First time developer at Dreamforce

Question

This will be my first visit to dream force. I have a Salesforce developer role Can you please give me a few pointers so I get the most benefits from attending.

I plan to register in the developer centric events when registration opens but can you please suggest some topics that you think are useful. Is there anything else I can look forward to like special sessions or keynotes I should not miss.

Thanks!

Answer 1

There will be more developer based sessions than you count so the real trick is picking out the ones that are related to what you're doing right now work wise, or what you might be doing in the next 12 months.

That said, the developer keynote is a must!

Answer 2

I actually just released a blog post about this exact topic - http://jessealtman.com/2013/10/new-to-dreamforce-developers-perspective/.

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• Dreamforce FAQ provides a ton of great information
• Join the discussion on Twitter using the #df13 hashtag and follow @Dreamforce
• When building your agenda be sure to take into consideration time to eat lunch, time to travel (check the location of each session - again, this conference is HUGE and traveling takes time!), and time to socialize
• Under each session in the Agenda Builder, there is a Location accordion that can be expanded to view the layout of the conference to the location of the session.
• Give yourself some time to experience the Expo
• Not attending? No problem! Get a FREE Keynote & Expo Pass
• Dreamforce is a ton of fun and that means parties! Make sure you get a chance to get to some of these
• Get certified for half price on Monday Nov. 18th
• Show up to sessions early! It could take as long as 5-10mins to get into a session (you have to be registered and they will scan your Dreamforce badge to verify)
• Wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking all day, each day.
• See Green Day perform at AT&T park as part of your conference pass
• On the My Agenda tab of the Dreamforce App, you can download your agenda as PDF or Outlook/iCal
• Get involved in Dreamforce's Chatter
• Specifically, join the New to Dreamforce '13 Chatter group

Answer 3

Are you already following the New to Dreamforce 13 (url) chatter group on the dreamforce org ?

You're definitely not the only one with these questions, I'm going for the first time too.

Answer 4

Whenever I attend a conference I try to follow some simple guidelines:

1. Don't stack sessions too closely together or too many in one day
2. Attend "stretch" sessions that I think are probably beyond my skill level but will introduce me to new things
3. Attend some sessions for other job functions; sometimes seeing how others use a system helps me understand my users better and offer better solutions
4. Visit the expo; you might find something that makes your life (or your company's business) way better
5. Network. Talking to others is a great way to learn the capabilities of the system and help each other out

Dreamforce specific:

1. Visit the Dev Zone
2. Attend the True to the Core keynote.
3. Attend the Developer keynote
4. Attend a Hands On Training Session (HOTS) if they look appealing - guided introductions are wonderful!