EITK Event 4

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

12:30 AM – 2:30 AM
Coast Patio
NETWORKING EVENT - EARLY ARRIVAL EVENT
Networking Nightcap - In Partnership with: CustomerServ

Settle in and start connecting. Join us for drinks, light bites, and easy conversation with fellow CX leaders before the Summit officially begins.

12:00 PM – 1:45 PM
The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer
CHARITABLE EVENT
Sandcastles at Sunrise - In Partnership with: Alta Resources

Start your morning in the Salon Foyer with Sandcastles at Sunrise, a hands-on, interactive experience full of fun, creativity, and friendly competition. Connect with fellow attendees, get your hands in the sand, and enjoy the stunning beauty of Amelia Island as you build your masterpiece. In support of mental health awareness, a $150 donation will be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for each participant, with extra contributions going to NAMI for the winning teams, making every moment of teamwork and creativity count.

Attire: Warm layers + casual/beach-appropriate clothing

1:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Talbot Registration
REGISTRATION
Registration
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Talbot AB
LEADERS CHOICE: "CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY" SESSION
Leading Execution in the Age of AI and Agentic Systems - Presented by: Procedureflow
Sarah Jeanneault
Sarah Jeanneault
Procedureflow

When AI starts acting on behalf of your team, who is accountable?

Customer experience is entering a new phase. AI is no longer limited to chatbots, and copilots' organizations are now experimenting with agentic AI systems that can take action, make decisions, and orchestrate tasks across workflows. While this shift expands what’s possible, it also raises a critical leadership challenge: how do you move toward greater automation and intelligence without compromising accuracy, trust, and the human quality of care?

In this Leader's Choice session, Sarah brings a perspective shaped by her work at Procedureflow to guide a conversation on a key industry shift from AI assistance to AI action and why this makes operational clarity more important than ever.

Participants will explore the realities leaders are facing today:

• Chatbots handling first contact but lacking process awareness
• Copilots suggesting answers without clear decision paths
• Agentic AI systems initiating actions that must align with real operational rules
• Knowledge spread across systems, increasing risk of inconsistency

The discussion will focus on how leading organizations are building a foundation where AI, copilots, and agentic systems operate within structured knowledge, governance, and guided workflows. This ensures frontline teams remain confident; customers receive consistent care, and automation enhances rather than undermines trust.

Before the session begins, attendees will note their top questions and challenges with AI-driven execution, which will shape the discussion. These real-world inputs will drive a hands-on group exercise where participants identify care gaps, craft opportunity statements, and map the foundations needed for safe, consistent AI-powered execution.

Attendees will leave with a leadership perspective on designing CX environments where intelligence, autonomy, and human judgment work together delivering faster, more personalized service without compromise.

 

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM
The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer
Partner Reception
4:30 PM – 5:45 PM
North Foyer
LUNCH
Boxed Lunches Available
4:30 PM – 5:45 PM
Amelia Room
EXECUTIVE LUNCHEON
Executive Lunch - In Partnership with: Sierra
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Cumberland
PEOPLE & PROCESS WORKSHOP
Stop Guessing: Take Control of the CX Buying Process - Presented by: Simplify
Jesse Greenberg
Jesse Greenberg
Simplify
Lindsey Ellison
Lindsey Ellison
Globe Life
Shane Heise
Shane Heise
Simplify
Zach Jones
Zach Jones
Simplify

The CX technology landscape is expanding at a dizzying pace. With the rapid influx of Voice AI, CCaaS, and agentic tools, distinguishing between "market noise" and "strategic necessity" has never been harder. The biggest hurdle for enterprise leaders isn't just implementing technology, it’s buying it. 
  
Join Simplify and Lindsey Ellison, SVP of Business Technology at Globe Life, for an interactive workshop exploring the complexities of procuring technology for their 13,000+ agent organization. Lindsey will share Globe Life’s journey, identifying strategic market shifts and defining the "why" behind their transformation toward modern CCaas and Agentic AI. 
 
