Why developers should go to Dreamforce, and how you should prepare.
by Patrick Connelly posted on August 08, 2014
With Dreamforce just around the corner, it seems appropriate to do my list of reasons why developers should go to this conference. Over the past couple of years, Salesforce has really stepped up their game in bringing more to the conference for developers. So, why should you go to Dreamforce (or why should you send your developers)?
- Networking – This is my top reason. Yes all of the ones below are great reasons, but this is the one I still use long after my first Dreamforce. You get the chance to meet so many other developers and they are the ones you can lean on long after Dreamforce has packed up. Try to find people near you that you can sync back up with afterwards to get more involved. And there are plenty of social events you can join that don’t require you to think and can get you some exercise, such as the Community 5k or the Streaking to Dreamforce
- Hands-on development – There are lots of opportunities at Dreamforce to get your hands on code and have someone there to help you if you get stuck.
- Best practices – If you want to learn if you’re doing your Salesforce development right, this is the place to figure it out. There are lots of talks that go over the best way to do development with everything from handling bulk data, testing and even deployments.
- Reid Carlberg – Ok, so maybe not just Reid, but folks like Reid who do neat stuff with technology. In 2013 there was the Connected Device Lab and it was fantastic. It’s a great way to learn about the Internet of Things. I can only assume that this year it will be even better!
So, now that you know you’re going what should you do to get ready?
- Register – This is pretty obvious right? Well, go ahead and do it now so you’ll be ready when it’s time to sign up for talks
- Be ready to sign up – Once the session list goes up, you should be ready to jump in. The really good sessions fill up fast. I’d recommend following @salesforce and @salesforcedevs on twitter for the best chance to see when it’s time.
- Ask questions – Get on Chatter/Twitter/
and ask questions if you have them. Dreamforce is huge and can be quite daunting if it's your first time. There are plenty of fantastic people out there that can help you out.