Nervous, but the good kind.
Being only six months into my Salesforce journey, I didn't know what to expect.
I've heard some stories of World Tour, so I was shaping an idea of what this... “conference“ would be...
Donning my fresh Arcturious polo, I make my way to International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour, the venue holding this year’s World Tour. Navigating my way through the lines, I decided to be "heart smart" by electing the stairs over the escalators to the main entrance. This settles my nerves a little as I now come to a stark realization that I need to do more cardio.
Catching my breath and joining my colleagues, only to be divided by those who brought backpacks and those that used pockets. Equipped with my QR code, I set off at a much faster pace than those in possession of bags. Emptying my pockets on the tray, I cautiously walk through the security gate...
A staff member greets me with a smile, scans my code and points me in the direction of a stand. Walking over, I hear:
“Benji?”
How does this person know my name? Have we met before? As I rack my brain.... I reply, with a quizzical expression, “Yes?”
“Your lanyard.”
Ah. As a sheepish smile crosses my face, I thank the staff member, too polite to point out my awkward exchange and make my way through the doors to the Campground and join the crowd.
A quest begins...
Fresh coffee in hand, lanyard swinging around my neck, I stop to take it all in...
Swivelling on the spot, the newbie in me spots the Trailblazer Forest. That has to be a good place to start!
Loading the world tour page on my phone, I see the Trailblazer Quest. Intrigued, I open it up. By checking in to each station, a Salesforce Expert takes me through one Demo of many of today’s most relevant skills, including Admin and Salesforce Genie. Very insightful.
As the first of what would be many Demos this morning, a team member scans my lanyard tag, and a green tick appears on my app “Completed”. Impressed that now my learning experience is gamified, I look towards the agendas for the Trailblazer Community Campfire and Trailblazer Theatre Session for Speakers and Topics I feel I will get the most value from.
Onward with my Quest for Knowledge! As my XP starts to rake up, I earn myself a new friend, Cloudy!
Making the world a better place
Team Earth? I look across the Campground Map, and curiosity sparks. Sustainability and being environmentally conscious have always been passions of mine, with recognition and focus on these topics increasing momentum recently.
As I start to make my way over I notice a green sign, “Net Zero Cloud”, I guess I can make a small detour. Straight away I am shown a Demo on this sustainability management platform. With more organizations looking to manage their environmental footprint, I know this will be a valuable platform to learn.
Inspired by my detour, I head toward Team Earth and can see straight away that it is designed to educate the attendees on a range of issues currently being addressed here. Did you know some companies send their products straight to the landfill for a range of minor issues while nothing is wrong with the product itself? Something simple like a label design flaw? Crazy!
Here they were assembling kits of these products to donate to people in need, toothbrushes, baby bottles, sanitiser and wipes. Just grab a bright green reusable bag and start filling them! After handing the bag over to the team for packing, I need a snack and I discover smoothies! After standing in line, I noticed a catch, they are made without electricity! As I make my way to the front of the queue, I glance at the stationary bicycle and see the Team Earth member indicating I jump on. Now it clicks. I did say I needed to do more cardio.
Keynote!
“Be a Customer Company with the #1 CRM” with speakers like Pip Marlow and Leandro Perez, I knew I couldn’t miss it!
With a Welcome to Country from Gadigal Elder Allen Madden, we were then treated by a performance of “Heal“ by Mitch Tambo. As if that wasn’t enough, we were then treated again to another spectacular performance, this time ”Great Southern Land“ by Mitch Tambo and Reigan Derry. Wow. Just Wow.
After the Speakers of Pip Marlow, Leandro Perez, Rowena Westphalen and Taksina Eammano, we heard the story of customer Trailblazer R.M. Williams and how they are using Customer 360 to succeed now.
Finally we hear the journey of Tupu Toa Chief Executive - Anne Fitisemanu. Absolutely incredible. So much so that she was awarded the famous Gold Hoodie right there on stage! I was in awe of the work they do at Tupu, helping educate young Māoris and bringing them into the Salesforce Ecosystem. Something I can empathise with as their journeys somewhat resemble my own.
What an action-packed day! My impressions of this “conference” were blown away. There was no way to see it all. However, I am pumped and motivated to learn more about what was on offer and appreciate the support and guidance of like-minded people. I for one will be jumping on Salesforce+ to watch The Shift and catch up on a few of the sessions I missed.
Inspiring!
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