Participants will:

  • Tackle the question: "What is the hardest part about buying new technology?" 
  • Dissect the friction points of RFPs, commercial analysis, and vendor selection
  • Discuss how a "Trusted Advisor" model can de-risk the process and accelerate time-to-value. 
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Talbot C
TECH FORUM
Where CX Strategy Breaks Through: Designing Ideal-State Journeys for Speed, Loyalty & Operational Efficiency  - Presented by: CSG Systems
Megan Lukitsch
Megan Lukitsch
CSG

Customer journeys often break in predictable places, and those breaks cost you time, money, and loyalty. In this Tech Forum session, we’ll pinpoint where friction hides, show how AI eliminates redundant work, and introduce a journey management model that simplifies experiences without sacrificing empathy. Attendees will walk away with a practical framework and action plan to accelerate resolution, reduce operational costs, and deliver more consistent, intelligent customer experiences.  
 
Key Takeaways:  

  • How to identify the journeys causing the most cost, friction, and rework.  
  • Where AI adds meaningful speed and efficiency, and where it doesn’t. 
  • A repeatable experience model that reduces handoffs, loops, and manual effort.  
  • A quickstart ROI checklist for linking efficiency gains to improved loyalty. 
7:15 PM – 8:15 PM
Talbot B
PEOPLE & PROCESS WORKSHOP
Beyond Automation: Social CX in the Age of AI - Presented by: IntouchCX
Chris Wallace
Chris Wallace
IntouchCX
Laura Wheeler
Laura Wheeler
Audible

As customer service continues its shift toward social and asynchronous channels, AI is fundamentally changing how brands engage, respond, and scale. Traditional voice and chat are no longer the primary focus; instead, AI is quietly streamlining these channels while social media becomes the front line for service, community building, and brand growth. With rising expectations for responsiveness across earned and owned channels, CX leaders are navigating increased social volume alongside limited, high-risk AI options that can easily feel inauthentic to highly digital consumers.  
 
In this session, Chris Wallace, SVP Global Growth at IntouchCX, along with Laura Wheeler, Director of Social Media Customer Care at Audible, examine what this shift means once efficiency is no longer the differentiator. The conversation reframes AI beyond productivity, focusing on the evolving value of CX, demographic nuance by brand, and why human connection remains critical, while also including an interactive breakout session where attendees discuss real-world social CX scenarios and how to apply AI without sacrificing authenticity. 
 
Key Takeaways 

  • How to approach social and asynchronous channels as a primary CX playground, while ensuring AI optimizes legacy channels in the background.
  • Creating CX value defined by trust, authenticity, and community impact.
  • The opportunities, risks, and thoughtful deployment of AI in social
  • The necessity for human support for specific customers, moments, and brand experiences, even in highly automated environments. 
     
7:15 PM – 8:15 PM
Talbot A
TECH FORUM
How Tory Burch, Vuori, and Cart.com Implemented Phone AI in 2025 - Presented by: Flip
Brian Schiff
Brian Schiff
Flip
CC Hodder
CC Hodder
Vuori
Sergio Martinez
Sergio Martinez
Cart.com
Stuart Benzal
Stuart Benzal
Tory Burch

Tory Burch herself singled out the CX team at their end-of-year companywide all-hands for the brand’s most successful AI work of 2025. Vuori started their implementation weeks before Black Friday, had time to spare, and flipped skeptical leaders just one quarter post-launch. And Cart.com championed adding AI before BFCM, going live with six brands in week one to support their growing portfolio and unlock scalable support.

The question is how. Flip is going behind the scenes with the changemakers who made bold bets, learned fast, and won big. We'll start at the beginning, when there was little more than ideas, and travel with them through time as they became market experts, pivoted from failed pilots, drove stakeholder alignment, forecasted ROI, and ultimately transformed some of the most iconic American brands.  

In this session, learn the real-life twists and turns, tradeoffs, hard calls, and big 'aha' moments — and how can you use their experience to shortcut your own learnings as you eye bigger, bolder, customer-facing AI deployments in your organization. 

Key Takeaways: 

  • The unfiltered story and firsthand learnings, start to finish, of implementing phone AI
  • Knowing when to pivot, and how to amplify wins as you achieve them  
  • Favorite use-cases, hot takes, and what's coming next 
8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Cumberland
PEOPLE & PROCESS WORKSHOP
Exporting Culture: How to Extend Your Brand’s Soul Into an Outsourced CX Model - Presented by: GTCX
Bill Colton
Bill Colton
GTCX
Karen Slusher
Karen Slusher
Azure Standard

Every brand has a culture—few know how to export it. As more companies blend internal CX teams with outsourced BPO partners, the central challenge becomes ensuring that customers experience the same authenticity, empathy, and values no matter who answers the call.

