Salesforce.com's annual Dreamforce conference will kick off next week in San Francisco, and with a reported 120,000 people registered to attend in person and virtually, it will be the cloud software vendor's biggest shindig yet. Here's a look at what to expect, from keynote rhetoric to special guests, as well as a look back on Salesforce.com's past. Marc Benioff launches Salesforce.com’s “End of Software” campaign Each Dreamforce gives Benioff an opportunity to spell out Salesforce.com’s broadest strategic initiatives and marketing themes. This year, he’s expected to focus on marketing software. No word on whether he’ll unveil a new company catch phrase to rival the memorable “No Software” tag line that marked Salesforce.com’s earlier days. Marc Benioff at Salesforce.com’s original headquarters “Image by Salesforce.com An older and much richer Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff will take the keynote stage at Dreamforce, compared to the company’s early days. Here’s a rare picture of Benioff in the apartment that served as Salesforce.com’s original headquarters. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff speaks to Virgin chairman Richard Branson “Image by Salesforce.com/Jakub Mosur Photography Benioff’s Dreamforce keynotes tend to be rather long affairs, but he leavens the load with a healthy dose of celebrity guests. Past visitors have included Virgin chairman Richard Branson. Marc Benioff did a “rogue keynote” after Oracle CEO Larry Ellison canceled his official one at OpenWorld 2011 “Image by Salesforce.com/Jakub Mosur An Ellison appearance at Dreamforce would stand in stark contrast to Ellison’s cancellation of a talk Benioff was supposed to give at OpenWorld 2011. That didn’t stop Benioff, however, who used a hotel near the event to deliver a “rogue keynote.” Related content news Global managed services to grow in 2024 as enterprise IT spending rises Several mega deals with TCV of more than $500 million have already been signed in the first quarter of 2024, of which 15% of TCV is from AI-related deals. By Gyana Swain Apr 23, 2024 4 mins Managed IT Services IT Management opinion Time to digitize all landlines, once and for all (of us) Modernizing telecommunications should be part of the national infrastructure transformation. By Ed Fox Apr 22, 2024 3 mins Digital Transformation Telecommunications feature Secrets of business-driven IT orgs CIOs are transforming their tech organizations to deliver business value and new revenue streams by reshaping culture, processes, and team constructions — all while instilling a business-first mindset in all things IT. By Mary Pratt Apr 22, 2024 11 mins Business IT Alignment IT Strategy IT Leadership news analysis VMware customers take wait-and-see approach amid Broadcom changes Controversial VMware moves by Broadcom, including revamped licensing terms, have raised many questions, but customers by and large are still evaluating the impact the acquisition will have on their IT strategies and budgets. By Grant Gross Apr 22, 2024 6 mins Technology Industry VMware Virtualization PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe