feat: add 2026 registration flow with Google Sheets storage and confirmation email

[DarshanCode2005]

Closes: #875

This PR introduces the Conference 2026 attendee registration flow, including backend persistence and frontend UX updates.

What’s included

• New 2026 registration API (/api/registration/2026)

  • Validates required fields (name, email)
  • Appends submissions to a private Google Sheet using a service account
  • Captures explicit consent flags (updates opt-in, sponsor data sharing)
  • Sends a confirmation email after successful submission (non-blocking)

• Google Sheets helper abstraction for safe append-only writes

• Environment-based configuration for sheet ID and tab

• Frontend form improvements:

  • Fixed button alignment and layout across steps
  • Styled Back action consistently (gray, non-primary)
  • Removed invalid anchor usage to comply with Next.js Link behavior

Why

• Enables early collection of attendee data before ticket activation
• Ensures consent is captured and stored explicitly
• Keeps all submissions private and accessible only to the org team
• Aligns UX and implementation with the existing CFP flow

Notes

• Google Sheets access is restricted to a service account (Editor)
• Email failures do not block successful registrations
• .env.local and credentials are intentionally excluded from version control

Complete video of the flow: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11vWbNWZ0o3IFvmUiOKxSC1u-xg10dUzo/view?usp=sharing

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[github-actions]

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[AceTheCreator]

Hey @DarshanCode2005 👋🏽

Thanks for the contribution! Could you add a location dropdown that lists all conference locations for users to select from?

Once that’s in, I’ll review the PR 🙏🏽

[DarshanCode2005]

@AceTheCreator I’ve added the location dropdown menu. Could you please take a look and let me know if it looks good to you?

[DarshanCode2005]

@TenzDelek Sir , I actually went through what you have mentioned, I have understood , why it is not working, so do you want me to address it now, or after, you merge this one, and I open up another PR addressing the mail issue?

[DarshanCode2005]

@TenzDelek I have addressed the issue of sending email, now working:

Do you think, creating a beautiful email template would be a better choice.

[DarshanCode2005]

And one more thing , the back to conference button alignment is bit off, i guess. Is it intentional?

[DarshanCode2005]

I mean something like the below illustration, just let me know if that sounds good to you. Actually the email code was not dead( I mean technically there was a bug), but I didn't have the clear instructions earlier , so I had just provided a bare minimum template of a basic implementation. Thanks!

If you want any changes @TenzDelek please mention.

[TenzDelek]

@TenzDelek I have addressed the issue of sending email, now working:

Do you think, creating a beautiful email template would be a better choice.

this looks great. no need to add illustration as for now. @thulieblack can you cross check the wording written in the mail. rest implementation seems good.

[TenzDelek]

The code review has been approved. Once @thulieblack confirms the email template wording, we’ll be ready to move forward with the merge. Before that, let’s make sure the credentials are created. Pinging @AceTheCreator for credential setup.

[thulieblack]

@DarshanCode2005 change the wording here you go

Hi [First Name],

Thank you for registering. Your registration has been successfully received and confirmed.

We’re excited to have you join us and appreciate you taking the time to be part of the event.

In the meantime, feel free to explore the community, connect with others, and keep an eye on your inbox for upcoming announcements.

You can also join our Slack workspace for real-time updates, follow us on social media, or visit our website to stay up to date with the latest news.

If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks again for registering.

Best regards,

AsyncAPI Conference

[thulieblack]

@TenzDelek, ping also @derberg via Slack for credentials

[DarshanCode2005]

Done @thulieblack ma'am.

[thulieblack]

Over to you, Tenzin. Great work, Darshan!

[TenzDelek]

@TenzDelek, ping also @derberg via Slack for credentials

done 👍

[TenzDelek]

Hi all, Lukasz mentioned that he currently doesn’t have access to the AsyncAPI Google Workspace. From what I remember, I believe @AceTheCreator may have that access, especially since we had a similar implementation done earlier by @ashmit-coder for CFP.

As additional feedback, Lukasz also raised a valid point: he questioned the need to use a service like Google Sheets when there are other free tier options available, such as Supabase, which may be more suitable depending on the use case.

From my perspective, if this is going to be used by a non technical person, it makes much more sense to store it in a sheet.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, @AceTheCreator and @thulieblack.

[thulieblack]

Explore the options if they're free and let us know which would suit with pros and cons.

[DarshanCode2005]

Supabase has a generous free tier. I’ve used it previously while building a conference registration portal for a college research conference organized by the Department of Earthquake Engineering (https://iitr.ac.in/18see/). Google Sheets can sometimes hit rate limits, although it works well if the number of attendees is relatively small. In my case, that conference only happens once every four years, so using either option would have been manageable.
However, for AsyncAPI, since conferences are recurring, Supabase could be a better long-term fit. Additionally, if there are plans to build other services around the attendee data (for example, in our college conference the professor later asked for an application where attendees could view keynote schedules, their assigned sessions, and food arrangements), having a proper database like Supabase makes that much easier to support.
That said, the final decision obviously rests with the maintainer @TenzDelek. I just wanted to share my experience from working on a similar conference setup.

[TenzDelek]

That said, the final decision obviously rests with the maintainer @TenzDelek. I just wanted to share my experience from working on a similar conference setup.

great overview @DarshanCode2005 , I am also leaning toward supabase. @derberg also mentioned that it has a generous free tier and has never hit any limit.

[thulieblack]

Then I see no reason, let's go with it. Since we now have meetups we might extend the registration there as well so it's best we go with something that won't limit us.

[DarshanCode2005]

@TenzDelek Sir, could you please point me in the right direction for this? Since you already seem to be busy resolving the bug (Homepage not covering mobile view) and handling other tasks, would it be alright if I continue working on the Supabase migration? I can try taking a shot at it over the weekend.

[TenzDelek]

@TenzDelek Sir, could you please point me in the right direction for this? Since you already seem to be busy resolving the bug (Homepage not covering mobile view) and handling other tasks, would it be alright if I continue working on the Supabase migration? I can try taking a shot at it over the weekend.

Sure. Go ahead 👍

[DarshanCode2005]

Done @TenzDelek Sir,

Video of the flow:

Screencast.from.2026-03-12.22-33-48.webm

Mail Received: