What is Dreamforce?

Dreamforce is one of the biggest tech conferences in the world. It is Salesforce’s massive event with tens of thousands attendees occupying San Francisco over a few days in the 2nd half of every year. Over 2,700 sessions and workshops with keynotes delivered by elite speakers from renowned companies take part in this event. Thousands of Salesforce trailblazers from all over the world come over for this extravaganza. Dreamforce has grown into so much more than a conference — it’s an experience like no other. Admins, Developers, Consultants, Project Managers, Business Analysts, Technical Architects, Customers, Companies, App Builders, Visionaries, Partners, and Salesforce MVPs – they all make this event a lifetime experience for everyone attending.

Furthermore, based on a Salesforce survey of 2,537 in-person Dreamforce 2022 attendees:

• 93% of the attendees claimed that they solved business challenges with something they learned at Dreamforce
• 93% learned something that helped their businesses save time and money
• 90% discovered new tools and products to help them better engage and/or connect with customers.

Preparing for Dreamforce is quite challenging, especially for first-timers. At Inspire Planner, we have put together this Ultimate Guide to Dreamforce full of valuable information about the event. We hope it will be your one-stop guide for Dreamforce 2025.

Below is some key information about Dreamforce 2025 that you need to know.

Dreamforce 2025

Dreamforce 2025 Date & Location

Don’t forget to mark your calendar – the biggest Salesforce conference will take place on October 14-16, 2025 in San Francisco. You read that right, this year the conference will take place in October, not September as during the last years.

For a while, there was widespread speculation about whether Salesforce might move Dreamforce 2025 to a new location – largely due to the ongoing safety concerns in San Francisco. But Marc Benioff has finally ended the speculation with a major announcement: Salesforce has locked in an agreement with the city to keep Dreamforce in San Francisco for at least the next three years. This move shows Benioff’s commitment not only to the event’s roots but also to supporting San Francisco as it navigates its challenges. So, Dreamforce fans can rest easy – San Francisco will remain the iconic backdrop of this incredible event for the foreseeable future.

“We have a great city, the city’s never looked better, and I couldn’t be happier. We signed an agreement – we’re going to be here for three more years. As long as it remains safe, secure, and trusted, we’re going to keep coming back.”

Marc Benioff

And since Salesforce is also likely to offer digital experiences during Dreamforce, trailblazers will be able to join the event from the comfort of their homes through the Salesforce+ video streaming platform.

Pricing & Registration for Dreamforce 2025

When the registration for Dreamforce 2025 is open, you will be able to secure your spot here: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/

We expect the ‘early bird’ tickets for Dreamforce 2025 to be available at around USD $1,499. Last year, the standard rate for Dreamforce was USD $1,999 and the last chance offers were sold for USD $2,499.

The Full Conference pass for Dreamforce 2025 will be valid October 14–16, 2025, and will include access to keynotes, breakout and theater sessions, hands-on workshops, roundtable discussions, networking with your community, the Welcome Reception, a certification opportunity, and Dreamfest. Daily morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch are also included in your full conference pass.

You can also sign up on the website to receive updates when more exciting announcements are available. To join the conversation on social media, follow the official Dreamforce hashtag #DF25.

In 2024, Dreamforce had over 45,000 in-person attendees from over 140 countries, together with hundreds of thousands people watching online.

You can experience the magic of Dreamforce via Salesforce+ platform with 400+ sessions from last year available on-demand. The great news is that membership is free, easy, and available to everyone.

Agenda & Speakers

While the main topic of Dreamforce 2024 was around the new era of AI, we expect Salesforce to continue its focus on AI and Agentforce at Dreamforce 2025.

In 2024, Salesforce delivered a lot of content about AI-powered innovation, Agentforce, faster data-driven decisions, smarter CRM, and more. Overall, there were 1,500+ sessions.

We are confident that Salesforce won’t disappoint us with the Dreamforce 2025 speaker lineup. Last year, Salesforce brought 115+ visionary speakers, 1.5k+ learning sessions, and 11k+ product experts. Among them were David Kirk (Former Chief Scientist and Fellow, NVIDIA), Raj Subramaniam (President & CEO, FedEx Corporation), Matthew McConaughey (Academy-Award Winning Actor, NYT Bestselling Author & Salesforce Brand Partner), Bob Sternfels (Global Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company), and more.

