How CCAIA Chapter Meetings Work
CCAIA chapter meetings are small, practitioner-led discussions focused on the practical use of AI in customer support and customer experience. They are designed to create candid conversations among support leaders about what is actually happening inside their organizations: what is working, what is not working, what they are learning, and what questions remain unresolved.
These are not traditional conferences or sales events. The goal is thoughtful peer discussion and practical learning.
Why We Meet
The mission of the Contact Center AI Association is to distill insights about the use of artificial intelligence in customer support, and to distribute those insights broadly among customer support and customer experience leaders. Chapter meetings are one of the primary ways CCAIA accomplishes the first part of that mission.
Support leaders come together to discuss important questions, compare experiences, and learn from one another. The value of the meeting depends on participation. Attendees should come prepared to contribute their own experiences, questions, successes, failures, and lessons learned.
The objective is not simply to hear from speakers. It is to create a useful conversation among peers.
What to Expect
CCAIA chapter meetings are intentionally small and discussion-oriented. Most meetings are approximately 2.5 hours long, and the format is generally a boardroom-style discussion rather than a sequence of traditional conference presentations. Discussion topics are selected around issues that matter to customer support and customer experience leaders.
The goal is for everyone in the room to learn from the collective experience of the group.
Practitioners First: The 70/30 Rule
CCAIA chapter meetings are designed to remain practitioner-led. At least 70% of attendees are practitioners working inside organizations responsible for customer support, customer experience, contact centers, or related operations. Vendors and consultants are limited to a maximum of 30% of the room.
70%+
Practitioners
30%
Maximum Vendors & Consultants
Practitioner-led. Not vendor-free.
CCAIA has found that candid peer discussion depends on maintaining a clear practitioner majority. Support leaders need to feel comfortable discussing topics such as:
When too much of the room is composed of people selling products or services, practitioners can become less willing to speak openly. The 70/30 rule is intended to protect the quality and candor of the discussion.
This does not mean vendors and consultants are excluded. Vendors and consultants can bring important expertise and perspectives to the conversation. CCAIA includes them deliberately, but in a proportion that keeps the meeting practitioner-led.
How Vendors and Consultants Are Selected
Practitioner members are guaranteed a seat. Vendor and consultant members apply to attend each meeting through the member portal; membership is required to apply but does not guarantee a seat.
Local practitioner leaders rank applicants on merit: who they believe will add the most to that meeting's topics of discussion. Invitations go out in ranked order. As more practitioners register, we can invite more people from the waitlist while keeping the 70/30 balance.
Meetings are in person only. There is no virtual or watch-only option for vendors and consultants who aren't selected, but all members receive Meeting Insights summarizing the discussion.
No Sales
CCAIA chapter meetings have a strict no-sales policy. This applies both to the meeting itself and to associated dinners or networking activities. Participants should not:
- Pitch products or services
- Aggressively prospect other attendees
- Turn the discussion into a product demonstration
- Use the meeting as a lead-generation event
The purpose of the gathering is:
Vendors and consultants who attend should participate as contributors to the discussion, not as salespeople.
How Topics Are Chosen
CCAIA chapter meetings should focus on questions that matter to customer support and customer experience leaders. Topics may be identified through:
- Chapter leadership
- Local practitioners
- The CCAIA Education Committee
- Issues emerging across the broader Association
The objective is to discuss practical questions that leaders are actively confronting inside their organizations. Individual meetings may therefore focus on different subjects, such as:
The exact agenda for each meeting is provided separately to registered attendees.
What Happens After the Meeting
The conversation inside a chapter meeting is not the final product. CCAIA's broader mission is to take useful insights emerging from these discussions and help distribute them throughout the customer support and customer experience community.
Lessons from chapter meetings can help inform the Association's:
The goal is for insights developed in a relatively small room to ultimately benefit a much larger community of support leaders.
Ready to Participate?
Join the conversation. CCAIA chapter meetings bring together support leaders who are actively working through the opportunities and challenges created by AI.