Who Actually Goes to Dreamforce?
A data-backed, plain-English tour of who shows up and how to talk to them.
Dreamforce isn’t a single-persona event. It’s a mixed crowd: budget owners, program drivers, and hands-on builders share the same corridors and coffee lines. If your message only works for one group, you’ll miss most of the room.
›Executive summary (what this really means)
- ~7 in 10 attendees are Managers+. Translation: most people can say “yes” or strongly influence it.
- Directors+ are 44.3%. Nearly half the room thinks in programs, budgets, and roadmaps—not just tools.
- 63% of companies send exactly one person. Lone scouts gather intel; decisions often happen after the event.
- 13 companies send 100+ people (≈24% of all attendees). These mega-delegations behave like offsites: they compare vendors on-site.
1. Data snapshot
We started with the sponsor attendee export and gave it a spa day: removed duplicates, standardized job titles, rolled them into seniority buckets, and grouped companies by team size. Industry tags exist for a small slice, so treat those cuts as directional, not gospel.
Why this matters: clean inputs prevent misleading “insights.” A mislabeled title (e.g., “Lead” meaning anything from senior IC to people manager) can skew how we plan enablement and follow-ups.
Housekeeping note: Percentages are relative to labeled rows; totals reflect the whole export.
2. The seniority map
Dreamforce is loaded with people who can approve or steer budgets. Lead with outcomes (time saved, risk reduced), then offer a path to proof (demo, pilot, or ROI sheet). Practitioners still matter—they pressure-test reality and influence the shortlist.
›2.1 Raw job levels (who’s in the hallways)
| Job level | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | 10,455 | 24.4% |
| Staff | 8,145 | 19.0% |
| Director | 7,886 | 18.4% |
| VP | 4,491 | 10.5% |
| Uncategorized | 4,228 | 9.9% |
| C-Level | 3,770 | 8.8% |
| Executive | 2,679 | 6.3% |
| Unspecified | 775 | 1.8% |
| Student/JobSeeker | 155 | 0.4% |
| Board | 131 | 0.3% |
| Missing | 81 | 0.2% |
Think of “Executive” as senior non-C-suite leadership (e.g., SVP, Head of).
›2.2 Rolled-up seniority (how to pitch)
Directors+: 18,957 attendees (44.3%). If you have only one asset, make it a 2-slide ROI explainer with a link to a hands-on demo.
3. Delegation sizes
Team size signals intent. Solo scouts collect cards and links; small squads pressure-test a short list; mega groups operate like internal conferences, often running side-by-side evaluations.
›3.1 By attendees (share of the crowd)
| Bucket | Attendees | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mega (100+) | 10,392 | 24.3% |
| Solo (1) | 9,448 | 22.1% |
| 3–5 | 7,668 | 17.9% |
| 2 | 4,986 | 11.7% |
| 6–10 | 4,327 | 10.1% |
| 11–25 | 3,615 | 8.5% |
| 26–100 | 2,322 | 5.4% |
›3.2 By companies (how teams show up)
| Bucket | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1) | 9,448 | 63.2% |
| 2 | 2,493 | 16.7% |
| 3–5 | 2,117 | 14.2% |
| 6–10 | 590 | 3.9% |
| 11–25 | 239 | 1.6% |
| 26–100 | 57 | 0.4% |
| Mega (100+) | 13 | 0.1% |
Most orgs send one scout; a few send armies. Plan follow-ups accordingly.
Post-event implication: expect asynchronous buying. The person you met often has to brief unseen stakeholders back home—so give them assets that travel well (one-pager, short video, ROI note).
4. Industry lens (known slice)
Only 12.3% have industry labels → treat the mix as directional.
The labeled slice still tells a story: Tech and Consulting are dominant, Financial Services and Healthcare follow closely, and Education/Nonprofit arrive with more hands-on practitioners (who want to see real workflows).
›4.1 Industry mix (directional)
| Industry | Attendees | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | 1,445 | 27.4% |
| Consulting | 680 | 12.9% |
| Financial Services | 579 | 11.0% |
| Healthcare | 449 | 8.5% |
| Nonprofit | 442 | 8.4% |
| Manufacturing/Auto/Energy | 354 | 6.7% |
| Media | 252 | 4.8% |
| Other | 247 | 4.7% |
| Retail | 224 | 4.3% |
| Education | 189 | 3.6% |
| Travel/Transport | 150 | 2.8% |
| Construction/Real Estate | 135 | 2.6% |
| Public Sector | 120 | 2.3% |
›4.2 Seniority in key industries (how to engage)
| Industry | Exec/Sr | Mid | Pract. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 19.4% | 35.3% | 25.0% |
| Financial Services | 15.2% | 37.7% | 30.7% |
| Nonprofit | 10.2% | 30.8% | 43.0% |
| Education | 5.8% | 26.5% | 50.8% |
Nonprofit/Education skew hands-on → live demos and “show me” beats “tell me.”
5. Who comes together from an org?
Most companies don’t bring a full buying pyramid. That means the decisive conversation often happens after Dreamforce, back on home turf. Your on-site goal: capture interest and arm your champion.
›Role combinations per company (what we observed)
| Combination | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level only | 4,263 | 28.5% |
| Exec only | 3,312 | 22.1% |
| Practitioners only | 2,651 | 17.7% |
| Exec + Mid | 1,270 | 8.5% |
| Unknown only | 1,231 | 8.2% |
| Mid + Pract. | 974 | 6.5% |
| Full pyramid | 887 | 5.9% |
| Exec + Pract. | 369 | 2.5% |
Practical read: send two follow-ups—a one-pager for execs (outcomes, risk, ROI) and a short video or click-through demo for practitioners (setup, coverage, real flows). Let your champion forward the right one.
6. Persona playbook (post-event edition)
The same three groups surface in follow-ups, just at different zoom levels. Keep your story consistent; change the altitude.
Executives & senior leaders (~26%)
- Care about: ROI, risk reduction, time-to-value, and change-management overhead.
- Asset to send: 2-slide ROI pack + 60-second outcomes video.
- Angle: “Cut release risk, accelerate QA 70–80%, and surface insight—not just pass/fail.”
Mid-level leaders (~43%)
- Care about: rollout plan, governance, coverage targets, and integration paths.
- Asset to send: 1-page pilot template (milestones, owners, success metrics).
- Angle: “0→100% Salesforce coverage without a QA army; predictable cadence, low maintenance.”
Practitioners & ICs (~19%)
- Care about: setup time, real-world flows, debugging clarity, and repeatability.
- Asset to send: 3-minute click-through or sandbox access.
- Angle: “Write tests in English; Hercules runs them. Fast feedback, fewer flaky tests.”
7. What this means now (post-Dreamforce takeaways)
Dreamforce is the starting pistol, not the finish line. Here’s how to turn hallway conversations into real evaluations and revenue.
›7.1 Make it easy to share internally
Since 63% of companies sent a single scout, assume your champion is your mini-marketer. Package two forwardable assets: an exec one-pager (outcomes, risk, ROI) and a 3-minute demo (setup → run → results).
›7.2 Sequence your follow-ups by delegation size
Solo/Duo: send trial link and calendar for a 25-minute “pilot scoping.”
3–10: propose a 2-week pilot with weekly checkpoints and success metrics.
26+ / Mega: offer a workshop or roundtable comparing rollout patterns and governance.
›7.3 Tailor by industry (directional)
Tech/Consulting: stress speed and extensibility.
Financial Services/Healthcare: highlight risk controls and auditability.
Education/Nonprofit: lead with simplicity and lower maintenance.
›7.4 Define “done” before a pilot starts
Agree on 3 success metrics (e.g., % coverage, hours saved, defect leakage) and a go/no-go date. Pilots without a finish line become science projects.
›7.5 Keep the narrative consistent across personas
One story, three altitudes. Execs get outcomes; mid-leaders get the rollout plan; practitioners get the workflow. Consistency builds trust when your champion forwards your materials.
// Start testing //
