailblazers and ISV partners, you can’t help but feel inspired and creative. Seeing what’s being done in the space, along with the epic solutions your peers are creating, fuels inspiration that can help drive positive change within your own organization. I find a great deal of momentum from these events. The inspiration pushes me to deepen my knowledge of the platform’s possibility and think outside the box. I encourage any Salesforce Trailblazers or ISV partners to seek out or build similar events within their regional communities.