🎉 Itestra Event-Exchange-Platform

A smart web-based platform for planning and managing internal company events — built to enhance employee networking, streamline event organization, and automate intelligent seat allocation.

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🚀 Overview

The Event-Exchange-Platform supports the organization of internal events at itestra, helping event managers:

• Plan events efficiently
• Manage employees and guests
• Design seating layouts visually
• Automatically allocate participants to seats using smart matching algorithms
• Avoid repeated pairings across events

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✨ Key Features

• Dashboard Overview: Real-time summary of events, participation, and engagement.
• Event Management: Create/edit/delete events with support for detailed metadata.
• Employee Directory: Import, edit, and manage employees with filtering/export options.
• Smart Matching Engine: Apply constraints (e.g., location diversity, gender balance, avoid repeat pairs) to generate optimized seating plans.
• Drag-and-Drop Seat Layout Designer: Visually arrange tables and chairs.
• Export Tools: Export event data, seating plans, and participant lists as files for logistics or printing.
• Past Match Memory: Prevent repeat seatings across multiple events for improved networking.

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🧠 Tech Stack

Layer	Technologies Used
Frontend	React, Tailwind CSS, Ant Design, Vite
Backend	Java, Spring Boot, REST API, JPA (Hibernate)
Database	PostgreSQL
DevOps	Docker, Docker Compose, GitHub Actions
Auth	GitLab OAuth
Testing	JUnit, Mockito, Vitest, React Testing Library

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🛠 Deployment

To run the platform locally or deploy on-premise:

  # Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/DigitalProductInnovationAndDevelopment/Event-Exchange-Platform.git

# Navigate to project root
cd Event-Exchange-Platform

# Start all services using Docker Compose
docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml up --build

Ensure you have the appropriate .env file configured for environment-specific variables for production You can take a look at the .env file in the GitHub repository.

  # Start all services using Docker Compose for production
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yaml up --build

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📘 Usage Documentation

Full usage and feature instructions are available in the GitHub Wiki:

👉 Access the Usage Documentation

You'll find step-by-step guides on:

• Creating and managing events
• Importing employees
• Designing seating layouts
• Allocating participants
• Exporting seating plans and data

This documentation is intended for both event organizers and developers contributing to the platform.

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GitLab Authentication Setup

To use GitLab authentication with this application, you'll need to obtain a Client ID and Client Secret from GitLab. Follow these steps:

Creating a GitLab OAuth Application

1. Sign in to GitLab

   • Navigate to gitlab.com (or your GitLab instance)
   • Sign in with your GitLab account

2. Access User Settings

   • Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner
   • Select "Edit profile"
   • 

3. Navigate to Applications

   • In the left sidebar, click on "Applications"
   • Click the "New application" button
   • 
   • 

4. Configure Your Application

   • Name: Enter a descriptive name for your application (e.g., "My App Name")
   • Redirect URI: Enter your application's callback URL

     https://applicationserver.itestra.com:8000/login/oauth2/code/gitlab
     

     Note: Replace with your actual domain and callback path in production
   • Scopes: Select the required scopes for your application:
     • read_user - Read user information
   • Confidential: Leave this checked (recommended for server-side applications)
   • 

5. Save the Application

   • Click "Save application"

6. Copy Your Credentials After creating the application, you'll see:

   • Application ID (this is your CLIENT_ID)
   • Secret (this is your CLIENT_SECRET)

   ⚠️ Important: Copy these values immediately and store them securely. The secret will not be shown again.

   • 

Environment Configuration

Add the obtained credentials to your environment variables:

# .env file
GITLAB_INSTANCE_CLIENT_ID=your_application_id_here
GITLAB_INSTANCE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_secret_here

For GitLab Self-Managed Instances

If you're using a self-managed GitLab instance:

1. Replace gitlab.com with your GitLab instance URL
2. Follow the same steps above on your instance
3. Update your application configuration to point to your GitLab instance:

GITLAB_INSTANCE_ADDRESS=https://your-gitlab-instance.com

Security Notes

• Keep your Client Secret confidential and never commit it to version control
• Use environment variables or secure secret management systems
• In production, ensure your redirect URI uses HTTPS
• Regularly rotate your credentials for enhanced security

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📦 Repository Structure

Event-Exchange-Platform/
├── backend/                 # Spring Boot backend
├── frontend/                # React + Tailwind frontend
├── docker-compose.yml       # Service orchestration for development/test
├── docker-compose.prod.yml  # Service orchestration for production
├── .env                     # Sample environment config
└── README.md                # You're here!

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👥 Contributors & Stakeholders

• Event Managers – Define event structures, goals, and constraints
• HR/P&O – Manage participants and configure constraints
• Developers – Maintain, improve, and extend the platform
• System Admins – Deploy and monitor the containerized app

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📄 License

This project is internal to itestra and intended for use within the organization.

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