We recently attended the Salesforce Connections event live in Chicago. In this blog, we’ll share our experiences and insights.
When I first heard the Salesforce Connections event was coming up in Chicago, I was excited. Not only would it be my first chance to experience a Salesforce event, and it would also be my first time on the road since before the pandemic.
I could not wait to see how companies across many industries leverage Salesforce’s suite of products to deliver meaningful connections to customers.
I was impressed by the scale of the event as soon as I arrived at the convention center. People were already lining up to get a good spot for the opening keynote, while others were exploring the Campground – a playground for Trailblazers. At the Campground, you could stop by many booths showcasing each product and attend presentations about how companies were using these technologies.
Data is the Name of the Game at Salesforce Connections
They kicked off day one with a keynote featuring executives from companies like Crocs who shared how they use Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud Customer Data Platform (CDP) to wow customers with personalized experiences that build brand loyalty and lifetime customers. Crocs is consolidating the first-party and zero-party data it has for customers into Salesforce CDP to deliver customized messaging to customers through their preferred communication channels, all while adhering to national and international privacy laws.
With the changing landscape and laws, this is becoming increasingly challenging. Crocs is using Salesforce to transform their business, so they are not left scrambling to maintain a personalized relationship with their customers.
Connected data continued as a theme throughout the two days at Connections. There were many conversations about the death of third-party cookies and what that will mean for many marketers. Marketers will lose a key cog in their marketing machine when third-party cookies disappear. Marketers will have to rely on the data that customers are explicitly providing to them to determine where they are in the sales cycle and what messaging would push them to purchase.
The conference speakers also focused on how data is increasingly becoming more critical as the world becomes more automated, while customers expect personalized experiences. Salesforce’s Customer Data Platform will be a crucial resource in the future to drive personalization and customization at every customer interaction. The CDP is where all your data, including non-Salesforce sources, come together in one place so marketers can single customer profiles and build complex journeys that can dynamically adjust to meet customers’ needs based on real-time data.
What’s Next
Salesforce’s next event, Dreamforce, is now open for registration and will be the next opportunity to get together on such a large scale. While we expect a reduced audience of about 30,000, this will still be an excellent opportunity to network with fellow Trailblazers and learn all the new and exciting things that organizations are doing with Salesforce. If you cannot make it to San Francisco, don’t forget to tune in to Salesforce+ to participate virtually. See you there!
