Enterprise tech events are different from consumer electronics. No gleaming, cool gadgets are unveiled to grab newspaper headlines.
Instead the focus is on technology to drive businesses and organisations. Currently, the technologies are centred around data, customer centricity and digital transformation.
Dreamforce 16, the annual customer and developer event for software giant Salesforce, is no exception. It adds one catchphrase – artificial intelligence – that has now been baked into its customer relationship management software.
This event is not unlike the annual customer events held by other tech companies. I’ve covered most of them from IBM and Hewlett-Packard to CA and Oracle.
There are always exciting as new technologies and products are unveiled. But Dreamforce was different. As a newbie to this event, it held six surprises for me.
Size: It was huge with 170,000 attendees, the same number as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The attendees stayed in 21 hotels, spending about US$130 million in the city on accommodation, transportation, entertainment and other things.
Free meals were served, as part of more than 1 million meals prepared for the event. Lunch crowds spilled out of the convention centre to a big tent at the Yerba Beuna Gardens opposite Moscone Centre.
Road closure: One road in front of Moscone Centre was closed and paved with artificial turf, making it easier for attendees to access the convention centre without having to cross a busy road.
I’ve attended numerous Apple and Macworld events in San Francisco when the late Steve Jobs spoke and current CEO Tim Cook unveiled gleaming new iPhones and iPads. No roads were ever closed for Apple.
Entertainment: A DJ played in the lobby of the convention centre while open air concerts were held during the day. Free tickets to a U2 concert – in aid of a local San Francisco hospital – were given to attendees.
Mindfulness: Stressed? About 20 Buddhist monks held meditation and mindfulness sessions for attendees. Mindfulness is a catchall term for practices that help you focus on the present moment. (Note: Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff was raised in a Jewish family.)
Philanthropy: Dreamforce encouraged attendees to support Red, which aims to stop Aids worldwide. At the event, Red aimed to raise US$2 million by selling t-shirts, stuff toys and other premiums.
Diversity: It wasn’t just about tech. Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, discussed the state of women and girls and their participation in technology. At another session, tennis champion and sports icon Billie Jean King joined other speakers to raise the issue of gender equality and its positive impact on business.
These surprises depict a fun, exciting, caring and a large and growing company. The 17-year-old Salesforce now has to ensure that its focus on helping customers gain insights and predict outcomes via artificial intelligence really works.
Veteran tech writer Grace Chng attended Dreamforce 2016 in San Francisco.
