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Just One Month to Go: The 2025 Wisconsin Digital Symposium is May 1, 2025
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The countdown is on! Join us May 1 for the Wisconsin Digital Symposium, a high-impact half-day event for tech and business leaders navigating today’s fast-moving digital landscape. From AI-powered automation to product-led transformation, you’ll gain strategies that make a difference—plus insights from keynote speakers Dr. Michael Proksch, global AI expert and Chief Scientist at AccelerEd, and Cortney Thompson Rowan, EVP of Strategy & Design at Delve. We're also extremely excited about the incredible panelists joining us from leading companies Schneider, John Deere, GE HealthCare and Kohler Co.
Attend in person or virtually—don’t miss it!
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🔴 Live TODAY at Lunch: Digital Symposium Preview
Join us on LinkedIn Live – Today, April 2, at 12pm (CT) for a quick conversation with Doug Barton and keynote speaker Dr. Michael Proksch. Get a taste of the insights coming your way at the May 1 event!
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Tribute to Professor Raj Veeramani: Visionary Leader, Builder of Bridges, Champion of the Wisconsin Idea
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After 27 years of dedicated service as Founder and Executive Director, Professor Raj Veeramani is stepping away from his leadership role at UWEBC to focus fully on his role as a faculty member in UW-Madison’s Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISyE). Raj’s vision and leadership have profoundly shaped what the UWEBC is today. From an idea in 1998 to a thriving collaborative among industry leaders and UW, his dedication helped us build something truly remarkable. What began as a response to the emerging questions around e-commerce has grown into one of the most respected university-industry collaborations in the country—a living embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea in action. Over 50,000 professionals have benefited from UWEBC learning events, more than 250 innovative projects have taken flight, and campus-industry collaboration has flourished in ways that directly benefit Wisconsin’s economy.
Raj’s legacy goes beyond numbers. His impact lives in the relationships he fostered, the students he mentored, and the values he instilled: curiosity, collaboration, service, and continuous improvement. He believed in the power of ideas, effort, and relationships to create change and led the development of a platform where those ideas could be shared, tested, and turned into action. Doug Barton, current UWEBC Director, will continue to lead UWEBC into the future with more engagement from faculty across campus and a shared commitment to member company success, collaborative innovation, and the deep support of our campus to turn challenge and opportunity into business impact. Please join us in expressing our sincere gratitude to Professor Veeramani for his visionary leadership and our excitement for the opportunities his legacy makes possible.
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Highlights from the Inaugural Wisconsin Customer Experience Symposium
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Click on the image above to the play the video.
On March 11, we hosted the inaugural Wisconsin Customer Experience Symposium, and it was packed with big ideas, bold conversations, and powerful insights on what it really takes to create standout customer experiences.
From Tom DeWitt on why CX initiatives fail, to Michelle DiTondo on building culture that drives performance, to Dr. Natalie Petouhoff on using empathy as a business strategy, it was a half-day full of "aha!" moments. We even wrapped things up with a candid panel discussion featuring CX leaders from member companies Mercury Marine, Hy Cite, and Generac.
Missed it? Don’t worry—we’ve got the full recap ready for you:
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Save the Date: Our 27th Annual Conference will be September 30, 2025
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We’re officially counting down to the UWEBC Annual Conference on September 30, 2025, at the Monona Terrace in Madison (with a virtual option, too!)—and we’re kicking things off with an exciting announcement!
Our first confirmed keynote speaker is Nancy Giordano, one of the world’s leading futurists, a bestselling author, and a trusted advisor to bold, visionary organizations. Known for her endlessly optimistic energy and sharp strategic thinking, Nancy will guide us through the changing landscape of work, technology, and leadership—and explore who we need to be in this moment to thrive in a world of constant transformation. Her concept of “LeaderING” challenges us to go beyond old leadership models and embrace new ways of thinking, acting, and building.
Expect fresh insights, inspiring stories, and a challenge to play bigger.
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Reminder: Manufacturing Matters! is April 9
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The 27th Annual Manufacturing Matters! Conference is just around the corner—happening April 9, 2025, at the Brookfield Conference Center. This year’s theme, “Limitless Performance,” invites Wisconsin manufacturers to explore bold new ways to grow and innovate.
