If you are a Chief Marketing Officer, or report to one, or aspire to be one, you MUST attend dreamforce. Period. I would not normally make such a blanket statement, but I don't want anyone to miss the point of this article.
This week, I was able to speak at dreamforce for data.com, and shared in the frenzy with 130,000 other attendees. The benefits of being here are endless:
- Technology - Aisles and aisles of vendors selling everything from big data (impressed by Tableau), to sales productivity tools such as InsideSales.com, which Green Leads just implemented.
- Learn - Study new marketing techniques. Face it, event marketing is one of the largest challenges of a marketer. Come see what's working.
- Team - Nothing more rewarding than a CMO seeing their team enjoying the conference and learning new ideas and techniques.
- Network - Meeting new people, prospects and network contacts. Walking around I had a bunch of followers introduce themselves. Networking goodness!
- POV - Explore all the branding and point of view. My POV guru buddy, Dave Peterson of PlayBigger told me yesterday, was to just experience the show and absorb. Learned a ton.
- Listen - Some incredible marketers on stage. The list is too long to name, but Marissa Mayer of Yahoo was killer.
- Customers - Setting up client/partner visits. I could have filled my week with nothing but client visits. Great lunch with Steve Lilly of Ziff Davis! B2B Goodness.
- Reunions - I walked into Moscone West and five minutes after I got my badge I met someone I worked with 13 years ago.
- Demand Gen - Find new business. In my particular case, there is nothing better than meeting the VP of Marketing at a booth and them saying "The show is good, lots of tire kickers though." and then when she asks what I do, go into how "Green Leads weeds through all the tire kickers to find you active decision makers."
- Party - Green Day, Blondie, Huey Lewis and the News. Every bar and restaurant is overflowing with sales, marketers and geeks.
- Exercise - Yes, exercise, if you consider walking a few miles a day exercise. Being on your feet all day works the core. It's exercise!
- Press - They are all here. Take advantage of it.
- Vendors - Odds are that if your marketing vendors are here. Check in with them.
- Exhibit - If you target sales, marketing or developers, you have to be here!
- Inspiration - Deepak Chopra! Always some lifestyle speakers here.
Having experienced the largest cloud computing conference on earth, I have one regret. I didn't bring an umbrella. Nobody said anything about the "cloud" being a rain cloud!
Lead Gen Tip of the Day: Not sure how to find new prospects to meet with at dreamforce, Green Leads has been hired to do appointment setting for dreamforce attendees to keep their calendars full.
photo credit: @damphoux