TrailblazerDX 2024: Exploring the Conference as a First-Time Attendee
TrailblazerDX is Salesforce’s premier developer conference, highlighting the Salesforce, MuleSoft, and other ecosystems. Unlike Dreamforce, which has a broader focus, TrailblazerDX is tailored specifically for developers, admins, architects, community members, and IT leaders. I had the exciting opportunity to attend this event for the first time on March 6th and 7th in San Francisco. In this article, I will share my experience and insights from the event.
Preparation and Investment
When I first learned about TrailblazerDX, I was excited but knew it would require careful planning. It involved investing a significant amount of my personal time (using vacation days) and money, particularly due to the high costs of airfare and accommodations from São Paulo, Brazil to San Francisco, USA.
Luckily, my company provided a “training allowance” that covered the conference ticket and some additional expenses. However, I ended up covering the majority (+70%) of my total expenses out of my own pocket. There is no free lunch. I had to clear objectives in mind — (1) to learn from MuleSoft technical sessions and (2) grow my network with MuleSoft key professionals.
I spent considerable time researching the topics that would be covered, gathering feedback from online groups about the event’s highlights and areas for improvement, and setting aside one week of my vacation for the event: two days for the conference, two for travel, and one to visit San Francisco and a client in Sunny Vale.
Highlights from the Event
The overarching theme of TrailblazerDX this year was AI! Salesforce is heavily investing in AI technologies to empower customers to leverage AI’s potential in customer relationships using existing corporate data alongside industry AI models or custom models. This strategic direction includes initiatives like DataCloud (Salesforce’s unified data cloud) and Einstein Co-Pilot (a customizable chatbot akin to ChatGPT).
MuleSoft, (that is my focus in Salesforce ecosystem), as an Integration Platform and Universal API Management software, plays a crucial role in this AI-driven roadmap. Effective AI relies on high-quality data, necessitating extensive data integration, collection, and filtering — areas where MuleSoft excels.
In addition to lectures, the event had product demonstration areas, including product and engineering teams available to showcase and answer questions.
I learned about two new products there:
- Anypoint Partner Manager: Do you need to quickly integrate business partners using standards like EDI X12? This product provides a single cloud-based user interface for transaction monitoring, partner configuration, and administration. It also supports the ability to replay transactions. Watch video to see it in action.
- MuleSoft Inteligent Document Processing: MuleSoft IDP empowers teams to use AI to automatically extract and organize data from unstructured documents, enabling seamless integration with downstream systems that streamlines processes such as budget reconciliation, order fulfillment, and supplier onboarding. More info here.
- If you want to learn more about these products and watch event sessions, many of them are now available online on the Salesforce+ website.
I also had the opportunity to participate in some hands-on sessions. In these sessions, guided by the Salesforce team, participants implemented some newly created technologies. In addition to the audience being able to experience what will be launched soon, immediate feedback was requested from the product team, who were present. One of these sessions involved building the Einstein Copilot in a project.
Networking and Community Engagement
TrailblazerDX provided not only technical insights but also invaluable networking and collaboration opportunities. Meeting fellow developers, architects, and tech leaders from both the industry and within MuleSoft was enriching.
There were concurrent events like the Happy Hour organized by the MuleSoft Community Team for MuleSoft Community Leaders — a great chance to connect with industry peers. It was fantastic to meet such kind and intelligent leaders in the field.
Key Takeaways
Dos:
- Stay near the event venue, if possible, to optimize your experience.
- San Francisco offers plenty to explore; arriving a day or two early can enhance your trip.
- Plan your session schedule in advance using the event app for optimal time management.
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring portable phone chargers for the event’s extensive activities.
- Make use of the diverse food options provided at the event; lunchtime can be an excellent networking opportunity.
- Participate in the “first-time attendee session” to facilitate networking, particularly if you’re attending alone.
- Engage with the MuleSoft/Salesforce community and connect with key individuals.
Don’ts:
- Avoid overbooking your schedule; allow time between sessions to relax and converse with others.
- Try to avoid booking hotels and flights too close to the event date. Aim to book them more than 3 months in advance, if you can.
Conclusion
Going to the event was really worth it, especially because I got to meet other professionals in the community. I achieved my goal of learning from MuleSoft technical sessions and connecting with key MuleSoft professionals. This experience reminded me how important it is to attend revelant industry events whenever I can.
