Companion App

The Companion is a mobile-first, dark-themed event app that attendees use during BizTech events (Blueprint, Kickstart, ProductX). It provides profile pages, quests, NFC-based networking, partner directories, schedules, and post-event recaps.

Architecture

Attendee (mobile browser)
    │
    ▼
/companion/[event]/[year]
    │
    ├── CompanionLayout       ← dark theme, email gate, header/nav
    │     └── ChildComponent  ← event-specific feature module
    │
    ├── Backend APIs
    │     ├── /interactions/   ← connections, booth visits, search
    │     ├── /quests/         ← quest progress tracking
    │     ├── /registrations/  ← user registration lookup
    │     └── /profiles/       ← attendee profiles
    │
    └── DynamoDB
          ├── biztechRegistrations
          ├── biztechProfiles
          ├── bizConnections
          ├── biztechNFCScans
          └── bizQuests

Routing

All companion routes live under /companion:

The entry page calls getLatestRegisteredEvent() to auto-redirect returning attendees.

Event Registry

Each companion-enabled event is defined in src/constants/companion-events.ts:

const events: Event[] = [
  {
    id: 'blueprint',
    year: 2026,
    ChildComponent: BlueprintCompanion,
    subPages: ['profile', 'quests', 'companies', 'connections', 'discover'],
    options: { logo, colors, dates, headerStyle },
    activeUntil: new Date('2026-02-15'),
  },
  // ...
]

Each entry defines:

• ChildComponent — the React component for the event's home page (from src/features/)
• subPages — available sub-routes within the companion
• options — branding, colors, logos, date range
• activeUntil — when the companion expires

Layout & Components

CompanionLayout

File: src/components/Companion/CompanionLayout.tsx

Wraps all companion pages. Responsibilities:

• Dark theme styling
• Email input gate (if user not authenticated via Cognito, prompts for email)
• Stores email in localStorage (COMPANION_EMAIL_KEY)
• Renders header, nav, and schedule
• Provides UserRegistrationContext to children

Shared Components (src/components/Companion/)

Event-Specific Feature Modules

Each major event has its own feature folder under src/features/:

These modules render as the ChildComponent inside CompanionLayout and define the sub-page content for each event.

Backend Services

The companion has no dedicated backend service. It relies on:

Interactions Service (services/interactions/)

DynamoDB tables: bizConnections, biztechNFCScans, biztechProfiles, bizLiveConnections, bizWallSockets

Quests Service (services/quests/)

DynamoDB table: biztechQuests

Data Flow: QR/NFC Scan

When an attendee scans a QR code or taps an NFC card:

1. Mobile browser opens /companion/scan/[qrId]
2. Page parses qrId to determine scan type (CONNECTION_EVENT, BOOTH_EVENT, WORKSHOP_EVENT)
3. POSTs to /interactions/ with the scan data
4. Backend creates a connection record in bizConnections
5. If quest tracking is enabled, also updates biztechQuests progress
6. If the Live Wall is active, the new connection appears in real time via WebSocket

Context & State

UserRegistrationContext (src/contexts/companion/UserRegistrationContext.tsx):

• Provides userRegistration data to all companion components
• Populated by CompanionLayout on mount via /registrations?email=...
• Used by quests, profile, and access-gating logic

localStorage keys (from src/constants/companion.ts):

• COMPANION_EMAIL_KEY — attendee's email
• COMPANION_PROFILE_ID_KEY — attendee's profile ID

Helpers

File: src/lib/companionHelpers.ts

Key Files

Related Pages

• NFC & QR Overview — NFC card writing and connections
• Live Wall — real-time visualization fed by companion connections
• Event Lifecycle — where the companion fits in the event flow
• Registration — registration status that gates companion access