In this interactive workshop, GTCX CEO Bill Colton and Azure Standard’s CX leader Karen Slusher unpack how a brand’s “internal DNA” can be successfully extended beyond its four walls. Azure Standard, with its uniquely passionate customer following and deeply relationship-driven approach, has cultivated a CX model where agents are empowered to spend real time with customers, prioritize connection over speed, and build long-term trust. Translating that ethos to an external partner might seem impossible—yet Azure and GTCX have built a blueprint for doing exactly that.

Attendees will learn:

  • How to identify the essential cultural ingredients that truly define a brand
  • Why most companies miscommunicate expectations to BPO partners—and how to avoid those traps
  • How to operationalize culture (not just describe it) so an external partner can replicate it
  • What a real-world success story looks like from both the brand and partner perspectives

This session blends strategic insight with practical guidance from two leaders who have done it in the real world—not in theory.

8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Talbot C
TECH FORUM
See AI Transform Skill Development LIVE — How Your Peers are Slashing Ramp Time & Accelerating Upskilling - Presented by: Zenarate
Casey Denby
Casey Denby
Zenarate

Frontline performance is the single biggest driver of customer experience. But traditional training doesn’t scale, doesn’t stick, and rarely prepares teams for real-world customer interactions. 
 
In this high-impact session, CX Learning and Operations expert Casey Denby reveals how leading enterprise brands—including Chase, Marriott, State Farm, Comcast, JetBlue, Nordstrom, and MLB—are using AI-powered, lifelike simulations to accelerate skill development and deliver measurable CX results, fast. 
 
Casey breaks down the science behind how people actually learn, and shows how AI-driven practice environments dramatically improve retention, confidence, and performance—without adding operational complexity. You won’t just hear how it works. You’ll experience it. 
 
In this live, interactive session, you’ll: 
 
• See how learning science drives practice-based mastery (5% → 75% skill retention) 
• Hear from an enterprise CX leader who implemented and turned their AI Coach into real business impact 
• Watch a full AI-driven CX simulation built in real time and practice it alongside your peers 
• Interact with a lifelike AI Avatar Customer 

9:45 PM – 10:30 PM
Salon I
CX MASTERCLASS
CX Masterclass: A Look at the Ritz-Carlton Culture of Excellence
Amanda Joiner
Amanda Joiner
The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center

Exceptional customer experiences don’t happen by chance. They are built through culture, clarity, and disciplined execution. In this masterclass, Amanda Joiner, Global Vice President of The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, shares how The Ritz-Carlton has sustained legendary service by empowering employees to truly own the customer experience.

The session will explore the core frameworks that guide behavior and decision-making across the organization, including the Credo, Motto, Three Steps of Service, Employee Promise, and the 12 Service Values. Together, these elements establish a shared language for service and a consistent standard for how care shows up in moments that matter.

Beyond philosophy, this session will showcase the practical systems that make excellence repeatable: how thoughtful selection, onboarding, recognition, and continuous upskilling reinforce a culture of ownership and enable employees to act with confidence and purpose.

Attendees will take away clear, actionable perspectives that elevate service culture across any organization, along with opportunities for peer interaction, guided table discussions, and reflection to help leaders connect the concepts to their own teams and environments.

10:30 PM – 12:30 AM
The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer
WELCOME RECEPTION
Welcome Reception - In Partnership with: TransPerfect

Join us as we officially kick off the conference in The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer, a sweeping green space overlooking the dunes and the waters of the Atlantic. This relaxed outdoor setting offers a stunning backdrop for conversation and connection as the sun sets over Amelia Island. Enjoy great food, cocktails, and the company of CX peers in an atmosphere designed for easy networking and a warm start to the days ahead.

Thursday, February 26, 2026

12:30 AM – 3:00 AM
Salt, The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island
EXECUTIVE DINNER
Executive Dinner - In Partnership with: ibex
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Talbot Registration
REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
Breakfast & Registration
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION
Conference Kickoff
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Delivering Care Without Compromise: The Human-Tech Partnership at Visa
Katie Beaudry
Katie Beaudry
Visa

From her first job behind a supermarket checkout to leading Visa’s Global Client Care organization, Katie Beaudry has always understood that customer experience begins with empathy. What once required face-to-face presence has evolved into a world where data, AI, and predictive design enable care at scale — yet the heart of CX remains human. In this keynote, Katie will share how Visa is reimagining every stage of the service journey, building “self-healing” experiences and agentic AI systems that empower both customers and care teams to deliver seamless, personalized solutions in real time.