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Don’t miss insights from keynote speakers Dan Thurmon and John Koskinen, plus sessions tailored to today’s manufacturing challenges.
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WMEP has been an outstanding partner to UWEBC for many years, and we're pleased to share information about their conference!
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Partner Offering Spotlight
UW–Madison has a wide breadth of professional development courses offered each year, diving into a variety of topics. Here is one upcoming event in particular that we thought may interest you.
Advanced IT Leadership Academy
June 3-18, 2025, Hybrid format
The Advanced IT Leadership Academy will cover a variety of topical areas that are critical to realizing digital transformation including: the digital transformation of business and the transformative power of digitization, value-driven innovation, data and analytics, talent acquisition and management, and portfolio management. Participants will also work in pairs to complete a capstone project which applies the week’s learnings into a practical business solution.
UWEBC members receive a 15% discount.
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Upcoming UWEBC Events
Note: Attending the events listed below requires UWEBC membership. All are virtual unless otherwise specified.
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April 3: Supply Chain Career Development: Invest in People (Hybrid Event)
Supply Chain Peer Group
Discuss priorities and approaches to upskilling and retaining supply chain talent.
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April 11: Executive Roundtable on Current and Emerging HR Issues
Human Resources Executives Group
Share and discuss pressing issues and hot topics with fellow HR leaders and take away actionable ideas.
April 15: Product Management for Connected and Intelligent Products
Product Management Special Interest Group
Join us for an engaging discussion on the evolving role of product management in shaping connected and intelligent products. This event is designed for product managers and cross-functional leaders ready to transform their approach and drive smarter, customer-focused solutions in today’s fast-changing landscape.
April 16: Unified Modernization: Harnessing Hybrid Cloud for Business Transformation
Technology Peer Group
Discover how hybrid cloud can unlock agility, innovation, and cost efficiency while modernizing your IT landscape. Learn from industry leaders as they share strategies for seamlessly integrating cloud and on-premises systems, enhancing security, and driving business transformation.
April 24: Lead Generation and Sales
Lead Generation and Sales Special Interest Group
Ready to bridge the gap between marketing and sales and take your B2B lead generation strategies to the next level? Join us for a focused virtual session designed to tackle your biggest lead generation challenges and provide actionable solutions.
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May 1: Wisconsin Digital Symposium (Hybrid Event)
Join us for a forward-thinking experience tailored to both technology and business leaders. Whether you aim to refine your digital strategy, harness the power of generative AI, or accelerate your organization’s adoption of cutting-edge digital tools, this symposium provides the insights and practical approaches you need to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced environment.
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May 6: Inventory Management
Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group
Join UWEBC member companies to discuss factors that contribute to setting - and achieving - inventory management strategies for your supply chain.
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May 13: Open Innovation: Collaborating Beyond Organizational Boundaries (Hybrid Event)
Innovation Management Special Interest Group
Join us for a dynamic cross-functional event exploring Open Innovation - a strategy that empowers teams to collaborate with partners across the organization to co-create solutions, and unlock new growth opportunities.
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May 16: HR Technology and Digital Transformation: Navigating New Tools
Human Resources Executives Group
Discover strategies to successfully integrate emerging HR technologies and drive impactful digital transformation.
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May 22: Focus on the Basics: Clear Communication and Expectations to Build Trust (Hybrid Event)
Customer Service Peer Group
Discover how clear communication and well-defined expectations can build trust, empower teams, and enhance customer experiences—join us for this insightful session about how the basics are anything but!
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May 29: Customer Experience Transformation: Embedding CX into Every Stage of Your Marketing Strategy (Hybrid Event)
Marketing Peer Group
This engaging session empowers marketing professionals to transform their approach by embedding CX into every stage of their strategy—creating seamless, impactful customer journeys.
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This calendar is updated in real-time. Keep an eye out for topics that interest you so you can mark them on your calendar! Note: Adding something to your calendar does not register you for the event; you will still need to register as well.
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