In 2019, Dreamforce featured such speakers as Marc Benioff, Tim Cook, Barack Obama, Emilia Clarke, Arianna Huffington, and more.

In 2020, keynote speakers included Jeff McElfresh (CEO, AT&T Communications), Adrian Hallmark (Chairman & CEO, Bentley Motors), Bret Taylor (President & COO, Salesforce), and more.

In 2021, Salesforce featured inspiring speakers such as Marc Benioff (Chair & CEO, Salesforce), Will Smith (Actor & Musician), Ola Källenius (CEO, Daimler & Mercedes-Benz), and more.

In 2022, the event was kicked off by Salesforce Co-CEOs Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor. It also featured speakers like Matthew McConaughey (Alright, Alright, Alright.. ), Bono, Jennifer Hudson, and others.

Once it’s confirmed, the latest agenda can be found on the main Dreamforce 2025 website.

Of course, we are all expecting another great performance at the Dreamfest, which will also support the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Last year Dreamforce featured P!nk and Imagine Dragons as headliners, and at the Dreamforce 2025 we are expecting another great surprise from Salesforce.

Venue

Dreamforce is typically held in downtown San Francisco, drawing focus on the Moscone Center. Dreamforce 2025 will probably not be an exception.

Usually, there are various zones within the campus – Admin Zone, Dev Zone, Partner Expo, and the DreamPark. Each has its own purpose and value. At the Admin zone, there are mini-sessions, Trailhead challenges, and demos aimed at newbies and Salesforce admins. Dev Zone is on similar lines but it’s for all the codeys’ out there.

Dreamforce Expo usually has over 400 Salesforce partners showcasing their Apps such as Inspire Planner, a Salesforce-native project management app. Get ready to collect most swags here.

Hotels & Accommodation for Dreamforce 2025

A number of hotels in that area have contracts with Salesforce for discounted rates. Typically, when you register for Dreamforce, you will see various hotels you can book at a special rate. And we encourage you to book hotels early as they are getting sold out really quickly.

You can also look at other hotel comparison sites like Booking.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Kayak to find other hotels that might be less expensive than the Dreamforce list of hotels.

Airbnb and Hostels are also decent options within the city. If you are looking at cheaper options, you can always go out of the city with the BART train system that is connected to Moscone within half an hour.

Why Attend Dreamforce 2025 – What’s in it for YOU?

• Learn: From learning about the newest products, getting inspired, discovering the future of technology, and getting hands-on with it – there’s a lot more Dreamforce can offer to you. Learning is endless with thousands of demos and solutions from Salesforce, partners, and insights from experts.
• Connect: Connect with the trailblazers with unlimited networking opportunities day in and day out – it is the perfect place to meet new people, build careers, and get inspired. Even just a lunch with someone there could lead to a complete transformation in your career.
• Charity: Philanthropy is a huge part of Dreamforce every single year. Dreamforce brings opportunities to make the world more equal. Salesforce has raised over $83 million to support the communities so far. By attending Dreamforce you are doing your part too. For example, during the Dreamforce To You 2020, Salesforce donated $5 million to address today’s economic, hunger, health, climate, and racial inequality crises – $2 million small business fund to provide financial relief to San Francisco small businesses, and $3 million to support organizations addressing hunger. In 2021, Salesforce empowered the global community by donating $1 million to American Forests and One Tree Planted in the fight against climate change.
• Party: What’s all fun without a party? That’s why there’s Dreamfest. Typically, Dreamforce is a week-long celebration with parties and happy hours all over town. But it doesn’t get more fun than Dreamfest. Past performers have included Metallica, U2, Bruno Mars, and Alicia Keys. In 2022, Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked the stage. At Dreamforce 2023, the headlining band was Foo Fighters. At Dreamforce 2024, P!nk and Imagine Dragons. We are excited to learn who the headliner band will be at Dreamforce 2025. What’s more – all the money raised from Dreamfest supports UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.
• ROI: Past attendees have seen significant increases of over 20% in ROI on sales productivity, customer retention, marketing lead volume, win rate, and deal sizes. Are you trying to convince your company to let you attend lots of sessions during Dreamforce 2025? Then you’d better start working on a letter to convince your employer. And you don’t have to scratch, Salesforce has prepared a draft email to help you!

