We're back for our autumn meetup with presentations from co-organiser Aidan Harding and very special guest Andy Fawcett!

Andy is now an independent consultant, architect and open source contributor, with a deep focus on Salesforce platform development, Heroku integrations, and emerging AI patterns like agentic architectures. Previously VP of Product Management and Heroku CPO at Salesforce, he helped shape core platform strategy and led developer-focused initiatives across teams. His passion for architecture and building with developers led to the creation of AndyInTheCloud, the DLRS open-source tool, Apex tools and frameworks, and a authored book on enterprise architecture for the Salesforce Platform.

Andy will be be bringing his presentation "Scale your Salesforce apps and skills with Heroku AppLink":

"The Salesforce platform now has a new outlet that lets you build practically anything while staying within Salesforce. Heroku AppLink is a new, free add-on for Heroku that integrates code in practically any language of your choice, deployed to Heroku, seamlessly and securely into your Apex, Flow, and Agentforce-based experiences. In this session, you will gain a basic understanding of Heroku, learn how to scale elastically beyond traditional Apex limits, and see how to deploy code that integrates natively with Salesforce. You will also take away sample code and the skills to deploy your own Heroku sidecar services attached to your orgs."

Aidan has been investigating, writing and speaking about the use and promise of AI in our dev processes for some time, and will be bringing the fruits of his research together in a new presentation "Developer Thriving with AI":

"AI coding tools promise to revolutionize development, but teams are still learning how to make that revolution happen. This talk shares hard-won lessons of working with AI agents in real codebases, informed by years of CS and engineering experience. You’ll discover when to let AI run versus when to interrupt it, how cheap code changes what’s worth automating, why friction in your codebase is actually valuable signal, and more. Whether you’re sceptical about AI or already using it daily, you’ll leave with practical strategies for working with these tools thoughtfully."

The meetup will be hosted at the Desynit office. Pizza and refreshments will be provided on arrival. Following the presentations, we will be heading out to a nearby venue to continue the evening

Please note: Salesforce no longer reimburses us for alcoholic drinks bought for these events, and since we do not (currently) take sponsorship we will not be providing any. Following the presentations, we will be heading out to a nearby venue to continue the evening, but there will not be a bar tab as in the past, sorry! We welcome any feedback about how these events work, so please let us know what you think.

We cannot wait to see you there!

Dorian, Edith and Aidan

Event Directions:

This evening will be hosted by Desynit, in their office on 30 Queen Charlotte Street. The building can be found in central Bristol, near Queens Square, next to King Street. It is a large yellow building with a blue door. When you arrive please press 14 on the key pad, followed by bell icon. Once inside the building, please make your way to the top floor using the lift or stairs. Unfortunately the office is not currently directly wheelchair accessible, please let us know if you require any assistance and we will make arrangements for you to attend the evening.