But transformation isn’t about technology alone; it’s about foresight, culture, and connection. Katie explores how her teams are blending human intuition with intelligent automation to deliver care without compromise. She’ll challenge leaders to rethink what preemptive service looks like in practice, how to equip teams for success in an AI-powered ecosystem, and how to keep the human touch alive at a global scale. Attendees will walk away inspired to raise the bar, not just by solving customer problems, but by anticipating them.

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Keynote
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
REMOVE DUPLICATE: The Human-Tech Partnership at Visa

From her first job behind a supermarket checkout to leading Visa’s Global Client Care organization, Katie Beaudry has always understood that customer experience begins with empathy. What once required face-to-face presence has evolved into a world where data, AI, and predictive design enable care at scale — yet the heart of CX remains human. In this keynote, Katie will share how Visa is reimagining every stage of the service journey, building “self-healing” experiences and agentic AI systems that empower both customers and care teams to deliver seamless, personalized solutions in real time.

But transformation isn’t about technology alone; it’s about foresight, culture, and connection. Katie explores how her teams are blending human intuition with intelligent automation to deliver care without compromise. She’ll challenge leaders to rethink what preemptive service looks like in practice, how to equip teams for success in an AI-powered ecosystem, and how to keep the human touch alive at a global scale. Attendees will walk away inspired to raise the bar, not just by solving customer problems, but by anticipating them.

2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Panel
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Uncompromised Leadership — When Self-Respect Becomes Priceless - Presented by: Transcom
Carolyne M. Truelove
Carolyne M. Truelove
American Airlines
Lisa Oswald
Lisa Oswald
Travelzoo
Ruth Rose
Ruth Rose
Ruth Rose

When the stakes are high and the pressure is on, real leadership is revealed not by strategy decks or polished statements but by the courage to act with integrity, even when it costs something. In this intimate discussion, two EITK advisory board members and seasoned senior CX executives share candid stories of when their values were tested under fire. When the easiest choice isn’t the right one, and when standing firm carries personal or professional consequences, this is when true leaders stand firm.

We’ll explore how leaders evolve from good intentions to becoming “the one” others can count on: the person who speaks up, takes risks, and acts on their convictions when everyone else stays quiet. The conversation will examine how self-respect becomes the source of leadership courage, fueling trust inside organizations and loyalty among customers.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • The anatomy of being “the one”: what separates leaders who act from those who don’t.
  • How to build the kind of self-respect that makes difficult choices possible.
  • The difference between performative leadership and leadership that costs you something.
  • Ways courageous decisions create psychological safety for teams and trust with customers.
  • How to recognize when you’ve become the leader you intended to be.

Expect real stories of integrity under pressure—from culture flashpoints to customer-impacting crises—and leave with practical insights on how courage, vulnerability, and personal accountability can transform organizations. Attendees will walk away inspired to embrace self-respect as a leadership operating system that not only protects employees and customers but also creates the foundation for authentic, lasting trust.

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Beyond Recovery: Shaping a CX Model That Anticipates, Prevents, and Delights
Andrea Hughes
Andrea Hughes
TruGreen
Dari Damazo
Dari Damazo
Atlanticus
Mike Jones
Mike Jones
The Home Depot

Most service organizations remain focused on reacting to issues after they arise, yet the real opportunity lies in anticipating and preventing problems before customers ever need to reach out. This panel will explore how CX leaders are rethinking their approaches to become more predictive and proactive, leveraging a mix of customer data, journey signals, and emerging AI capabilities to spot friction points early and deliver pre-emptive support.

Panelists will discuss both the opportunities and the challenges in shifting from recovery to prevention — from making the internal case for investment in predictive solutions, to building the right organizational support, to ensuring governance and trust remain at the center. Expect practical insights into how companies are both executing and thinking about proactive outreach and empowering agents with “next-best actions,” all while learning from both successes and setbacks. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of how proactive strategies can reduce preventable contacts, elevate satisfaction, and lower costs while strengthening long-term customer relationships.

