Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference is underway and it’s one of the biggest events in the tech industry. Here’s everything you need to know about the big Salesforce shindig, including the latest Dreamforce 2023 news, dates, agenda, speakers, last minute ticket details, live stream options, party info and more.
This year, the city of San Francisco is welcoming over 40,000 visitors for the event, with up to 180,000 total Dreamforce attendees as it looks to move back towards pre-pandemic levels of fanfare. The theme of Dreamforce 2023 is undoubtedly AI, so expect to hear plenty about how one of the best CRMs on the market is adding new features leveraging the technology.
Specifically, Salesforce and larger-than-life CEO Marc Beinhoff promise an opening keynote that will show you how and why it’s poised to “transform the future of your business” with features like EinsteinGPT, its generative AI chatbot that was launched earlier in the year. No pressure, then.
There’s so much more to Dreamforce than just the opening keynote, though, with a jampacked agenda featuring an eclectic line-up of big name speakers: from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Dr Jane Goodall. Then there’s the infamous circuit of Dreamforce parties, headlined by the official Dreamfest bash and Foo Fighters concert today. Read on for full details of this and everything else Dreamforce 2023, including the headline news from this week’s big keynote.
Latest Dreamforce 2023 News: Days 1 and 2
It has been a busy start at Dreamforce 2023, with the Salesforce news coming in fast from San Francisco by way of Tuesday’s keynote from CEO Marc Benioff.
The major announcement out of the Dreamforce keynote on day 1 was that Salesforce has a new generative AI assistant, Einstein Copilot. The Salesforce chatbot will be coming to all of the applications that make up its popular CRM suite and builds further on its recent AI launches, most obviously its initial EinsteinGPT offering, but also SlackGPT and the recently announced Salesforce and IBM AI partnership.
What’s more, enterprise customers will be able customize its Einstein Copilot in Einstein Copilot Studio, which is made up of three elements: a custom prompt builder, skills builder, and model builder. All are interesting, but it’s Skills Builder that’s immediately caught our eye, as it essentially lets you associate specific actions with your custom prompts.
As of day 2, the blockbuster product news may be behind us, but there’s still plenty going on at Dreamforce. The biggest news today, of course, is that Foo Fighters are headlining the Dreamfest 2023 party at the Chase Center. All Dreamforce tickets include entry to the event, though it does have a maximum capacity, so get down early to avoid disappointment.
Don’t miss any more of the Dreamforce action – read on for details of the Dreamforce schedule, parties and more.
Dreamforce 2023 Agenda, Dates and Speakers
Dreamforce 2023 takes place Tuesday, September 12 to Thursday, September 15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Registration, badge pickup, and certification opens a day earlier on Monday, September 11.
Here’s a quick rundown of the most important Dreamforce 2023 dates and times. All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST).
- Mon, Sept 11: Badge pickup opens (12pm)
- Tues, Sept 12: Main keynote with Marc Beinoff and “special guests” (10-11am)
- Weds, Sept 13: Dreamfest and Foo Fighters concert (6-9.30pm)
- Thurs Sept 14: Dreamforce closes (5pm)
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In that time, the Dreamforce agenda is absolutely packed and Salesforce recommends downloading its Salesforce Events app, available for iOS and Android devices, to help you manage your schedule.
Some of the big names speakers at Dreamforce 2023 are Dr Jane Goodall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, actor Viola Davis, director Spike Lee, actor and Salesforce spokesperson Matthew McConaughey, actor Rainn Wilson, author and businesswoman Arianna Huffington, and many more. You can find the full Dreamforce agenda and schedule here.
Dreamfest 2023: The Biggest Dreamforce Party is Here
The biggest and best Dreamforce event? While we know everyone loves the learning and networking at the main event, it’s always Salesforce’s annual Dreamfest party that steals the show. It’s taking place today (Wednesday, September 13) at the Chase Center and being headlined by a Foo Fighters concert. Tickets for this are included in your main Dreamforce ticket, though note that the concert venue operates different policies to Moscone and the main Dreamfest conference.
Along these lines, our top tip is to get to Dreamfest early, as the Chase has a maximum capacity of around 20,000 for concerts and it’s therefore possible that entry will be closed at some point on Wednesday night.
More Dreamforce 2023 Parties
The other key consideration when finalizing your Dreamforce agenda is Dreamforce parties. You don’t want to miss these, and this week in San Francisco you’ll find everything from free rooftop drinks (the Argano Sunset Social) to breakfast pickleball, boat parties, and a wine and cheese soiree. Credit where credit is due, head to Salesforce Ben for a full list of Dreamforce 2023 parties.
Dreamforce Tickets: Can I Still Attend Dreamforce 2023?
Yes, as of Wednesday morning a handful of “Last Chance” tickets were still listed on the Dreamforce website.
Salesforce pricing has these available for $2,299, which is nearly a grand more than the first batch of “Early Bird” tickets that went on sale at $1,499 earlier in the year. That’s a heck of a lot for two-thirds of the show, but then again it does include a Foo Fighters gig, so who’s really counting?
The only other option you have is try and convince a colleague to let you go in their place. Substitutions were free of charge until the end of August, but will now cost $100 per ticket. That’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a last-minute pass, though.
If all else fails, know that you can still attend Dreamforce digitally using the Salesforce+ service explained above. While we’ll be the first to admit this doesn’t match the experience of seeing the Foos live, it is a free and easy way to follow all of the action from Dreamforce, no matter where you are in the world.
Dreamforce Live Stream: How To Watch Dreamforce 2023 Online for Free
If you’ve missed out on Dreamforce tickets or can’t convince your manager to let you go, don’t worry: it’s easy to get a Dreamforce live stream free online. Dreamforce is very much a hybrid conference with hundreds of thousands expected to tune in virtually, so you’ll be in good company.
This all happens through the Salesforce+ platform, which is 100% free to sign up for and is the digital home of all things Dreamforce 2023. As Salesforce puts it, it’s your “free front-row seat to our biggest global events, like Dreamforce.” All you have to do is sign up with a few basic details and you’re in!
This means you can watch Dreamforce online from the comfort of your home, and as the live stream is coming direct from Salesforce, it’s less essential to use a secure VPN compared to using less reputable streaming sources. That said, there a many other good reasons, from data privacy to finding the best flight deals, to use a VPN for all your online activity.
