Podcast Summary:

Lead With AI – Episode: The 3 Minute AI Setup That Eliminates Event Planning Chaos
Host: Dr. Tamara Nall
Guest: Frances Quaquapone, Founder & CEO of Jam Jar
Date: September 30, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of Lead With AI, Dr. Tamara Nall sits down with Frances Quaquapone to discuss Chaperone, an AI-powered event assistant created by Jam Jar. The conversation delves into how Chaperone is revolutionizing event planning by eliminating the common chaos and stress associated with guest management and information dissemination at large events. Frances shares her founder’s journey, the practical workings of Chaperone, its ethical design, and her vision for the future of AI in event management—offering practical insights and memorable anecdotes throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Frances Quaquapone’s Journey and Motivation

• Frances’s Background:
  • Half Ghanaian, half English, she’s based in Ghana and has run an event agency across Africa for 12 years (02:39).
  • Motivated by changing perceptions about executing high-quality events in Africa and improving corporate engagement on the continent.
• Origin of Chaperone:
  • “What really drives me is doing anything we can…to kind of change that perception. And that's kind of where Chaperone came from.” (03:04)

2. What is Chaperone?

• Chaperone Defined:
  • An AI-powered event assistant tailored for guests and planners.
  • Automates real-time responses to common questions (“what time is this?”, “where do I need to be?”), removing the need for multiple human assistants (03:34).
• User Experience:
  • Attendees chat with Chaperone (often via WhatsApp-like interface) for instant, personalized event information (03:34, 04:16).
  • “Now you don't need to hire 20 or 30 chaperones. You can have your AI chaperone do it for you.” (04:16)

3. Pain Points Solved

• Stress Reduction for Event Planners:
  • Chaperone drastically reduces the flood of repetitive guest questions at help desks during large events (04:27).
  • “It's just that seamless. It just changes the way and the amount of time you need for onboarding people, briefing them.” (04:27)
• Guest Experience Upgraded:
  • Addresses the convenience gap—guests want quick, direct answers without searching PDFs or apps (05:11–05:42).

4. How Chaperone Works (Under the Hood)

• Setup Simplicity:
  • “You literally upload your documents and then into a dashboard and in minutes you essentially have an AI assistant…” (06:11)
  • No coding or technical setup required for event organizers.
• AI Technology:
  • Built on natural language AI, customizable to each event by uploading schedules, FAQs, and programs (06:11).

5. Real-World Impact and Highlights

• First Live Usage and Transformation:
  • Lowered help desk volume at a 100-person test conference; visible shift as guests preferred messaging with Chaperone (07:28).
  • “We could see people…messaging and asking. We could see them. We were watching and we thought, oh wow, we've really done something here…” (07:28)
• Human Touch Remains:
  • Support staff are still available for complex issues, but routine queries are automated.

6. Ethics and Data Privacy

• Privacy by Design:
  • Chaperone does not require guests to sign up, enter personal data, or download an app—uses a secure passphrase system (09:01).
  • “The guest interactions are strictly tied to the event and they don't need to download an app or even put in any of their sign in information… For us, the biggest ethical thing is accuracy and trust…” (09:01)

7. Access, Scale, and Vision

• Not App-Dependent:
  • Runs as a web app—you can save it as an icon but don’t download anything (10:03).
• Global Aspirations:
  • Designed for use worldwide, with a special emphasis on African events (11:20).
  • “We think every event could essentially have a chaperone. That's…how big. There's no reason why not.” (11:20)
• Open Beta and Pricing:
  • Currently in beta, accessible at ea.jamjargh.com. Pricing and commercial rollout in 2 months (12:22, 13:10).

8. Personal & Philosophical Insights

• Founder’s Personal “Goosebumps” Moment:
  • Watching live adoption and help desk usage drop during the first pilot (07:28).
• AI and Human Emotions (Listener Question):
  • Frances believes AI may simulate, but never fully understand, human experiences like joy or grief:
    • "A lot of the time we don't even understand them. So I think that AI is really going to be good at simulating and understanding all the context that maybe provides joy… but I don't know if it'll truly understand the dynamics behind it." (14:19)
• Branding Anecdote:
  • Jam Jar was chosen as a neutral, memorable household object (13:24).
• Background:
  • Not marketing, but politics, sociology, and globalization (13:44).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Automating Event Assistance:
  “You can just change all of that and focus on the creativity and the experience. Overall.” – Dr. Tamara Nall (04:27)

• On User Behavior:
  “Sometimes it's that scrolling that, like, people are like, there's too much other information. I just want that one specific thing that is relatable to me in this moment now.” – Frances Quaquapone (05:42)

• On Ethical AI in Events:
  “It's really just the event planners information in terms of login and access that we work with. But once they have developed the event assistant, it won't actually. The guests don't need to put in their information to sign up to it.” – Frances Quaquapone (09:01)

• On Impact:
  “Just watching people actually engage and interact meant like we've created something that people loved.” – Frances Quaquapone (07:28)

Notable Timestamps

• [02:39] Frances introduces herself and ethos behind Jam Jar and Chaperone
• [03:34] What is Chaperone? Core features revealed
• [04:27] Practical benefit for planners: reduced stress, more creativity
• [06:11] Under the hood; Chaperone setup process explained
• [07:28] Frances’s proudest moment: observing transformation at live event
• [09:01] Approach to data privacy and ethical design
• [10:03] Clarification: Chaperone is a web app (not a download)
• [11:20] Vision for continent-wide and global adoption
• [12:22] Beta phase and upcoming pricing details
• [14:19] Listener question on AI understanding emotions
• [15:12] Rapid-fire: Overrated AI trend – virtual worlds
• [15:48] Rapid-fire: Underrated AI trend – conversational AI in creative industries
• [16:13] Book recommendation: The Death of Vivek Oji
• [16:58] Bold prediction: Every event will soon have a Chaperone-like AI assistant

Guest and Product Contact Information

• Try Chaperone: ea.jamjargh.com (beta, web app)
• More on Jam Jar: jamjargh.com
• LinkedIn: Frances Quaquapone
• Instagram: @jamjargh

Conclusion

Through an accessible and conversational style, Dr. Nall and Frances Quaquapone demonstrate how Chaperone is making a tangible difference for event planners and guests alike—reducing friction, respecting privacy, and focusing on real-world impact rather than hype. The hope is for a future where every event—large or small, local or global—features a customizable AI assistant, transforming the event experience for all.

For more in-depth conversations exploring the disruptive, practical side of AI, subscribe to Lead With AI and follow Dr. Tamara Nall for the latest on technology making a real-world difference.