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Beyond Recovery: Shaping a CX Model That Anticipates, Prevents, and Delights - Presented by: VXI Global
Andrea Hughes
Andrea Hughes
TruGreen
Dari Damazo
Dari Damazo
Atlanticus
Lauren Kindzierski
Lauren Kindzierski
VXI Global Solutions
Mike Jones
Mike Jones
The Home Depot

Most service organizations remain focused on reacting to issues after they arise, yet the real opportunity lies in anticipating and preventing problems before customers ever need to reach out. This panel will explore how CX leaders are rethinking their approaches to become more predictive and proactive, leveraging a mix of customer data, journey signals, and emerging AI capabilities to spot friction points early and deliver pre-emptive support.

Panelists will discuss both the opportunities and the challenges in shifting from recovery to prevention — from making the internal case for investment in predictive solutions, to building the right organizational support, to ensuring governance and trust remain at the center. Expect practical insights into how companies are both executing and thinking about proactive outreach and empowering agents with “next-best actions,” all while learning from both successes and setbacks. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of how proactive strategies can reduce preventable contacts, elevate satisfaction, and lower costs while strengthening long-term customer relationships.

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Panel
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
North Foyer
NETWORKING BREAK
Networking Coffee Break
3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Cumberland
CUSTOMER SHOP TALK
Customer Experience Is Becoming Intelligent: What Leaders Need to Know Now - Presented by ROI CX Solutions and Autom8ly
Mark Vange
Mark Vange
Autom8ly

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the intelligence layer within modern customer experience operations. The most impactful organizations are amplifying human capability through cooperative intelligence—embedding AI across the full CX lifecycle to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and unlock entirely new levels of service.

In this session, Mark Vange, CTO and Founder of Autom8ly, will share how AI is transforming CX through capabilities including autonomous agents, real-time agent assist, intelligent transcription, automated QA and compliance monitoring, and proactive operational alerting. These systems continuously observe, learn, and adapt from customer interactions—helping organizations improve agent performance, detect fraud and operational waste earlier, and ensure consistent service quality at scale.

Critically, these capabilities are now operating successfully in highly regulated environments such as healthcare and financial services, where compliance, auditability, data protection, and operational reliability are non-negotiable. Mark will explore how ROI CX is leveraging this intelligence to enhance service delivery in these demanding environments—empowering agents with real-time insight while strengthening compliance, resilience, and operational control.

You’ll learn:

  • How AI is becoming the intelligence layer within modern CX architecture
  • How cooperative AI enhances agent performance while strengthening compliance and operational control
  • How organizations like ROI CX are leveraging AI to deliver higher-quality service in regulated environments
  • A practical framework for introducing AI safely, incrementally, and responsibly
3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Talbot B
CUSTOMER SHOP TALK
Making CX a C-Suite Priority - Presented by: Reddy
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Reddy
Janell Scott
Janell Scott
Gold Mountain Communications

CX friction is easy to spot on the front lines and far harder to elevate into an executive priority. Too

often, CX leaders come armed with anecdotes or dashboards that resonate locally but fail to translate into enterprise-level urgency. This session explores how leading organizations bridge that gap by pairing a clear narrative with hard data tied to business performance, risk, and customer outcomes, and turning CX pain into an executive ready business case.

Through real customer examples, Reddy will examine how a small, focused CX pilot delivered measurable wins that earned CEO attention and sponsorship. Attendees will leave with a practical playbook for translating frontline insight into boardroom language and how to build the internal momentum needed to scale CX initiatives across the enterprise.

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Talbot A
CUSTOMER SHOP TALK
Next Level Learning & Development: The Operational Advantage of Learning Done Right - Presented by: Clear Harbor
Dr. Tiffany Cotterman
Dr. Tiffany Cotterman
Clear Harbor

Effortless customer experiences begin with effortless learning—learning that happens inside operations, not alongside them. Next-level Learning and Development blends seamlessly into day-to-day execution, transforming operations into an operational learning environment where learning is strategic, immediate, and continuous. Grounded in cognitive science and adult learning research, these approaches require no new tools or budget, yet deliver immediate, measurable improvements in performance and customer ease.

This session challenges the outdated, siloed model where Learning and Development is solely responsible for performance. Instead, it positions performance as a shared operational continuum—owned by leaders, reinforced in the moment, and sustained through science-backed practices. In an era where organizations are racing toward AI without understanding how people actually learn, this conversation returns to the foundations of research, demonstrating how trusted, evidence-based strategies can be applied immediately to maximize performance in dynamic environments.

