Architecting the Future, One Community Event at a Time

There’s a specific kind of electricity found only at community-led events: a unique blend of deep technical grit and the shared joy of solving the impossible. “Architecting the future, one community event at a time” is not only the title of this article; it is the core philosophy of our team. While we spend a large part of our days building resources, we know that the soul of the Salesforce Architecture Program is actually found in the field.

Our recent trip to Architect Dreamin’ Americas in Scottdale and Cactusforce marked a significant milestone: it was the first official outing for the full Architect Evangelism team. These community-led events bring the Salesforce ecosystem together for hands-on learning, knowledge sharing, and open discussion. Across multiple days, as part of an extensive program of community-led sessions, we hosted workshop beta sessions, facilitated feedback conversations, attended sessions, and observed a live CTA mock presentation, all while spending time listening to architects share what they’re seeing in the field. 

We wanted to join these events to share what we’ve been working on, try out some ideas and, more importantly, to have meaningful, face-to-face conversations to ensure that our program is moving in the right direction and delivering what is needed. Rather than go to teach; we went to listen, to learn, and to be “architected” by the real-world challenges you face every day. 

It’s impossible to do justice to all the goodness in two packed events across three days, and you can find the agenda with all the sessions on the respective event websites. Instead, we asked every team member in the Architect Evangelism team for their key takeaways. Below each member reflects on what resonated most for them.

Lilith’s highlights

Architect Dreamin’ and Cactusforce were a series of “firsts” for me: first visit to Scottsdale, first team outing with the full Architect Evangelism Team, and even my first “three sisters” salad. But the true standout was participating in the opening keynote panel alongside my Admin and Developer Relations counterparts, Kate Lessard and Charles Watkins. Guided by Joshua Birk, we explored what innovations like Agentforce and MCP mean for our roles as we look toward 2026.

My two biggest takeaways from the keynote are:

1. Even when AI shifts our focus from manual execution to intentional orchestration, the “secret sauce” remains the humans at the helm.
2. Communication and critical thinking are now more vital than ever. Without them, we simply cannot effectively instruct AI or accurately vet its output.

Ultimately, as part of the keynote, my advice for thriving in this era is to ensure that technology enhances your work rather than becomes it. Stakeholder connections and collaborative discovery remain deeply human activities; they should be empowered by technical expertise, not replaced by it. As the ecosystem evolves, the need to adapt and keep learning remains as true as it ever was.

David’s highlights

Architecting trusted, secure solutions is hard. That’s exactly why we developed two workshop formats focused on best practices for architecting such solutions. We asked Architect Dreamin’ and Cactusforce participants to be our beta testers, so we can bring enhanced versions of these workshops to architects across the community. And we’re glad we did — the amount of actionable feedback we received on how to improve the format, content, and our facilitation was amazing, and will shape how these workshops evolve. 

My two biggest takeaways are:

1. Architects are at different stages in their learning journeys. The community needs access to beginner, intermediate, and expert level workshops to meet them where they are, while helping them grow.
2. There’s often more than one path to a well-architected solution. Architects shine brightest when they’re exposed to multiple approaches and ways of thinking. Diversity of thought builds the most robust systems.

We’ll be using the live feedback and the survey comments to re-architect these workshops for future Dreamin’ and Salesforce events. Stay tuned to our social channels, LinkedIn and X, to learn where we’ll be offering them next (spoiler alert: Irish Dreamin’ is next!).

Von Clark’s highlights

The journey to becoming a Certified Technical Architect (CTA) is a long one. Learning the mechanics of the board exam can help to feel a little more prepared. For example, candidates prepare for the CTA exam by performing mock exams. These are test exams in the form of timed challenge scenarios where the candidates need to solve the scenario and then present their solution to one or more people acting as their judge. After this presentation, there is a Q&A where the judge(s) ask questions to solicit additional information or to help candidates adjust their solution if required. 

At Architect Dreamin’, performing a live CTA mock has been a tradition since the very first event in Paris. During this session, a candidate does the prep, presents to a panel of CTA judges (on-site rather than online), and answers questions during Q&A in front of conference participants. At Architect Dreamin’ Americas in Scottsdale, I attended my first CTA mock presentation of this kind, and I can say that I was impressed by the candidate who showcased his resilience by presenting for 30 minutes followed by a 30-minute intense Q&A in a room full of people! 

My two biggest takeaways are:

1. Maintain composure and a logical approach when under pressure. It is important to possess a comprehensive, end-to-end understanding of the solution, so that all architectural decisions can be clearly explained and justified when challenged.
2. Effective time management is essential. It is crucial to manage your time efficiently throughout the  entire process, whether you are solving the mock in a backroom or presenting your solution back to the judges. Even in Q&A, succinct and to the point answers increase the opportunity to address as many questions and open items as possible.

The in-person, live CTA mock presentation was a privilege to observe firsthand. I left the room with clear insights into the expectations and levels of readiness required when pursuing this certification.

Miriam’s highlights

Distilling two events of high-intensity exchange into a single highlight is nearly impossible. Beyond the excitement of our inaugural team presence at Architect Dreamin’ and Cactusforce, a real standout for me were the two feedback sessions we hosted. I am so grateful for the direct, unfiltered input we gathered on the future of the Salesforce Architecture Center and the new Decision Guide format currently being designed by the Office of the Chief Architect.

My key takeaways are a few of the messages we received from the community:

1. You want less “it depends” and more prescriptive guidance 
2. You would like to see data models that allow for deep technical drill-downs 
3. You also want the ability to move seamlessly from high-level business processes into specific object-level details
4. You’d like ways to contribute to the body of knowledge available

More than anything, this experience underscored the incredible power and strength of the Salesforce Community. We are fortunate to have such a passionate, vocal group of experts, and we are committed to nurturing that connection — both through the content we create and by showing up at the events where you thrive. Your feedback is the blueprint we are using to evolve the Salesforce Architecture Program.

Bridging the gap from feedback to framework

The insights we gathered in Scottsdale aren’t staying in our notebooks and scratch pads. We are already funneling this direct, unfiltered feedback into our roadmap and sharing it with the Office of the Chief Architect to inform the Well-Architected Framework. This two-way exchange ensures that our roadmap is shaped directly by the real world experiences of the architects who use these tools daily.

We are incredibly fortunate to have a community that is as passionate as it is vocal. We are committed to nurturing this connection by continuing to show up where you thrive, both through the content we produce and at the events you lead.

How you can help shape the program

Your voice is the most important tool we have. We invite every architect in our community to help us shape the future of the Salesforce Architecture Program:

• Share your feedback: Connect with us to tell us what’s working and what isn’t
• Vote on challenges: Help us prioritize the topics we cover in Think Like An Architect
• Join the conversation: Connect with your local community groups and stay engaged with our latest resources

Together, we’re building a stronger, more prescriptive foundation for the entire ecosystem. We can’t wait to see you at the next event.