Dreamforce Commits to Three More Years In SF (But Benioff Gives Himself a Loophole to Leave)

Salesforce announced they will keep their Dreamforce conference here through 2027 in a windfall for the city's tourism industry, but Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff gave himself an out, saying Dreamforce will only stay as long as SF "remains safe and secure and trusted."

Another Salesforce Dreamforce conference is officially in the books, as the conference ended today, and all that's left is maybe a few parties Thursday night. And just like last year , Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and his top brass have threatened to move the conference to another city if crime and homelessness were too visible to conference attendees. The SF Business Times reported on Monday that Salesforce SVP of strategic events Erin Oles emailed SF Travel interim CEO Anna Marie Presutti last week and said Dreamforce 2025 being held in SF was "contingent on our ability to demonstrate a safe and secure environment for Dreamforce."

Apparently things went well enough, as KTVU broke the news this afternoon that Salesfoce had signed a three-year contract to remain in SF . KTVU's Christien Kafton got a statement out of Benioff saying, "We signed an agreement. We're going to be here for three more years as long as it remains safe and secure and trusted. We're going to keep coming back."

Wait a minute... "as long as it remains safe and secure and trusted?" That's obvious wiggle room to back out of the agreement. It would be awfully interesting to see if this is reflected in the contract, and just how exactly that would be worded.

There was one pretty marginal incident this year, as one attendee complained of a car break-in complete with smashed windows not far from Moscone Center late Monday night. Similarly, last year saw one attendee get attacked on the street , where the victim suffered bumps and bruises bruises. This may be a standard level of trouble for a conference with 45,000 attendees, but the microscope will probably be on San Francisco once again for Dreamforce 2025.

It is estimated that this year's Dreamforce will bring $93 million into the San Francisco economy, and employ 1,400 people during the conference.

Image: alesforce CEO Marc Benioff speaks during Salesforce's Dreamforce on September 17, 2024 in San Francisco, California. Some 45,000 workers in the tech industry were expected to attend the annual Dreamforce event, which runs through September 19. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/)