Attendees will learn:

  • Immediate, research-backed strategies that drive measurable performance at no cost
  • Practical approaches to embed learning into operations for real-time execution impact
  • How to anchor operational learning decisions in cognitive science to consistently maximize performance
3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Talbot C
CUSTOMER SHOP TALK
Your Customer Already Told Us: Building Memory into the Agent Ecosystem - Presented by: Rasa
Roger Lee
Roger Lee
Ruffalo Noel Levitz
Vikas Bahmbri
Vikas Bahmbri
Rasa

Every call transfer is a failure point. Every "can you repeat that?" burns time and trust. Most contact centers respond by adding more AI, which makes the problem worse. 
 
Without orchestration, you get conflicting responses, lost context, and agents cleaning up messes they didn't create. 
 
Roger Lee shows what happens when you stop stacking AI tools and start coordinating them. Drawing on examples from organizations that cut contacts by 50% while improving quality, he explains how to design clear boundaries for when AI should act, collaborate, or escalate. 
 
Over the next few years, conversation will become the primary interface for getting work done. AI prepares and coordinates tasks before humans step in to handle judgment calls and complex decisions. 
 
You'll learn:

  • Why uncoordinated AI creates more problems than it solves
  • How to define clear boundaries for autonomous action, collaboration, and escalation
  • Why orchestration functions as the operating system for your CX ecosystem 
3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Your Customer Already Told Us: Building Memory into the Agent Ecosystem - Presented by: Rasa

Every call transfer is a failure point. Every "can you repeat that?" burns time and trust. Most contact centers respond by adding more AI, which makes the problem worse. 
 
Without orchestration, you get conflicting responses, lost context, and agents cleaning up messes they didn't create. 
 
Roger Lee shows what happens when you stop stacking AI tools and start coordinating them. Drawing on examples from organizations that cut contacts by 50% while improving quality, he explains how to design clear boundaries for when AI should act, collaborate, or escalate. 
 
Over the next few years, conversation will become the primary interface for getting work done. AI prepares and coordinates tasks before humans step in to handle judgment calls and complex decisions. 
 
You'll learn:

  • Why uncoordinated AI creates more problems than it solves
  • How to define clear boundaries for autonomous action, collaboration, and escalation
  • Why orchestration functions as the operating system for your CX ecosystem 
     
5:15 PM – 6:15 PM
Talbot D-H
LUNCH
Lunch
6:15 PM – 6:30 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION
Afternoon Comments
6:15 PM – 6:30 PM
Talbot D-H
Afternoon Comments

Afternoon Comments serve as a strategic touchpoint in our general session. Here, we’ll distill the key insights from the morning, spotlight emerging themes from the community, and frame the conversations we’re heading into next. 

6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
CX Livewire: Polling, Predictions, and Instant Feedback - Presented by iQor
Colleen Beers
Colleen Beers
iQor
Jim Von Seggern
Jim Von Seggern
Execs In The Know
Justin McMurtrey
Justin McMurtrey
Ladders
Sagarika Prusty
Sagarika Prusty
Quince

Just as data drives the vital operational adjustments that CX leaders make every day, data also fuels the strategic decisions that power entire programs. During this session, panelists will dive into the data of critical CX topics the goal of contrasting results from recent Execs In The Know’s CX research with live polling of the CRS Amelia Island audience. Real-time insights will help audience members benchmark themselves against the room, while panelists provide headlights into some of the biggest challenges and successes at their own organizations.

Come prepared to participate during this high energy, fast-paced session which is sure to produce both surprises and confirmation.

6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Panel
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - CASE STUDY
How Urban Outfitters Cracked the Code on AI Agents - Presented by: Quiq
Joannah Holmes
Joannah Holmes

Launching AI at enterprise scale is never simple, especially across beloved global brands with distinct voices, loyal customers, and complex operational structures. But that’s exactly the challenge Joannah Holmes, Director of Customer Service at URBN, set out to solve. 
 
In this mainstage case study, Joannah takes attendees behind the scenes of an ambitious AI agent rollout in modern retail CX. Over a two-week sprint, URBN deployed agentic AI across four marquee brands: Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, and Terrain. 
 
This session will explore the real story behind the launch: the strategy, the cross-functional alignment, the unexpected hurdles, and the breakthrough moments that made it possible. Joannah will share how her team ensured the AI agents not only mirrored each brand’s identity but also unlocked measurable operational gains to improve speed, accuracy, agent workload, and customer satisfaction. 
 
