Keynote Sessions
The Service Culture Journey
Jeff Toister, Bestselling author of The Service Culture Handbook
Imagine you could build a service culture.
The type of culture where employees are obsessed with customers. They encourage each other, proactively solve problems, and go the extra mile.
Getting there isn’t easy. It’s a journey that takes full commitment.
This entertaining and informative presentation shares three steps to build a service culture. It uses experiential activities, real examples, and cutting-edge research to map out how to get your own employees obsessed with service.
Participants will gain the following:
- Experience three ways that culture can influence employees’ actions.
- Identify the essential elements of a service culture.
- Create a plan to get your employees obsessed with service.
Why CX Is No Longer Just Support, It’s Leverage: The Shift from Cost Center to Business Advantage
Ty Givens, Founder & CEO of CX Collective and CX Collective Advantage
Customer Experience has evolved far beyond managing tickets and resolving issues. Today, CX holds some of the strongest signals a business has about friction, loyalty, and growth, yet many teams are still structured and measured like cost centers.
In this session, Ty Givens breaks down how CX leadership has evolved, why execution is often the real constraint, and what has to change for CX to become a source of leverage across the business.
Attendees walk away with:
- A clearer view of where CX creates real business leverage
- Why many CX teams stay busy but struggle to drive impact
- Practical shifts leaders can make to move from reactive support to growth-driven CX
Technology Panel: When CX Leads, Technology Follows
This panel brings together senior leaders working at the intersection of customer experience and technology to explore a critical tension facing many organizations today: how to ensure technology investments enable customer experience strategy rather than allowing tools and features to define it. Through real-world perspectives and practical examples, the panelists will share real-world perspectives on aligning digital investments with customer needs, business priorities, and long-term outcomes, moving beyond feature-driven decisions to experience-driven impact. Attendees will gain insight into governance, decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration approaches that help technology become a true accelerator of customer-centric strategy, as opposed to a constraint on it.
Attendees walk away with:
- How to keep CX strategy in the driver’s seat
- Real-world decision frameworks, not theory
- Bridging the CX–IT divide
Featuring Panelists:
Siva Balu
Position title: Chief Information & Digital Officer, Sr. VP, Quartz Health Solutions
Nicole Joraanstad
Position title: Director of the IT Customer Engagement Center of Excellence, TDS Telecommunications
Chris Neuharth
Position title: Chief Experience Officer, Children's Wisconsin
Lisa Pavelski
Position title: Director of Digital Capabilities, TruStage
Registration
Our pricing structure is below. Your registration includes participation in the live event (either in person or virtually) and exclusive access to post-conference videos and materials through the end of the year.
Early Bird Pricing (December 12 – January 31)
Members: $220 In Person | $120 Virtual
Non-Members: $270 In Person | $170 Virtual
Regular Pricing (February 1 – March 10)
Members: $295 In Person | $145 Virtual
Non-Members: $345 In Person | $195 Virtual
Save even more when you register as a group!
Additional discounts are available for bulk registration, defined as groups of 10 or more from the same company. Contact us to get started with bulk registration.
What To Expect
What to Expect:
- Keynote Speakers: Hear from renowned CX leaders who will share their insights on building exceptional customer experiences.
- Panel Discussions: Dive into interactive conversations on the future of CX, customer loyalty, and digital experience transformation.
- Lightning Sessions: See how thinkers at our UW are leveraging data and strategy that can be used to improve customer experience, and create future professionals with relevant CX skills.
Who Should Attend:
Whether you are a CX professional, marketing leader, or business strategist, this event is designed to help you unlock the power of customer experience to drive long-term success, differentiate your brand, and deliver ROI.
Symposium Venue
The symposium will be held at the Memorial Union on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. As one of the most beloved and historic destinations on campus, Memorial Union is the place to come socialize, relax, study, eat, and enjoy all the beautiful sunsets and lake views that Madison has to offer. Situated on the shores of Lake Mendota, the classic architecture of the building boasts a picturesque lakeside view as well as a terrace with 600 colorful sunburst chairs.
Getting here
Where to stay
If you plan to arrive the night before the symposium, here are some recommended lodging options.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Madison Downtown is a 10-minute walk from the Union or a quick ride via the hotel’s courtesy shuttle. Guests enjoy free local and airport transportation, a full-service restaurant, Starbucks® Café, and newly renovated rooms with Wi-Fi, a microwave, and refrigerator. Located steps from State Street, UW–Madison, and the State Capitol, the hotel also offers onsite self-parking for $20 per night.
The Graduate Madison is located just steps from Madison’s iconic State Street district’s dining and shopping, and a stone’s throw from the Memorial Union. The Graduate offers unique amenities near the heart of UW-Madison’s campus. Enjoy Camp a café serving coffee and all-day breakfast in the lobby, and 24-hour onsite gym. Enjoy a room design inspired by the lakeshore and college lifestyle complete with cozy beds, workstations, an HD TV, docking stations, and a lounge chair. Valet parking is available.
Traveling to Memorial Union, Madison, WI
Parking in Madison is limited, especially near downtown. If you plan to bring a car to the meeting, we recommend parking at your hotel or in a nearby parking garage and planning your travel accordingly.
On-campus parking for a full day is $15. City of Madison lots vary depending on time.
Check out real-time parking availability and helpful maps
Explore Madison
If you have extra time while you’re in Madison, here are a few great places to explore and things to check out during your visit.
Wisconsin State Capitol | Explore one of the most beautiful and historic state capitol buildings, with a 5th-floor observation deck offering stunning views.
Free, Hourly Tours (No reservation required)
Open Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Weekends and Holidays: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
State Street | State Street is one of Madison’s most vibrant and iconic destinations, stretching from the Wisconsin State Capitol to the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. This lively pedestrian-friendly street is packed with local shops, cafés, restaurants, and bars, making it a perfect place to explore.
2026 Steering Committee
Ted Eberhardt
Position title: Manager, Consumer Experience & Operations, Delta Dental of Wisconsin
Andrew Fjerstad
Position title: VP of CX, CROPP/Organic Valley
Dana Moyano
Position title: CX Director, nvisia
Johnathan Murphy
Position title: Associate Manager Customer Experience, TDS
Sponsors
We’re grateful to our sponsors for their generous support in making the Wisconsin Customer Experience Symposium possible and for their continued commitment to advancing customer experience excellence.
Customer Care Measurement & Consulting (CCMC)
CCMC is a full-service CX survey partner empowering Fortune 500 market leaders from every industry with expertise that transforms customer feedback into action—enabling companies to sustain excellence and outperform competitors through practical, insight-driven change.
NiCE
NiCE is transforming the world with AI that puts people first. Our purpose-built AI-powered platforms automate engagements into proactive, safe, intelligent actions, empowering individuals and organizations to innovate and act, from interaction to resolution. Trusted by organizations throughout 150+ countries worldwide, NiCE’s platforms are widely adopted across industries connecting people, systems, and workflows to work smarter at scale, elevating performance across the organization, delivering proven measurable outcomes.
Create a NiCE world.
Interested in sponsoring this event?
Showcase your brand at Wisconsin’s leading Customer Experience Symposium! In 2026, we’ll be together in person–with a virtual option to maximize reach—creating even more opportunities for meaningful connections and impactful networking. Sponsorship connects you with CX leaders shaping the future.