Salesforce is known for innovation in its CRM platform and its company culture, both of which are showcased at its annual conference, Dreamforce. The world’s largest software conference, Dreamforce gathers the brightest minds in tech from around the globe to network, learn, and get excited about the latest Salesforce updates and announcements. The showpiece of this immersive event is Marc Benioff’s opening keynote — and the bar is high.
Audiences expect great things from Dreamforce. So, every year the event team is challenged to deliver an even more breathtaking presentation that’s worthy of a global tech powerhouse. When it was time to launch Einstein AI, the keynote needed to clearly explain this new technology while creating an unforgettable, “WOW” moment! Based on Duarte’s reputation for pioneering jaw-dropping presentations, Salesforce knew we were up to the task.
Industry
Services
The big challenge
Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, had big things planned for their annual Dreamforce event. The showpiece of this immersive event was Marc Benioff’s opening keynote — and the bar was high.
They needed to introduce and spark buzz around Einstein, the world’s first generative AI technology for CRM. Because Dreamforce is the world’s largest software conference that gathers the brightest minds in tech to network and learn, they needed an innovative, experienced partner who could help them nail this high-stakes moment. Getting folks excited about the latest product updates and announcements is as much an art as it is a science.
The event team asked us to dream big … and we did. Working closely with them over nine months, the Duarte team planned and designed an immersive, cinematic visual experience that would capture the essence of Einstein and captivate the audience.
Duarte proactively led a series of brainstorms, pitched ideas, and pivoted direction as we learned more about the top-secret technology and product announcements Salesforce would be unveiling.
While planning the demo portion of the keynote, it became clear Einstein himself should appear onstage with Salesforce’s executives to create what we call a S.T.A.R. Moment™ (Something they’ll always remember). Then we experimented with several novel technologies to orchestrate his jaw-dropping entrance.
To bring Einstein to life in real-time, we used a mix of augmented reality, animation, sound effects, slides, and a bit of production magic. As the awe-struck audience watched, the animated character traveled from the giant projection screen through a portal to appear on stage next to CEO Marc Benioff and CTO Parker Harris.
The results
When 170,000 people watching onsite (and 15 million watching online) saw Einstein interacting with Benioff and Harris, the buzz meter flew into overdrive. The groundbreaking AI innovation drew press coverage in Fortune, Forbes, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, and USA Today reinforced Salesforce’s leadership as a tech disruptor on a global scale.
People watching
70,000 people watching onsite (and 15 million watching online).
Predictions daily
According to Salesfoce, Einstein makes more than 80 billion predictions daily, showcasing its power and dominance in AI.
Major buzz from the launch
Fortune, Forbes, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, USA Today, among others reinforced Salesforce as a tech disruptor.
“We put a strong premium on story and presentations, and Duarte is world-class at both.”