Most importantly, she’ll discuss what she’s learned about responsibly scaling agentic AI inside a global retail ecosystem, and what’s coming next for URBN. 
 
Attendees will walk away with a rare, inside look at enterprise AI transformation in motion, including what it really takes, what’s required to build trust, and how to set a foundation for sustainable, scalable impact. 

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Salon II
INNOVATIONS LAB
Innovations Lab in Partnership with: Clear Harbor
9:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Beyond Deployment: The Quality Assurance and Measurement Essentials for AI-Powered CX - Presented by Microsoft
Anindya Sundar Das
Anindya Sundar Das
Uber
Dima Cichi
Dima Cichi
Microsoft
Ian Schmehl
Ian Schmehl
Ian Schmehl
Peter Howerton
Peter Howerton
Northwell Health

As AI reaches new levels of deployment within the contact center, the focus is all too often on speed to market rather than sustained quality and performance. Without rigorous monitoring, these solutions can drift from intended outcomes, generate inconsistent or inaccurate responses, and even erode customer trust. The difference between AI-powered solutions that delight versus ones that frustrate often comes down to how well performance is measured, tuned, re-tuned, and governed over time. 

This panel will explore why monitoring AI quality must be as much a priority as implementing AI itself. CX leaders will share emerging best practices for establishing performance benchmarks, aligning AI outputs with business and customer goals, and setting up governance models that evolve alongside the technology. Attendees will gain practical insights on how to track both quantitative and qualitative results, run an effective QA layer, detect bias or drift, and create feedback loops that ensure AI remains a reliable extension of the customer experience strategy. 

During this panel, you’ll learn about: 

  • Which metrics are worth monitoring for generating actionable insights
  • Best practices for implementing a QA layer for AI-powered solutions
  • Common AI-powered solution performance issues that are detectable by better monitoring
9:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Panel
9:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Keynote
9:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
The Standard Is the Strategy
Travis Brown
Travis Brown
CCV

CX excellence isn’t created by software, scripts, or perfectly defined processes. It’s created by leaders, and the standard they’re willing to set for themselves. In this keynote, Travis Brown, former NFL quarterback and current pastor, delivers a direct challenge to CX executives: your team’s performance will never exceed the standard you personally embody.

Travis explores the uncomfortable but liberating truth that success can often mask slipping standards, and teams will always follow the tone the leader sets, especially when conditions aren’t ideal, pressure is high, or you’re leading teams you didn’t personally handpick.

This session will reshape how you think about standards, how they’re created, reinforced, and multiplied across the enterprise, and why EX will always dictate CX. Through powerful stories and practical leadership insight, Travis helps leaders see that the most scalable strategy for CX excellence is not a system… it’s a standard. And it starts with you.

10:00 PM – 10:45 PM
SOCIAL
The Glam Gap

A short break to glam up before the Gala.

10:45 PM – 11:30 PM
The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer
Walk the Red Carpet & Cocktails

Step into the evening in style. Mingle with fellow CX leaders, enjoy a cocktail, and capture the moment on our red carpet before the Crystal Gala officially begins. A celebratory start to an unforgettable night.

11:30 PM – 3:00 AM
Salon I
NETWORKING EVENT - EVENING EVENT
The Crystal Gala: Celebrating 15 Years of Brilliance - In Partnership with: TELUS Digital

This milestone evening will honor 15 years of CX leadership, community, and collaboration. Expect an unforgettable night of dining, music, dancing, and thoughtfully curated entertainment at The Ritz-Carlton.


Attire: Business Attire, Semi-Formal, or Formal-wear is appropriate.

Friday, February 27, 2026

12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Talbot Registration
REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
Breakfast & Registration
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION
Conference Opening
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Keynote
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Walmart’s People-Led, Tech-Powered Approach to Customer Support
Meghan Nicholas
Meghan Nicholas
Walmart

As customer and associate support reaches a defining moment, CX leaders are being challenged to evolve faster than ever without losing the human connection that defines great service. In this keynote, Meghan Nicholas, Vice President of Customer Engagement Services at Walmart, will explore how large, complex organizations can modernize their service operations through a people-led, tech-powered approach. Drawing from real-world experience at scale, she will examine how today’s leaders are balancing rising expectations, accelerating technology, and the enduring need for empathy and trust across every customer touchpoint.