Dos & Don’ts at Dreamforce

The typical 4 days at Dreamforce can get seriously hectic without proper planning, especially with the excitement around. Do not drain yourself in the first few days. Here are some useful tips on planning your journey to Dreamforce 2025 as an attendee.

Packing Tips

What to pack? Here’s a comprehensive list. Do not miss any of these:

• Smartphone: Pack your phone with useful apps like Salesforce events (your go-to guide for Dreamforce), Twitter (most of the SF crowd is on Twitter/X), Maps (Google Maps or similar), Taxi (Uber, Lyft, or similar), Payments (Google pay, Apple Pay), Docs (GDrive, Quip or similar). Download Dreamforce Jetpack when it is available. Oh, leave lots of space for photos and videos to save your amazing Dreamforce 2025 memories.
• Multi-port USB charger: To charge multiple devices at a time. Carry additional cables and laptop chargers. Make sure they are all portable.
• Business Cards: A lot of them. Let everyone know who you are.
• Walking Shoes: There would be a lot of walking as Dreamforce sessions are spread over multiple venues. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Business casual attire: The most common question is what to wear to Dreamforce? The dress code has always been business casual. Look your best. Don’t go too formal or too casual.
• Warm Jacket: Remember DF25 is during October!
• Umbrella: It is San Francisco.
• Backpack: Salesforce generally gives a small backpack during badge collection on the first day. That is enough to go around. Leave some room for swags – after all, it is Dreamforce.
• A printed schedule: Your mobile can die anytime.
• Pen and a book: Your mobile can die 2nd time.
• Carry light grab&go snacks and water to keep you hydrated. Salesforce provides free lunch served at different locations around the campus.
• Oh and bring lots of enthusiasm!

Travel Tips

• If you’re staying out of the city, refer to the BART subway to travel to-and-from Moscone.
• Attend some of the late-night parties, especially the ones hosted by Partners. Those are great opportunities to network.
• If you want to tour around the city of San Francisco, plan it over the weekends (before or after) and reserve your Dreamforce days just for Dreamforce.
• There are bike tours to the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier39, and Fisherman’s Wharf – plan or join one with your Dreamforce mates.
• Pack an extra empty suitcase for all the swags that you’d carry back home.

Preparation Tips for a virtual experience of Dreamforce 2025

If you are planning to watch Dreamforce 2025 online and there is no need to pack for traveling to San Francisco, there are still several items that you could prepare for a successful online experience. Here’s a comprehensive list. Do not miss any of these:

• Right attitude: Treat even a virtual Dreamforce as you would a regular in-person event. Plan your time to attend the most interesting sessions, and engage during the sessions. Take advantage of conference hashtags (#Dreamforce, #DF25, #Dreamforce2025, etc.), Twitter, live chats, slack channels, or any other online tools to stay connected with other trailblazers.
• Limit distractions: Find a place where you would limit distractions so that you can get a full experience of attending this amazing event. You might also want to turn off notifications to stay focused.
• Test your Technology: Make sure you have all the technology prepared for a perfect virtual experience. Test your Internet speed and think of a backup option (e.g. using a personal hotspot to share the cellular data connection).
• Smartphone: Pack your phone with useful apps like Salesforce events (your go-to guide for Dreamforce), Twitter (the entire SF crowd is on Twitter), Notes (Notion, Google Drive, Quip or similar), and more. Download Dreamforce Jetpack when it is available.
• Chargers and necessary cables: It’s highly likely that with a fully virtual experience, you would need to stay connected over multiple devices at a time. Prepare the laptop and phone chargers as well as additional cables in advance. You don’t want to have your devices run out of battery in the middle of a great session.
• Business casual attire: The dress code has always been business casual. There is a chance that you might need to connect with new people online, so even if you are attending Dreamforce from the comfort of your home, look your best.
• A printed schedule: You might be doing lots of other tasks on your laptop/phone/tablet, so a printed schedule in front of you might come in handy.
• Pen and a notebook: Your devices might die during the session, so keep a good old pen and a notebook next to you if you need to write something down.
• Virtual background: If you have any virtual meetings during Dreamforce 2025, some video conferencing tools allow you to upload a nice virtual background. Why not use this opportunity to show off some of those nice Salesforce certifications? Here is how you can use Zoom to showcase them in front of the world.
• Keep some snacks and water next to you. You don’t want to miss any important announcements while running to the kitchen to grab something.
• Oh and bring lots of enthusiasm!

