David Beckham Joins Salesforce Dreamforce (#DF19) as a Speaker

Sudipto Ghosh

November 18, 2019

Martech’s biggest annual conference will kick-start in some hours from now. When you can bend it like David Beckham, you can do anything. Former English national soccer player David Beckham will be speaking at Dreamforce 2019 in San Francisco. Beckham, who also signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in 2007, represented the Club as a global sporting icon.

David Beckham will join United Nations Secretary-General’s Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, Eddie Ndopu and other luminaries at the event.

Salesforce Dreamforce — Now, a Statement of American Tech Dream

As we head into the event, Dreamforce organizers continue to unravel one surprise after another. The Dreamforce speakers’ panel, with the English soccer player and global fashion icon David Beckham in it, adds a new dimension to it.

I’m coming there not to be a superstar. I’m coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. With me, it’s about football. I’m coming there to make a difference. I’m coming there to play football … I’m not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they’ve been around. But I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could make a difference.” – Beckham in January 2007†

In less than a decade, Dreamforce has conjured enough fan-following from the tech space, mostly represented by league of Marketers, Sales Pros, Start-up entrepreneurs, Investors, and developers. In the last few editions, we have also witnessed global leaders from diverse fields of political, economics, environmental conservation, and literature taking part in the event as speakers and mentors. This year, the 4-day mega-event will see more speakers and attendees this year than any of its previous editions.

An all-star line-up of new speakers added to #DF19. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The future takes center stage at Dreamforce. https://t.co/8PdLbqOUjV pic.twitter.com/Qa2vr4ycKA

— Dreamforce (@Dreamforce) November 16, 2019

This year’s speaker panel; includes 44th POTUS, Barack Obama, Apple CEO Tim Cook, actress Emilia Clarke, US Olympic Champion Megan Rapinoe, Philosophy guru Deepak Chopra, NBA superstar and founder Business Inside the Game (BIG)- Baron Davis and Arianna Huffington – CEO and Founder of ThriveGlobal.

Salesforce’s Connection with David Beckham

Salesforce and David Beckham are tied with a common thread– The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) goodwill projects.

David Beckham has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF UK since 2005. In 2015, the star athlete launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund, in collaboration with UNICEF. The fund was raised to mark David’s tenth year as an UNICEF ambassador and also his retirement from professional football career.

The number “7” remained David Beckham’s official jersey number– which now has been made even more popular by his Manchester United and Real Madrid junior, Christiano Ronaldo (CR7). Beckham supported UNICEF’s work for children while playing at Manchester United Football Club.

On Valentine’s Day, 2014, UNICEF launched the new UNICEF Tap Project 2014. Both, Beckham and Salesforce are closely associated with this TAP project.

With the 7: UNICEF Fund, Beckham has influenced thousands of children and parents to take up sporting for development. He is committed to raising his voice and connections as an influencer to encourage world leaders to create positive ecosystem for children, especially in the under-privileged economic zones of the world.

Our new joint report shows that pneumonia killed 800,000 children worldwide last year. This is more than any other disease. Find more about this key report below 👇 https://t.co/uNA9J2z3m6

— UNICEF UK Media (@Unicefuk_media) November 12, 2019

So far, the collaboration has raised funds and created awareness about polio vaccinations, HIV drugs for pregnant women, access to clean drinking water for schools and communities and nourishment to children below the age of 10.

On the other hand, Salesforce provides Marketing and Non Profit Cloud platforms to UNICEF’s various operations, including for UNICEF UK. UNICEF UK has been leveraging Salesforce Non Profit Cloud for CRM, Salesforce Service Cloud for Supporter Care, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, other automation tools.

In 2018, Salesforce World Tour in the NYC invited students from the local schools to learn about UNICEF and engage around its efforts to provide clean water to every child.

Today, UNICEF employs professionals to handle specific Salesforce-related platforms and tools. For example, Deputy Director, Salesforce Administration and Development – UNICEF USA². UNICEF USA uses Salesforce Salesforce Marketing Cloud and CRM with Non-Profit Success Pack (NPSP) as key digital components to drive its mission to raise funds, engage supporters and educate the public in order to deliver aid that helps children around the world¹.

We wish David Beckham, 7:UNICEF Fund and Salesforce-UNICEF USA collaboration a great time at Dreamforce 2019. Get ready for the extravaganza to begin shortly.