Attendees will gain perspective on designing service models that are both operationally resilient and deeply human, where innovation enhances, rather than replaces, meaningful connection. With the continued growth of automation, AI, and self-service, this session offers a timely, high-level look at how CX leaders can drive efficiency, clarity, and care simultaneously, setting a new standard for performance without compromise.

2:15 PM – 2:40 PM
Talbot D-H
Rapid-Fire Case Study
Automation Without Alienation: A People-First Workforce Strategy in the Age of AI - Presented by: Intradiem
Mary Ann Chandler
Mary Ann Chandler
Intradiem
Shannon Scott
Shannon Scott
The Cigna Group

This session shares a real-world transformation story of how a large enterprise contact center moved from early skepticism about automation (“it will replace jobs”) to a people-first strategy that improved both operational performance and employee experience. The speakers will explore the strategic inflection point that led Cigna to adopt real-time automation—and the leadership work required to earn buy-in beyond senior leadership.

The discussion will highlight key lessons, measurable outcomes, and how today’s momentum in AI connects to the future of workforce orchestration—illustrating how automation and AI can work together to support scalable, resilient workforce strategies beyond the contact center. 

Key takeaways for attendees

  • How to position automation as a workforce strategy that enhances performance and employee experience—not a job replacement narrative
  • What it really takes to drive adoption when executive alignment alone doesn’t translate to frontline buy-in
  • How real-time automation and emerging AI initiatives can coexist to strengthen CX strategy and long-term workforce agility 
2:15 PM – 2:40 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION
Rapid-Fire Case Study
2:40 PM – 3:10 PM
North Foyer
NETWORKING BREAK
Networking Coffee Break
2:40 PM – 3:05 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION
Rapid-Fire Case Study
3:10 PM – 3:40 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
CX as a Growth Engine: Proving Value in the Boardroom - Presented by: TP
Craig Barnes
Craig Barnes
Williams-Sonoma
Jen Joyce
Jen Joyce
Frontier Communications
Mike Lytle
Mike Lytle
TP
Tanisha Parker
Tanisha Parker
Grubhub

Customer experience leaders know that delivering exceptional service drives loyalty, retention, and long-term business value. Yet, securing investment for new tools, talent, and innovations often requires more than intuition or anecdotal wins. Many CX leaders still face challenges in articulating a compelling financial case for investment, translating the less tangible benefits of customer care into metrics that resonate with CFOs, CEOs, and boards. Without a strong internal case, initiatives risk being deprioritized in favor of more easily quantified projects.

This panel will dive into proven strategies for building persuasive ROI models that tie customer care excellence directly to revenue growth, reduced churn, and operational efficiency. Panelists will share best practices for quantifying knock-on effects like customer lifetime value, brand advocacy, and competitive differentiation, while also offering guidance on how to educate senior leadership on the true business impact of CX. Attendees will leave with practical tools and storytelling techniques to strengthen their internal advocacy and secure the resources needed to elevate customer experience initiatives.

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Talbot D-H
GENERAL SESSION - PANEL
Panel
3:40 PM – 4:10 PM
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Frontline Empowerment: The Heart of CX Transformation
Kevin McDorman
Kevin McDorman
Southwest Airlines

Transformation is happening all around us — in technology, AI, and business models — but the real story of customer experience isn’t about systems; it’s about people. In this keynote, Kevin McDorman, Vice President of Customer Care at Southwest Airlines, will share how the frontline isn’t just executing service — it is the strategy for creating seamless, friction-free experiences. 
Through real stories from Southwest, Kevin will show how empowering frontline teams to act with judgment, empathy, and autonomy drives measurable improvements across every metric.  
 
Attendees will see how putting people first — not scripts, dashboards, or automation alone — creates solutions in the moments that matter most, transforms policies into guardrails, and positions technology as a partner, not a replacement. 
 
This session challenges leaders to rethink CX strategy: how to anticipate customer needs, remove friction, and give teams the authority to deliver results. Attendees will leave inspired to view the frontline not just as execution, but as the engine of enterprise-wide customer experience. 
 

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE
Keynote
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Keynote: Southwest Airlines
Kevin McDorman
Kevin McDorman
Southwest Airlines
4:10 PM – 5:10 PM
North Foyer
LUNCH
Lunch

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