APRIL 2024 EDITION

Sponsored by SEW

Hotels Are Filling Up Fast – Book Your Room Soon and Stay Close to the FWCC

Four weeks and counting! It’s that time of year when designated CS Week hotel blocks are filling up and finding a room near the Fort Worth Convention Center becomes more of a challenge. We urge you to register soon and book your room even sooner!

AC Hotel Fort Worth Downtown

Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel

Kimpton: Harper Hotel

Fairfield Inn & Suites Fort Worth Downtown/Convention Center

Courtyard Downtown/Blackstone

(Link available soon)

Hampton Inn & Suites

Fort Worth Downtown

(LIMITED AVAILABILITY)

Omni Fort Worth Hotel

(LIMITED AVAILABILITY)

Site of Executive Summit

Site of Key Account Forum

Site of Benchmarking

Hilton Fort Worth

(LIMITED AVAILABILITY)

Site of ENGAGE311

Click Transportation for all things wings and wheels to, from and around Fort Worth!

Fort Worth Is a Fun Place to Be a Tourist! Find Out What’s Happening, Where To Go and How to Get There at The Unexpected City!

Molly the Trolley at Your Service

Molly the Trolley travels from the Fort Worth Convention Center to Sundance Square seven days a week. Her route stops at or nearby all CS Week designated hotels. 

Service runs 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. Time between trolleys is approximately 15 minutes. Step on board and see Fort Worth from a vintage perspective. Molly also serves Trinity Metro’s Fort Worth Central Station giving passengers access to commuter rail, Amtrak, inner-city and inter-state bus service. (Source: Molly the Trolley)

The App Will Go Live on April 27th!

For some, paper is so ‘old-school,’ while others enjoy navigating with our printed On-Site Guide. CS Week 2024 offers both! Watch your email for the mobile app notification and log-in instructions. It is scheduled to go live on April 27th. The Conference Event App will be offered for these CS Week venues. You must be registered for each venue to be able to open the separate instances.

Customer Service Centers Anticipate 2½ Days of Sharing and Comparing

Sure, there are differences between customer service centers, depending on their scope of services, local governance and agency priorities. While some offer utility services, others coordinate multiple agency/department service response. All, though, share similar missions: to provide their residents access to and information about programs and services in their communities.

That’s the stuff of ENGAGE311 and its exhibiting space EXPO311, which is gearing up for 2½ days of center presentations, learning lounges, sponsor demos, awards presentations, survey synthesis and lots of sharing at the Hilton Fort Worth. Here’s just a sampling of what to expect:

Hilary Shine, Keynote

Vendor Presentations/Demos

Learning Lounges

If you haven’t registered, what are you waiting for? Eden Watson stands ready to answer your questions and help with last-minute registration and hotel bookings. Call her at 903-821-8721.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

6:45 am - 8:00 am

Omni Fort Worth Hotel | Texas Ballroom

Rise and Shine with Women in Utilities Sunrise Event!

We are excited to announce Kerry Hogan, VP CX, Southern Company Gas as the 2024 Sunrise Event Keynote Speaker!

Stay Tuned and Plug in!

Women in Utilities will have its Final Webinar on 4/11/24 focusing on "The Power of Partnerships!"

If you would like to join the 2024-2025 Women In Utilities planning team, contact Lisa Collins at lcollins@csweek.org.

Lunchtime Meets Learning in the Hall

Perhaps you remember Innovation Alley, where platinum and gold-level sponsors introduced an industry innovation or horizon topic and teed up how their companies were responding to the challenge. For 2024, the Alley has been repaved as ExpoXchange.

A closed theatre space situated in the Exhibit Hall, ExpoXchange will encourage attendees to grab a plated lunch and join the theatre for 30-minute talks, featuring 20-minute presentations on innovation topics and 10 minutes of Q & A. Vendors will be available at their booths before and after for follow up conversations:

Not an April Fool’s Joke! The 2024 Exhibit Hall closes today (April 1, 2024). Vendors: if you want to be a part the largest exhibiting space in the industry, please contact Shawnna Ansley asap.

Reserve a Consult Today! Then, See You in May!

Did you know that you can make a reservation request today to meet vendors exhibiting and sponsoring at the largest utility customer service exhibit hall in May? Vendors are anxious to connect with you on Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 for private consultations/demos.

Plan ahead, request your consults and be ready to meet with vendors, along with other utilities, who are interested in these dedicated presentations. The links above remain active until June 30, 2024, so you can even connect after Conference 48.

Questions about meeting with vendors? Email or call Shawnna Ansley at 903-821-3214. 

2024 Offerings Launched in February with a Refresh

Take the Plunge with Deep Dives

Several years ago, CS Week reimagined its business process-focused synergy groups to become Deep Dives, pre-Conference opportunities for utility professionals to share day-to-day operations with peers. Each Deep Dive moderator tees up subjects and asks attendees to talk freely about their services, programs, successes, setbacks and innovative solutions that are helping deliver excellence in customer service and CX. This year’s lineup has recently been added online. 

Billing & Payments

Contact Center

Credit & Collections

Moderator:

Kristina McClenahan

Puget Sound Energy

Moderator:

Maddy Campbell

Austin Energy

Moderator:

Mitch Carmosino

Duke Energy

Customer Assistance

Digital Engagement

Field Services/

Revenue Protection

Moderator:

Ronnie Mendoza

Austin Energy

Moderator:

David Goldberg

JEA

Moderator:

Anthony Fitzhugh

Salt River Project

Visit Deep Dives, click Categories and see what topics and facilitators await attendees on Tuesday, April 30. Register for Deep Dives as you register for Conference 48.

Your Mighty Pen/Key Stroke Could Make You an Author

Do you have a utilities-focused story to tell? The subject possibilities are as endless as your imagination, your memories and your insights. CS Week wants to help aspiring utility writers with its modified self-publishing approach, providing the author copyright control with the benefits of CS Week’s marketing capabilities, utilities knowledge and industry access.

These three books are available for purchase through CS Week’s Education Director. For more information, visit CS Week Publishing or contact Lisa Collins at 903-821-8675.