If budget allows for a second attendee, send a senior practitioner or middle manager instead of another executive. Their 'in-the-weeds' perspective means they will prioritize different, more operational sessions (like hands-on workshops), bringing back a complementary set of insights to the strategic takeaways gathered by leadership.
Even for extroverts, large, loud conference parties are ineffective for meaningful business conversations. Smaller, more intimate events like dinners provide a better environment for building genuine relationships, gathering informal customer references, and discussing strategic business challenges in a relaxed setting.
A formal conference ticket isn't necessary to extract significant value. The ecosystem of events, vendor lounges, and networking dinners surrounding a major conference like Dreamforce offers just as many opportunities for learning and connection as the official sessions, often in more intimate and accessible settings.
To secure budget for conference attendance, frame it as a critical component of a larger, pre-approved strategic initiative. By anchoring the trip to a specific project, like evaluating conversation intelligence tools, the cost becomes a tangible research expense for de-risking a major investment, rather than a vague professional development trip.
Vendor-sponsored lounges and adjacent events offer a prime opportunity to gather informal, honest feedback from a vendor's current customers. This allows you to bypass the formal, curated reference process and have candid conversations about implementation, best practices, and potential pitfalls before making a purchasing decision.
Instead of aimlessly browsing sessions, align your conference agenda with your team's pre-defined strategic pillars for the upcoming year. By focusing on specific areas like AI agents, Slack integration, or data security, you can filter the overwhelming number of options and ensure your time directly contributes to future business objectives.