Dennis Walthers held senior roles at major global tech companies including VP Sales at Cisco, President Americas for D-Link Systems, and positions with Polaroid, Epson, Dell, and Canon before founding Interactive Dallas in 2011, bringing executive strategy to experiential events.
Two Decades in Tech Leadership
Dennis Walthers, CEO of Interactive Dallas, spent more than two decades leading major technology brands including Cisco, D-Link, Polaroid, Epson, Dell, and Canon before founding experiential event company in 2011. This executive background shapes the approach to event technology.
Walthers held VP of Sales at Cisco/Linksys, President of Americas for D-Link Systems, and key positions with other global tech companies. These senior leadership roles developed understanding of strategy, customer experience, and high-performance teams.
Those years shaped the approach to strategy, customer experience, and team building according to Walthers. The executive experience distinguishes him from typical event company founders lacking corporate background.
From Corporate Tech to Experiential Events
Transitioning from global tech companies to founding experiential event business represents an unusual path. Most event company founders come from hospitality, entertainment, or event planning backgrounds rather than technology executive roles.
Walthers founded Interactive Dallas in 2011 after a tech career. What started as a simple photo activation company evolved into one of Texas’ leading experiential tech providers integrating AI, visual arts, and brand strategy.
The tech background informs different approaches to event activations. Walthers understands the business side including ROI, brand alignment, and measurable engagement from corporate experience while adding creative innovation from the events industry.
Executive-Level Strategy Application
What makes Walthers different is the blend of executive-level strategy and hands-on creative innovation. He understands both business outcomes and attendee experience that makes people stop, interact, and share.
This dual perspective matters when working with Fortune 500 brands and major clients. Corporate clients want measurable results and strategic alignment, not just cool experiences. Walthers speak their language from years in corporate tech.
Interactive Dallas serves clients ranging from Fortune 500 brands to top sports teams and luxury venues. The corporate client base reflects Walthers’ ability to connect with business decision-makers based on shared executive experience.
Understanding Technology Adoption
Twenty-plus years in technology companies provided understanding of how businesses adopt new tech. This knowledge helps Interactive Dallas introduce AI and emerging technologies to event clients.
Tech adoption patterns in the corporate world mirror challenges in the events industry. Early adopters embrace innovation while the majority wait for proven results. Walthers learned navigating these dynamics at Cisco, D-Link, and other tech companies.
One challenge has been education, helping brands understand the value of experiential technology long before it became mainstream. For years, Interactive Dallas pitched ideas ahead of the curve requiring simplified messaging showing measurable ROI.
Sales and Marketing Background
VP of Sales at Cisco and President of Americas for D-Link involved leading large sales organizations and marketing teams. These roles developed skills in positioning, messaging, and customer acquisition.
Sales leadership experience translates directly to business development for Interactive Dallas. Understanding how corporate buyers make decisions, what metrics matter, and how to structure proposals all stem from a tech sales background.
The marketing experience also informs how Interactive Dallas positions services. Walthers knows how to communicate value propositions to different stakeholder groups from executives to marketing managers.
Building High-Performance Teams
Leading organizations at major tech companies taught team building and operational management. Cisco, D-Link, and other tech firms require managing distributed teams, complex operations, and performance metrics.
Interactive Dallas benefits from this organizational experience. Running an experiential event company requires coordinating crews, managing multiple simultaneous events, and maintaining service quality under pressure.
The challenge of leading a business includes building teams, managing growth, staying profitable, and staying relevant in an industry where technology changes monthly. Walthers overcome this by staying curious, hands-on, and willing to evolve.
Customer Experience Focus
Tech companies emphasize customer experience as competitive advantage. Cisco, D-Link, and others compete on how products and services solve customer problems and deliver value.
This customer experience focus carries to Interactive Dallas approach. Activities succeed when attendees have memorable experiences they share with others. Technology serves experience, not the other way around.
Interactive Dallas doesn’t just bring equipment but brings ideas, storytelling, and technology that elevate events into moments people talk about long after it ends according to Walthers.
COVID Reinvention Challenge
The biggest challenge was COVID shutdown when the live events industry collapsed. Interactive Dallas went from growing experiential tech company to business with nearly zero revenue overnight.
That period forced reinvention. Instead of waiting it out, Walthers doubled down on innovation, rethinking services, developing new activation concepts, and exploring emerging technologies, especially AI.
The resilience and strategic thinking from a tech executive background helped in navigating the crisis. Corporate experience dealing with market shifts and business challenges prepared Walthers for reinvention required during pandemic.
Future Vision
Over next few years, Walthers sees Interactive Dallas evolving into one of leading experiential-technology studios in a country where AI, personalization, and immersive storytelling reshape how brands connect with people.
The executive strategy background will guide scaling the company while maintaining quality and innovation. Building sustainable growth requires both creative vision and business discipline from corporate tech experience.
Dennis Walthers spent 20-plus years in senior roles at Cisco as VP Sales, D-Link Systems as President Americas, plus Polaroid, Epson, Dell, and Canon before founding Interactive Dallas in 2011. The CEO brings executive-level strategy and tech adoption understanding to experiential event companies serving Fortune 500 brands including Nissan, Southwest Airlines, Dallas Cowboys, Marriott, CyberArk, Toyota, and AMD through AI-driven activations and custom brand experiences.
Founder & CEO | Interactive Dallas
Dennis Walthers
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