ඉසඳි ක්‍රියේෂන්ස් පුද්ගලික සමාගම

Project Overview

The Sri Lanka Dental Association Annual Scientific Sessions 2018 website and conference management system were designed and developed as an integrated digital solution for one of the Sri Lanka Dental Association's major annual professional events.

The Annual Scientific Sessions were held on 22 and 23 June 2018 at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo, together with the FDI Global CE Programme and the Prof. S. B. Dissanayake Memorial Oration, under the theme “Creating Healthy Smile.”

Unlike a conventional conference website developed only to publish event information, this project consisted of two interconnected components: a public-facing dynamic website supported by a custom Content Management System, and a dedicated Conference Management System designed to assist with participant and administrative operations during the scientific sessions.

The website was designed and developed by Isura Wickramarachchi, while Dinushi Munasinghe worked as the System Manager and Developer, contributing to the management and development of the digital systems used for the project.

Design & Structure

The website was designed around the visual identity of the SLDA Annual Scientific Sessions 2018, combining the Sri Lanka Dental Association branding with imagery representing Sri Lanka and the professional character of the conference.

The homepage prominently displayed the conference dates, venue, theme and associated programmes, while providing direct access to the most important information required by delegates, speakers, exhibitors and other participants.

The main navigation included:

• Home
• Trade
• Registration
• Session
• Trade Stall Plan
• Accommodation
• Downloads
• Contact

The Session area provided access to information such as the scientific programme, workshops, invited speakers and free papers. Registration, accommodation and trade-related information were separated into dedicated sections, allowing different categories of visitors to quickly locate the information relevant to them.

Key Features

• Dynamic PHP/MySQL architecture.
• Custom-built Content Management System (CMS).
• Conference information management.
• National and international participant information.
• Registration information and resources.
• Scientific programme management.
• Workshop information.
• Invited speaker profiles.
• Free paper information.
• Trade and exhibition information.
• Trade stall plan.
• Accommodation information.
• Downloadable conference documents.
• Contact and organisational information.
• Conference participant database.
• Participant ID generation and printing.
• Attendance record management.
• Certificate generation and printing.
• Administrative reporting and participant records.
• Dedicated backend administration facilities.

Scientific Programme & Conference Content

A major requirement of the website was the structured presentation of the conference's scientific content.

The system provided delegates with access to the two-day scientific programme, including session schedules, presentation topics, speakers and related information. Dedicated areas were also provided for workshops, invited speakers and free-paper presentations, allowing participants to review the academic programme before and during the event.

The website therefore functioned as a central information point for the scientific sessions rather than simply serving as an event advertisement.

Registration & Participant Information

The registration section was structured to support the different categories attending the conference, including national and international participants, as well as different professional and membership categories.

Conference-related forms, instructions and other downloadable material could also be distributed through the website, reducing dependence on individually sending documents to participants.

The information gathered and maintained for the conference also formed an important part of the wider participant-management workflow.

Custom Conference Management System

One of the most significant parts of this project was the development of a separate Conference Management System to support the organisers during the actual scientific sessions.

The system extended the project far beyond the functionality of a normal event website. It was designed to maintain participant information and assist with several administrative processes required during the conference.

Among its important functions were participant record management, attendance recording, participant ID preparation and printing, certificate generation and printing, and the maintenance of related conference records.

This provided organisers with a centralised digital workflow for handling participants rather than relying entirely on separate spreadsheets, manually prepared identification cards and individually created certificates.

Participant ID & Certificate System

The participant-management component included facilities for preparing and printing participant identification cards using information stored within the system.

Participant records could also be used for certificate preparation and printing, making it possible to produce conference-related certificates from centrally maintained information while reducing repetitive manual data entry.

Together with the attendance records, these functions created a more complete administrative system connecting participant information with activities taking place during the conference.

Attendance Management

The system also provided facilities for maintaining attendance records during the scientific sessions.

This was particularly useful for an event involving multiple scientific sessions, professional participants and continuing-education activities. Attendance information could be associated with participant records and retained within the conference-management environment for subsequent administrative use.

The combination of registration information, participant records, attendance management, IDs and certificates made the system a practical operational tool for the organisers.

Content Management System

A custom CMS was developed to allow conference information to be maintained without manually modifying individual website pages.

The administration environment enabled authorised users to manage relevant website content and conference information from a central location. This was particularly important for an event website where schedules, speakers, downloads and organisational information could require updates as the conference approached.

The CMS and participant-management components together transformed the project from a standard website into a broader web-based conference information and administration platform.

Technical Highlights

• PHP/MySQL database-driven architecture.
• Custom-built Content Management System.
• Dedicated conference-management application.
• Structured participant database.
• Dynamic scientific programme presentation.
• Speaker and workshop information management.
• Participant record administration.
• Attendance-record functionality.
• Automated participant ID preparation and printing.
• Certificate generation and printing.
• Download and document-management facilities.
• Centralised backend administration.
• Database-driven conference workflow.
• Web-based administrative access.
• Cross-browser compatibility.

Project Team

Isura Wickramarachchi – Website Design & Development

Responsible for the overall website design and development, user-facing conference interface, database-driven functionality and development of the digital platform supporting the SLDA Annual Scientific Sessions 2018.

Dinushi Munasinghe – System Manager & Developer

Worked as System Manager and Developer, contributing to the development and management of the conference systems, including the operational environment supporting participant and administrative requirements.

The collaboration was particularly important because the project required not only a public website but also a functioning digital system that could be used in the practical environment of a major professional conference.

Significance

The Sri Lanka Dental Association Annual Scientific Sessions 2018 project represents an important stage in my web-development work because it moved beyond conventional website development into the creation of an integrated event and participant-management solution.

The public website provided delegates with access to registration information, scientific sessions, workshops, speakers, accommodation, exhibition information and downloadable resources. Behind this public interface, the custom CMS and conference-management system supported the organisers with participant records, attendance, identification cards, certificates and other administrative requirements.

As a result, the project combined web design, PHP/MySQL application development, database management, content management and real-world event administration within a single solution.

Rather than developing a website that would simply become inactive after the event, the objective was to use web technology to support both the information needs of participants before the conference and the operational requirements of organisers during the event itself.

The project remains an important example of how the systems I developed during this period were evolving from individual websites into specialised, database-driven applications designed to solve practical organisational requirements.

Website Design & Development: Isura Wickramarachchi
System Manager & Developer: Dinushi Munasinghe
Client: Sri Lanka Dental Association – 2018