Her Story
About Alonna
Alonna Maddox serves as Customer Success Manager for Agency Partners at Cvent in Frisco, Texas. She entered event technology in 2020 after a background in theater as a new play developer across multiple regions, followed by freelance AV production work converting galas to virtual events during the pandemic. Maddox transitioned to corporate roles as a meetings technology consultant at American Express Global Business Travel, where she received a Quarterly Impact Award for expanding technology adoption with pharmaceutical clients, before joining Cvent. She holds a degree from the University of Dallas with a double major in French and comparative literature and a minor in drama, and she speaks fluent French. A two-time speaker at Cvent Connect, she is also a first-generation college graduate who attributes her success to a strong support system from her parents and husband, along with her own ambition. Maddox advises young women entering the field to embrace learning new skills and to network by reaching out to admired professionals for coffee chats.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alonna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have an incredible support system. My parents and my husband are so encouraging to me. And I'm a woman with a lot of ambition, so I will just shout out some wildly ambitious goal. And I have always been surrounded by people who are willing to say, okay, how are we going to make that happen. So I always try to be that for other people too.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say not to be afraid of learning new skills. All of the opportunities that I have made for myself were typically in areas that I didn't really know what I was doing. I was just willing to kind of dive in and learn as I went. And the other piece of advice I would give is to just try to make friends with as many people as you can. And never to be afraid to just put yourself out there and ask people you admire if they'd be willing to have a quick coffee chat with you.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The field is changing a lot with the advent of AI. It's very exciting. But if you aren't quick to adopt, things quickly become obsolete. So it's a challenge, but kind of in an exciting way, just getting the chance to try out so many new things. We don't really know what the industry is going to look like over the next couple of years.
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