Salesforce.com Kicks Off Connections, the Digital Marketing Event of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CONNECTIONS 2014 -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the world's #1 CRM platform, today kicked off Connections, the digital marketing event of the year. Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff will keynote Connections and share a transformational vision for the future of marketing in the mobile age.

Visionary executives from Best Buy, Diesel, DonorsChoose.Org, Facebook, GE, LinkedIn, Live Nation and Twitter will also appear on the keynote stage to share their marketing transformation. In addition, best-selling author John Green, Emmy-nominated writer and author Mindy Kaling and seven-time Grammy award winner will.i.am will be featured in keynote sessions. Marketers unable to join onsite can tune into Salesforce Live (salesforce.com/live) September 23 at 10:00 a.m. ET to watch the keynote live.

Connections: The Digital Marketing Event of the Year
ExactTarget Marketing Cloud's eighth annual Connections conference will showcase a new vision for the marketing industry, the latest technology and groundbreaking customer success stories. With 100 breakout sessions, Connections will put attendees at the front of emerging trends and best practices for digital marketing. Connections takes place September 22-25 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Comments on the news

• "Companies have an unprecedented opportunity to usher in the future of marketing," said Scott McCorkle, CEO, Salesforce ExactTarget Marketing Cloud. "Now in its eighth year, Connections is the only digital marketing conference where global marketers can gain actionable insights on how to transform customer interactions into 1:1 customer journeys across every touchpoint."

Dynamic Programing Showcasing the Future of Digital Marketing

• Opening Keynote: Addressing a global audience, Benioff and Scott McCorkle will demonstrate how companies can reinvent their marketing with 1:1 customer journeys. Benioff and McCorkle will be joined on stage by visionary executives from DonorsChoose.Org and Live Nation.
• Keynote Sessions: At keynote sessions during the week, attendees will hear from executives from Diesel, Facebook, GE, Kimpton Hotels, LinkedIn, McDonald's and Twitter; and will be inspired and entertained by best-selling author John Green, Emmy-nominated writer and author Mindy Kaling and seven-time Grammy award winner will.i.am.
• 100 Breakout Sessions: Attendees have the opportunity to choose from more than 100 breakout sessions across 13 tracks that feature thought leaders, industry experts, leading brands, product experts and more. The sessions will cover best practices for managing customer journeys and executing successful multi-channel digital marketing strategies via email, mobile, social, advertising and web technologies.
• Marketing Cloud Expo: In the Marketing Cloud Expo, more than 50 sponsor booths showcase the latest marketing trends with innovative product demonstrations. The Expo also features a Customer Experience Zone where marketers will be able to share their feedback on upcoming products and a hands-on Developer Zone.
• Developer Programming: The Developer Zone promises to awaken the creativity of developers with hack spaces, theatre presentations, giveaways and of course unlimited coffee. Connections this year includes an expanded lineup of sessions for developers as well-- they can learn about Salesforce1 Platform technologies, including Force.com, Journey Builder and Heroku. They may also attend sessions covering the latest JavaScript technologies, Node.js, Angular and more.
• Live Music Festival: Back by popular demand, the Live Music Festival features will.i.am who will be joined on stage by Dublin rock trio, The Script and DJ Casey Connor.

Integrated Philanthropy at Connections
Salesforce.com has a long history of giving time, resources and technology to nonprofits through its 1/1/1 model of integrated corporate philanthropy. To date, the Salesforce.com Foundation has given more than 685,000 hours of volunteer time, more than $68 million in grants and product to more than 23,000 nonprofits to help improve communities throughout the world.

In keeping with this model, salesforce.com and the Gleaners Food Bank will be holding a food drive during Connections to help provide supplies to hunger relief agencies and schools throughout the state of Indiana. Donations will be accepted at the entrance of the Expo Hall September 23, 8:00-10:00 a.m. ET and 12:00 -7:00 p.m. Donations will also be accepted September 24, 12:30-5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to visit http://www.gleaners.org/ to contribute to the organization.

Additional Information:

• Like Salesforce ExactTarget Marketing Cloud on Facebook
• Follow @salesforce, @exacttarget and @marketingcloud on Twitter and join the conversation around #CNX14
• Download the Connections mobile app, available in the App Store, Windows Phone Store and Google Play
• Watch the keynote live at www.exacttarget.com/livestream 

About ExactTarget Marketing Cloud
The ExactTarget Marketing Cloud from salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) is the leading 1:1 digital marketing platform, connecting companies with customers in entirely new ways. Learn more at www.ExactTarget.com.

The ExactTarget and Salesforce names and logos are the exclusive property of salesforce.com.

About salesforce.com
Salesforce.com is the world's largest provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software. For more information about salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

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