“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.”

This was my 4th Dreamforce to attend after 11 years as a Salesforce Admin.

The first year (2012), I remember thinking, “Great conference, lots of stuff for Marketing, Sales, Service and Developers. What about us Admins?”

2013 was all about Salesforce1 and Mobile, with more content for Marketing, Sales, Service and Developers. But again, no specific Admin space or focus.

Then in 2014 I hit the jackpot! An AdminZone – a space just for us and even an unofficial keynote! Last year was a watershed moment for me. I soaked up the AdminZone as much as possible, fangirled at the Meet the MVP event and live-tweeted the Admin Keynote. I met my Nerdforce cohort John at the keynote – we were both SO excited about the focus on Admin Success! Flying back from DF14 I resolved to up my game. I was a seasoned Admin vet and really wanted to step up in the community and do my part to help other admins succeed! I set goals to blog more regularly, assist in the Success Community and maybe even speak at the next Dreamforce.

Flash forward to last week. What an awesome week!

The AdminLodge was bigger and better than ever! We had an official Keynote and ROCKED the 3rd floor of the Moscone! I spoke not once or twice, but at 6 actual sessions, and even kicked some tail with my Trailhead Gladiators Team, 2 & 1/2 Brits, to win the Grand Championship! I sang in a band on the Dreamboat in front of those same people I fangirled last year! And I was honored to be selected as FinancialForce’s first ever Community Champion at Community Day.

But while those were big wins for me personally, the biggest and most meaningful parts of the conference weren’t those things. It wasn’t the sessions or the announcements or the famous speakers and entertainers.

For me, this year’s conference was ALL ABOUT meeting my family. We don’t have the same DNA, we don’t always speak the same language and some don’t even live on the same continents, but there is one thing we do have in common:

We all bleed Salesforce Blue. (And some of us even had matching nail polish!)

We just ‘get’ each other. We aren’t all admins or developers or MVPs. Just like the misfits that gathered at Cheers every night, we are drawn together because of our passion for all things SAASY!

And this year, amidst the Lightning and Thunder we braved the Trailhead together. Laughing and crying and joking along the way.

Everywhere I went this year I felt like Norm walking into the bar. Someone would shout my name and hugs would ensue. Not the awkward ‘I don’t really know you’ side hugs, but the tight ‘where have you been, I’ve missed you’ hugs that come from deep bonds.

Isn’t is weird and awesome that we’ve formed these bonds virtually?

As I reflect back on DF15, I am grateful to know that I’ve found my tribe. My peeps. My Community.

And to steal a phrase from FinancialForce to describe it, we are most assuredly, Better Together!

“I wanna go where we can see, our troubles are all the same
I wanna go where everybody knows my name.”