ENEI (Pearl)

Overview

Pearl is the technical infrastructure powering ENEI 2026 (Encontro Nacional de Estudantes de Informática) - Portugal's largest national conference for computer science students. The 2026 edition is being held in Braga and organized by CeSIUM, with the platform serving as the central hub for attendee registration, schedule management, speaker information, and event logistics.

This project represents a significant responsibility: building the digital infrastructure for a national-scale conference with 600+ attendees from universities across Portugal.

Impact

Pearl serves as the primary touchpoint for attendees and organizers:

• Thousands of visits per month, reaching nearly 10,000 visits in February 2026
• Critical infrastructure for conference registration and information
• Serves 600+ attendees from universities nationwide
• Built specifically for the 2026 edition - a unique, high-stakes project

My Contribution

As a member of ENEI's tech team, I contributed to Pearl's development across the full stack:

• Full-Stack Development: Worked on both frontend and backend using Phoenix LiveView (single codebase)
• Feature Implementation: Contributed to key features like challenges information, speaker profiles and participant dashboard
• Collaborative Development: Worked with the tech team to deliver a platform on tight deadlines
• Production Support: Help maintain the live platform serving thousands of users

Technical Stack

• Framework: Elixir Phoenix with LiveView
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• Full-Stack: Single codebase for both frontend and backend logic

Key Features

• Registration System: Manages attendee sign-ups and ticket allocation
• Event Schedule: Interactive schedule for talks, workshops, and activities
• Speaker Profiles: Information about conference speakers and organizers
• Real-Time Updates: LiveView enables real-time features without complex JavaScript
• Mobile-Friendly: Responsive design for on-the-go conference attendees

Challenges & Learning

Building for a national conference taught me valuable lessons about:

• High-stakes development: Working under deadline pressure with real-world consequences
• Event-driven development: Building features around the specific needs of a conference
• Team collaboration: Coordinating with multiple team members on a shared platform

Project Context

Pearl was built specifically for ENEI 2026 in Braga. Each year, ENEI is organized by a different university, meaning next year's edition will have its own platform built by a different team. This makes Pearl a unique, time-bound project tied to this specific edition of Portugal's premier student tech conference.