Kerry Schrader and Ashlee Ammons are the co-founders of Mixtroz, which is based in Birmingham, Ala., and facilitates group gatherings and networking using real-time data.
KERRY:
How I got my start in event technology: I'm an unlikely entrepreneur. I was very happy to finish my career as a senior human resources professional until the day Ashlee and I discussed our weekend of awkward networking. So the answer is really how the need for a modern-day way to connect found me.
Why I'm passionate about event tech: I'm passionate about tech that is able to meet the needs of the primary stakeholders: the event leader (planner), the attendee and the sponsor. If it's an easy lift and is able to return a ROI for all involved, I'm all in.
Where I see event tech in the future: Event technology has to adapt to and meet the needs of our new reality—live, virtual and hybrid events. The one-size-fits-all approach is dead. Again, all stakeholders are looking to be engaged and benefit from attending events no matter the venue or platform.
My advice to other women breaking into the field: Let your experience at various events guide your idea. We created Mixtroz because we identified a problem that we both had experienced. And I'll bet if it's a problem for you, others have the same pain point and just have had to adjust their behavior. Lastly, stay focused on fixing the problem for humans and not to create another tech hurdle for humans to clear.
ASHLEE
How I got my start in event technology: I started my career as an executive assistant working at a luxury hospitality group, TAO Group, in New York City. I was a hustler; I quickly turned that position into an event coordinator and worked my way up to director in a handful of years. It was in my coordinator days that I was first exposed to event technology and the way it could support the goals and objectives of big brands in experiential marketing.
Why I'm passionate about event tech: Event technologies are powerful. When implemented correctly, they are a tool second only to human connection to help the consumer form a memory (hopefully positive) around a brand or experience. Being the conductor of that is a pretty awesome responsibility and reward.
Where I see event tech in the future: Event tech will grow to become more human. A lot of people build technologies to change human behavior, and it is very hard to do it well. I believe technologies in the future, as they become more sophisticated, will complement the way humans behave, thus growing user-adoption and making the experience more valuable to organizers and attendees alike.
My advice to other women breaking into the field: Use the skills that you have today to build the business, career path, etcetera, that you want tomorrow.
Back to the full list of Most Influential Women in Event Tech 2021