Session Bookings Tips

• Pace out your sessions on a day and over three days.
• Do not overbook yourself on the 1st day – we know you are all excited but most of the people drain out by the end of the 1st day.
• Dreamforce sessions are in different hotels in that region which requires a 5- to 10-minute walk between them. Check the distance between the venues before booking sessions.
• The queue to the Opening Keynote starts 90 minutes before the start time to get the best seat and it takes 30 minutes after the event to get out. Do not book any sessions during this period.
• The other most popular sessions get overbooked, you need to register and be there 15 to 20 minutes early. So, be cautious about booking back-to-back sessions.

Dreamforce 2025 Parties

Once we learn about the planned Dreamforce 2025, we will add them to this guide.

In the meantime, you can see some examples of parties that took place during the Dreamforce last year.

Monday, September 16th

• Tequity and SF Ben Executive Reception
  • Time and Location: 7pm – 9pm, Invite Only
    
• CIO For Good Summit
  • Time and Location: 1pm – 5pm followed by dinner, Shack15, Ferry Building 1
    
• Gearset’s Salesforce Sunshine Stroll with Jack McCurdy
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 5pm, 149 New Montgomery Street
    
• Blazer Fest by Party Blazers
  • Time and Location: 4:30pm – 6:30pm, Pink Elephant, 142 Minna Street
    
• Rookie Rondevous by Gearset
  • Time and Location:  5pm – 8pm, House of Shields, 39 New Montgomery Street
    
• Dreamforce Happy Hour by GRAX and OutSystems
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 7pm, The Harlequin, 68 4th Street
    
• Kick off Event about Clean Data by Elements.cloud and Validity Inc
  • Time and Location: 5:30pm, the session will be followed by a wine and chocolate tasting, Elements Retreat, Floor 2 Werqwise, 149 New Montgomery Street
    
• 2024 Dreamforce Charity Poker for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
  • Time and Location: 5:30pm for dinner, poker starts at 7pm sharp, Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown Soma, 50 3rd Street
    
• Marketer’s Meetup by Sercante, Trilliad, Stensul, and Bynder
  • Time and Location: 6pm – 9pm, Yerba Buena Bar, 141 2nd Street
    

Tuesday, September 17th

• DF24 Newbie Reunion “Bacon” Breakfast
  • Time and Location: 6:30am – 8:30am, Sears Fine Food, 439 Powell Street
    
• SF Ben Dreamforce Hub
  • Time and Location: 8am – 8pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, Fly Trap, 606 Folsom Street
    
• Dreamforce Keynote Watch Party by Coastal
  • Time and Location: 9:45am, INSPIRE Lounge, 201 3rd Street
    
• Healthcare & Life Sciences Dreamforce Happy Hour
  • Time and Location: 3pm – 5pm, The Social Restaurant at the Canopy Hotel (across from Moscone), 250 4th Street
    
• Women in Finance Panel and Cocktail Hour
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 5pm, Zenn Sky Lounge, 3rd Street
    
• Networking Event by Copado and EPAM
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 6pm, Trellis Coworking Space, 981 Mission Street
    
• DevHops Afterparty
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 8pm, Sandbox VR, 767 B Market Street
    
• Cocktails at House of Shields by Acxiom, R1, MRM, and FCB
  • Time and Location: 4:30pm – 7pm, House of Shields, 39 New Montgomery Street
    
• Happy Hour by Gerent
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 7pm, Buena Vida Cantina, 860 Folsom Street
    
• Happy Hour by Globant
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 7pm, 875 Howard Street, Suite 320
    
• Impact Sector Social: Kick Off Dreamforce with Cloud for Good
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 8pm, Monarch SF, 101 6th Street
    
• Dreamforce Data Cloud Party by Thunder, Scalewith and egen
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 8pm, The Lounge, 201 3rd Street
    
• The RevOps Dream Team Happy Hour by Traction Complete
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 9pm, Soma Eats on Second, 168 2nd Street
    
• Dreamforce Happy Hour by Apps Associates
  • Time and Location: 5:30pm – 7:30pm, W San Francisco, 181 3rd Street
    
• Coastal’s Sunset Soiree
  • Time and Location: 5:30pm, INSPIRE Lounge, 201 3rd St.
    
• Sunset Cruise with Salesforce by Copado
  • Time and Location: 6pm – 9pm, Pier 3 San Francisco
    
• House of Cloud by Salesforce Ben
  • Time and Location: 7pm – late, Tuesday 17th, The Grand, 520 4th Street
    
• “In The Clouds” After Party by Sercante, Trilliad, and Stensul
  • Time and Location: 7pm – 12am, 715 Harrison Street
    
• Starry Night Soirée by Atrium
  • Time and Location: 8pm, Temple Nightclub, 540 Howard Street
    
• Hustle and Flow 2024 Revenue Cloud Dreamforce Party
  • Time and Location: 8pm, Hawthorn SF Nightclub and Lounge, 46 Geary Street

Wednesday, September 18th

• Dreamfest (with P!nk and Imagine Dragons as the headlining performers)
  • Time and Location: 6pm – 9:30pm, The Giants Ballpark, 24 Willie Mays Plaza (Dreamfest is included with your in-person registration – a Dreamforce Full Conference badge and government ID is your ticket into the ballpark)
    
• Dreamforce Community Fun Run
  • Time and Location: 6am – 7:30am, Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building
    
• Financial Services Community Appreciation Cocktail Hour
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 5pm, Zenn Sky Lounge, 3rd Street
    
• Happy Hour by Copado and Own
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 6pm, Trellis Coworking Space, 981 Mission Street
    
• Outreachella Happy Hour: The Happy Hour
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 6pm, Joyride Pizza, Yerba Buena Gardens
    
• The Ultimate Pregame
  • Time and Location: 4pm – 7pm, Victory Hall, 360 Ritch Street
    
• Vonage Dreamfest Pre-Party: Raise Your Glass
  • Time and Location: 4:30pm – 6:30pm, Hyatt Regency SOMA, 2nd floor
    
• Rocketman Rendevous: Pre-Concert Happy Hour
  • Time and Location: Doors open at 5pm, INSPIRE Lounge, 201 3rd Street
    
• The Engagement Party 2024 by Idealist Consulting
  • Time and Location: 8pm – late, Monarch Night Club, 101 6th Street

Thursday, September 19th

• Happy Hour by Copado
  • Time and Location: 2pm – 4pm, Trellis Coworking Space
    
• Elements Wine Down
  • Time and Location: 5pm – 9pm, Elements.cloud Retreat, 149 New Montgomery Street
    
• 12th Annual michaelforce.org Cigar Shindig
  • Time and Location: 6pm – late, Cigar Bar and Grill, 850 Montgomery Street

Networking Tips at Dreamforce

• Don’t try to attend every session. Most of them will be available on video after the event. Leave some time for networking (no matter how you are attending the event this year, in-person or virtually). Meeting a person is equally if not more valuable than attending a session.
• If there are specific people, customers, or partners that you want to talk to, contact them in advance and arrange a meeting. Now that Dreamforce 2025 also offers virtual experiences, it might be even easier to schedule that meeting you wanted.
• Have your elevator pitch ready. You never know who you could meet during Dreamforce.
• Do not forget to catch up with those whom you wanted and agreed to.

Credits: Salesforce

Plan Your Dreamforce Experience

Dreamforce is exciting and daunting at the same time. Without proper planning, it would be a messy ride. Plan well, register for the sessions and plan your meetings well ahead pacing them out properly, make new friends, and have fun. Best of luck at the Dreamforce 2025!