Major conference to stay in San Francisco despite threats to leave

Dreamforce, the massive tech conference hosted by Salesforce, will return to San Francisco in 2024.

Mayor London Breed and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday morning, with a selfie taken together at a Golden State Warriors game. The event will run from Sept. 17-19, 2024; in past years, Dreamforce has taken over several wings of downtown’s Moscone Center.

As this year’s conference unfolded, though — with thousands of lanyard-wearing techies, celebrity panels and an array of musical acts — Benioff praised San Francisco’s appearance, while taking a share of the credit. He quipped that the sidewalks looked “spick and span,” like the city had poured “fresh cement,” SFGATE reported.

“We put a lot of pressure on the city this year,” he said in a press panel during the conference. “When the city of San Francisco wants to look good and get shiny and clean and safe, it knows how to do it.”

“Unfortunately, the city doesn’t always take itself as seriously as it does during Dreamforce,” he added, before declining to answer a question about whether the conference would return to San Francisco in 2024.

In his social media post announcing Dreamforce will return to San Francisco next year, Benioff thanked the city for its “outstanding safety measures, cleanliness and hospitality” during this year’s conference.

Hear of anything happening at Salesforce or another tech company? Contact tech reporter Stephen Council securely at [email protected] or on Signal at 628-204-5452.