Salesforce's annual conference Dreamforce is so big it completely shuts down parts of downtown San Francisco
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Jul 26, 2021, 12:46 IST
Salesforce has been hosting Dreamforce since 2003. Dreamforce is like no other trade show — it’s part conference, part festival, and part music concert. Non-tech leaders like Hilary Clinton and General Colin Powell have made visits in the past.
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Moscone Center is located at Howard Street between 3rd and 4th street in San Francisco.
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During the four-day event, Salesforce shuts down the whole block on Howard Street, and turns it into a resting area exclusively reserved for Dreamforce attendees.
This is what Howard Street and Moscone Center typically looks like on a regular day.
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There’s everything from food and drinks to games and live music. People like to relax here, or just enjoy the weather, which usually gets warm around this time in San Francisco.
The area is closed off from non-Dreamforce attendees. You need this pass to get in.
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Lots of people show up during the day. Salesforce claims more than 170,000 people are coming to the city for Dreamforce this year. That’s roughly 20% of San Francisco’s entire population.
It usually runs out of space during lunch. Some people have to eat on the stairs.
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Salesforce even puts up its own flags in front of Moscone Center.
New street signs show up too, just for Dreamforce.
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Like these ones.
There are tons of shuttle buses that run during the event. They cause a lot of traffic congestion.
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It might be better to use one of these rickshaws.
You’ll see more police in the area too.
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But shop owners love Dreamforce because of the extra sales it drives. Mel’s Drive-in, the popular diner right around the corner of 4th and Mission Street, more than doubles its hourly revenue and number of customers during Dreamforce, its assistant manager told us.
This store rented out the whole place to a Salesforce partner called Apttus. The store will be used as Apttus’ VIP guest room during the event.
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According to San Francisco Travel, last year’s Dreamforce brought in an additional $226 million to the city.
You’ll see a lot of these Salesforce ads all over the city.
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The goal of all this is clear: it enhances Salesforce’s brand value and potentially brings in more customers. It’s a great marketing event for Salesforce.
And for attendees? A chance to party with strangers from around the world.