After a 2 year hiatus with the challenges of the covid-19. Salesforce once again has led, being one of the first to host a mega-event back in person. Wow! Did they bring out the red carpet to make sure we all felt safe returning, our bellies were full and an open environment to learn and network!

It took almost an hour to get into the event with queues to get your masks, app downloads, funnelling to the RAT testing auditorium where we would also wait for the automated SMS QR code for the negative all clear! Proceeding to a body scan and bag check, before receiving our personalised passes to enter the Covid-safe event! I felt as if I was visiting parliament. Once through the gates, masks were off and everyone felt comfortable to re-connect and mingle. I want to praise the unbelievable logistics team and St John Ambulance who had the mammoth task of Covid testing thousands of attendees prior to entering and making it so seamless. Upon entry in the morning, they had already turned away 3 attendees who were positive! I had never seen anything of this scale rolled out. I started to think if we could also implement this at sporting events and concerts as well but thought many of these patrons would continue to lose their place in line needing to go to the toilet regularly! With the hesitancy of people returning to live events, it was amazing to see the length and detail that salesforce went to ensure it was Covid-safe.

The event surrounded Salesforce 360 centering the room with 3 break out stages that held the key industry presentations. You would think the happy voices of thousands of attendees reconnecting, and sharing experiences would disrupt the learning provided by the speaker. But Salesforce and the logistics team had done it again! Each seat in this area had a remote, where we provided headsets to tune in to the session and drown out the ambience of other attendees! What a success this addition was!

The main event was set on another stage with host Pip Marlow – CEO of Salesforce ANZ & ASEAN showcasing“How the future works” with introductions of Net Zero Cloud, Safety Cloud, Service Cloud voice, and new features in Marketing Cloud. We also got to hear from Australian of the Year, Golden Slam Tennis Champion, disability, diversity and inclusion advocate Dylan Alcott share his journey. What a tremendous storyteller he is.

Kel Henderson was awarded the prestigious award of Golden Hoodie! There are only 6 Golden hoodies in APAC and under 50 in the world! The Golden Hoodie is an award for people who are successfully making a change and helping people in the Salesforce ecosystem. It's not about certifications or badges, it's about impact. To wrap up the show was surprised by a live performance by singer-songwriter and Powderfinger frontman, Bernard Fanning. This was followed by flowing drinks and a series of various after-parties to celebrate!

I feel so privileged to be a trailblazer and a part of such an amazing ecosystem that supports the growth of one another’s journey. An ecosystem where we are constantly finding new ways to solve modern-day problems through technology(contact tracing, emergency response) and most importantly striving to create a positive impact within our communities.

If you were not able to attend the event or were unable to make some presentations because of conflicting times, don’t worry - you have not missed out! Salesforce will be releasing 21 videos to cover all the keynote sessions and the main event!

Head over to Salesforce to check them out!

If you would like to understand more about salesforce, discuss career paths and opportunities or simply want market insights for your next team hire. You can reach me.

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