CCW Las Vegas 2025: What I’ll Be Watching, Questioning, and Prioritizing

Over 5,000 attendees. Hundreds of vendors. Dozens of curated sessions. CCW Las Vegas is one of the biggest stages in customer contact, but size alone doesn’t make it strategic. The real value is in the choices you make: what you attend, who you engage, and how you act on what you hear.

From June 9 through 12, leaders across the CX ecosystem will gather at Caesars Forum to test strategies, compare perspectives, and recalibrate. Ahead of the event, I connected with Brian Cantor, Managing Director of Digital at Customer Management Practice, to pressure-test the agenda. His perspective helped shape where I’ll be focused and where I’ll be pressing for clarity.

I’ll be onsite conducting interviews, attending breakouts, challenging assumptions, and highlighting what matters. If you’re attending, let’s connect. If not, follow along. I’ll bring you the moments and themes worth your time.

Start With Purpose or Leave With Regret

Massive events are double-edged. CCW offers unparalleled breadth: senior insights, emerging tech, and a who’s-who of vendors. But without focus, it’s easy to walk away overwhelmed and underwhelmed.

Before you land in Vegas, decide:

• What initiative are you pressure-testing?
• What kind of solution are you exploring?
• What conversation must you have to make this worth it?

I show up with one question that, if answered, justifies the entire trip.

AI Is Infrastructure. Stop Treating It Like a Trend.

AI continues to dominate the headlines, but the narrative has evolved. What once felt like hype is now part of the operational core. Leaders aren’t just exploring AI—they’re being asked to show impact.

AI is no longer a specialized track. It’s embedded throughout employee experience, customer journeys, performance measurement, and more.

I’ll prioritize sessions and demos that:

• Connect AI to tangible, measurable outcomes
• Move beyond pilots and into operations
• Show impact at the user, not just the dashboard

Who Owns CX Now? Watch for the Power Shift

As we shift from theory to execution, the conversation around ownership is shifting too.

Brian shared that CCW is seeing more senior decision-makers onsite—from IT, marketing, legal, and the C-suite. Fewer frontline CX roles. More enterprise leadership.

Our research at Metric Sherpa is seeing the same trend. CX investment decisions are migrating away from operations. That changes everything.

I’ll be tracking how this shows up in:

• Session dialogue and executive panels
• Vendor language and pitch evolution
• The cross-functional questions that surface in conversations

The Main Stage: Measured Expectations, Genuine Curiosity

I approach the keynote stage with measured expectations. This isn’t where you get tactical depth. But this year, I’m paying attention.

Celebrity speakers draw the crowds. That’s their role. But I’m listening for insights from enterprise leaders at Marriott, Capital One, and OpenAI. These are executives shaping large-scale transformations with real accountability.

I’ll be listening for what’s getting funded, where strategy is shifting, and which risks they’re willing to name.

Breakouts That Matter: What to Look For

This is where real value gets unlocked—if you choose wisely.

Breakout sessions are curated by format and audience. Some are collaborative. Some are case-driven. Some are for executives. Others dive deep into operations.

Brian made it clear: this year’s programming is deliberate. If you don’t choose with purpose, the event will choose for you.

Top breakout traits to prioritize:

• Evidence-backed transformation stories
• Sessions built for dialogue and benchmarking
• Clear takeaways without the jargon

The Expo Floor: Ask Questions That Matter

The expo floor can be a valuable extension of your strategic planning, but only if you approach it with intention. Without a plan, it quickly turns into a blur of booths and marketing noise.

Questions I ask vendors on the floor:

• What real business outcomes did your customers deliver last year?
• How do you measure success beyond CSAT and NPS?
• What are you building next, and why?

This year’s expo floor will include founders, product leaders, and C-level executives. Don’t window shop. Engage them.

Culture Is Back. The Stakes Are Higher.

The renewed focus on culture should come as no surprise. Organizations are preparing their people for the complexity of today’s frontline work.

Now that AI handles the easy stuff, humans are on point for emotionally complex, high-value interactions. That raises the bar on hiring, training, and leadership.

My own research shows only a small percentage of contact centers believe their agents are equipped for this shift. That’s not a technology gap. It’s a leadership and culture gap. I’ll be watching how companies confront it—or avoid it.

Use the Data. Pressure-Test Your Strategy

While keynotes and breakouts offer perspective, data helps challenge your assumptions.

Two key research drops will shape how attendees think:

• Consumer Preferences Study: Based on CCW’s CX in 2030 research. Expect hard truths about what customers actually want—from personalization to human versus AI interactions. Brian calls it the week’s reality check.
• PRISM Rankings: Delivered by Nicole Kyle and the CCW team. These rankings triangulate analyst input, user sentiment, and market perception. If you’re evaluating technology, this is a helpful reference—but not a substitute for your own due diligence.

This Week Is a Filter. Use It With Intention

You don’t need to attend everything. But you do need to make what you attend matter.

The most effective executives I know use events like this to pressure-test assumptions, explore what’s next, and leave with two or three ideas they’re ready to act on.

I’ll be onsite all week—talking with leaders, asking hard questions, and sharing what matters most. If you’re attending, come find me. If you’re following remotely, I’ll bring the highlights to you.

Let’s make it count.