Katherine Frost is the CEO and founder of ORO, an event planning platform based in Denver.
How I got my start in event technology: This was by necessity for me to be in event technology. When I started my own luxury planning firm, delivering superior services to multiple clients throughout the country, I soon realized I needed a tool to help me store all my information in one location and retrieve it with ease from anywhere. Sending emails, tracking emails and creating file folders and binders was becoming increasingly more difficult with the more events I took on. I thought it was high-time planners had an app where clients could track the event budget with what is allocated, when payments are due and invoices attached.
I ended up talking to a childhood friend that worked for Microsoft at that time, and I told him there is nothing for planners to make operations or execution of events more efficient. I showed him what I wanted, with a sketch of what it needed to look like. I wanted the planner to have full control over what information is being shared because the planner needs to be always in control of the schedule.
Why I’m passionate about event tech: It’s time that the way we plan events evolves, and ditch the binder to plan from the very device that is an extension of our hands—our phones. The events industry had a huge shake up with COVID delaying in-person events or moving them to all digital platforms. This opens the door to planners evolving how they plan events and for them to be able to plan either more efficiently than ever before or take on more events in less time. There are a lot of platforms out there, but very few people understand the events industry. They think it’s pretty or easy, but if you’re in it, you know how much work one event takes, and I feel very passionate about how there should be a platform that helps planners achieve the desired results better.
Where I see event tech in the future: I personally think COVID moved up the revolution toward tech up in the timetable significantly. There were many new platforms introduced—what seemed like overnight—when the industry realized live events were not going to happen or were going to be delayed for much longer than anticipated.
My advice to other women breaking into the field: This is the time women should be breaking into the tech field! We all need to support each other as we do with our own events and businesses.
Back to the full list of Most Influential Women in Event Tech 2021
