Next week, Cresta’s flagship event — WAVE 2025 — will bring together the brightest minds shaping the future of customer experience.
Over three days of insight, innovation, and inspiration, we’ll explore how AI and human expertise are converging to define what’s next for the contact center and beyond.
From global enterprise leaders to the technologists building the future, WAVE 2025 showcases the thinkers, builders, and changemakers redefining what’s possible with AI. Let’s take a closer look at next week’s packed lineup.
Setting the Stage: The Future of Customer Experience
The conference will open with a bold vision from Ping Wu, our CEO, in “AI and the Future of the Customer Experience”. This keynote will dive into how changing technology and customer expectations are reshaping the contact center – and will also unveil new Cresta innovations built to help businesses continue to thrive in this next era.
Immediately following, the “Turning Enterprise AI into Measurable ROI” panel will feature Bob Victor, Head of Customer Solutions at Comcast Business, Edmund Mackey, Chief Strategy Officer at Aptive, and Robin Gareiss, CEO and Principal Analyst at Metrigy Research. The three will explore how leading organizations are translating AI ambitions into tangible business outcomes.
Real-World Impact: Lessons from the Front Lines
WAVE 2025 is offering an inside look at how leading brands are already using AI to transform operations across industries.
In “AI Agents in Action,” Kevin Dillman, Senior Director of Central Reservations at Xanterra Travel Collection and Colin Taylor, Senior Director of Operations at Propel Holdings share their experiences deploying AI agents to enhance customer experiences and efficiency — all while managing hybrid workforces of humans and AI.
From there, we turn to United Airlines, where Rachel Walker, MD of Service Transformation for Customer Support & Advocacy, and Brandy Maxwell, Senior Manager of Customer Insights & Policy Execution will unpack how the leading airline turns conversation data into enterprise-wide impact. Their fireside chat, “The Untapped Power of Conversations,” will highlight how insights from support interactions drive smarter policies, products, and experiences at scale.
Rounding out our breakout sessions will be “Expanding Human Potential: Unlocking the Full Power of Agent Assist” where Mark Fleming, the Corporate VP of Member Experience at SCAN Health, Fred Spano, the VP of Integrated Sales at Frontdoor, and Chris Reese, VP of Customer Success at Cresta will unpack best practices and advanced use cases for real-time agent augmentation.
A View from the Edge of Innovation
Cresta CEO Ping Wu returns to the stage alongside Sharad Sachdev, Global Lead for Gen AI-Powered Customer Experience at Accenture, for “A View from AI’s Cutting Edge.” Together, they’ll discuss how enterprises can implement generative AI responsibly and effectively, from first pilots to enterprise-wide transformation.
In Conversation with John Donovan
Few people have led technological evolution at the scale of John Donovan, former CEO of AT&T Communications and current board director at Palo Alto Networks and Lockheed Martin. In his fireside chat with Alex Cramer, CRO at Cresta, “A Rising Tide: How Businesses Can Thrive Amid Rapid Tech Advancement,” John explores how organizations can lead — not follow — amid the accelerating pace of change.
The Changemakers Driving Transformation
Transformation isn’t just about technology — it’s about leadership. In “The AI Changemakers,” Sai Vivek, Chief Customer Officer at Cresta moderates a powerful conversation with Stephanie DeWald, VP of Sales & Service Contact Centers at Cox Communications and Srikant Narasimhan, VP of Enterprise Customer Experience & Insights at CVS Health on how large enterprises are navigating complex change and achieving buy-in across their organizations.
Closing with Inspiration: Molly Bloom
WAVE 2025 concludes with a keynote from Molly Bloom, the entrepreneur, author, and inspiration behind Molly’s Game. Her story of resilience, reinvention, and risk-taking will leave attendees ready to take bold action in their own organizations.
Join the Wave
From the first keynote to the final conversation, WAVE 2025 is more than a conference — it’s a celebration of possibility. With leaders from Comcast, Accenture, United Airlines, AT&T, CVS Health, Cox Communications, and more, this year’s event reflects the breadth of expertise and innovation driving the next generation of customer experience.
Stay tuned for live updates and highlights on LinkedIn as we ride the wave together, shaping the future of AI-powered business.
