Before the doors opened at the Salesforce Education Summit 2025, we set the tone for the week with our first-ever marquee customer event—Homecoming! Held on March 10th at the Marriott Marquis Chicago, this one-day conference was created exclusively for higher education institutions using Blackthorn’s event management solutions. With a playful nod to school spirit, the event leaned into the theme with custom sashes and a surprise high school marching band that closed out the day in unforgettable fashion.

Want to see the energy for yourself? We’ve assembled a video with some of the best moments from Homecoming—check it out!

Our program kicked off with an introduction from CEO Chris Federspiel and featured a dynamic keynote from Salesforce’s Margo Martinez, VP and GM of Education. Martinez emphasized Salesforce’s decade-long investment in AI and how Education Cloud represents a major shift in innovation for the sector. The agenda also included a customer spotlight session with speakers from Harvard University, Texas A&M, University of Arizona, and the University of Northern Iowa—each sharing how they’ve used Blackthorn to power campus engagement. Additional sessions featured our product roadmap, Agentforce AI, a lively sponsor demo jam with Apsona, Fundraise Up, and Gomeddo, and a collaborative leadership panel where no question was off limits.

We wrapped the day with the kind of energy only a real homecoming can deliver!