Louie Gravance: Culture Speaker
Louie Gravance, Disney-trained customer experience strategist and corporate culture storyteller turning everyday interactions into extraordinary “WOW” moments.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- More than 25 years at Walt Disney Company, designing customer experience and training programs for Disney Institute.
- Authored SERVICE is a SUPERPOWER! (Lessons Learned in a Magic Kingdom), widely used as a practical service guide.
- Recognized as a Top 30 Global Guru for Customer Experience; known for combining showmanship with strategy
- Formats: Keynotes (45–60 min), interactive workshops, and customized virtual or live sessions tailored to brand culture and audience.
- Audiences: Executives, HR & engagement teams, CX leaders, and organizations aiming to elevate service and employee connection.
- Outcomes:
- Transform routine interactions into memorable “WOW” customer experiences.
- Build service-as-superpower mindsets using proven hands-on skills and Disney-rooted storytelling.
- Enable leaders to shape culture with humor, heart, and practical behavioral tools.
- Travels from: Orlando, FL
- **Fee range: $15,000 - $20,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Discovering Service as Your Superpower
Delivering WOW Moments that Transform Careers
When employees ask, “What’s in it for me?” the answer is clear: EVERYTHING. Exceptional service doesn’t just benefit customers—it enriches the lives and careers of those delivering it. Louie Gravance, renowned for inspiring Walt Disney World cast members, reveals how delivering WOW moments can transform service interactions into powerful personal and professional growth opportunities.
This dynamic keynote dives deep into the art and science of creating WOW moments, exploring how they not only delight customers but also energize and inspire employees, driving overall business success. Louie draws from his pivotal role in designing, developing, and delivering Disney Institute’s groundbreaking programs, as well as decades of experience reigniting service cultures across diverse industries—from healthcare to hospitality, retail, and beyond.
Through practical insights, actionable strategies, and unforgettable stories, your team will learn:
- The transformative power of viewing service as a personal superpower
- How to identify and create WOW moments in any customer interaction
- Techniques for turning routine transactions into memorable experiences
- Strategies for fostering a culture of service excellence that benefits employees, customers, and the bottom line
- The direct link between exceptional service and career advancement
Tools of Engagement
Inspiring Employees to Deliver WOW Moments with Purpose
It is not what our employees are willing to DO, rather, it’s about what you need them to BE. Engaged teams create extraordinary customer experiences. Inspired and informed from his years motivating tens of thousands of Disney cast members, Louie Gravance shares how to align employee aspirations with your organization’s purpose to foster a culture of engagement and WOW service delivery.
Louie introduces his revolutionary P.L.A.N. for engagement—Purpose, Language, Actions, and shared Narrative—empowering leaders to transform their workplace into an energized, cohesive team working toward a common goal. This keynote equips your organization with actionable strategies to inspire employees to view their roles as integral parts of a larger, meaningful story.
When employees feel recognized, valued, and aligned with your mission, WOW service moments become the norm, not the exception.
7 Secrets for Crafting WOW Service Experiences
A Story Worth Telling
Every customer interaction is a sensory experience—a story waiting to be told. Drawing from his extraordinary role in launching the iconic “wand experience” at Universal’s Harry Potter Lands, Louie reveals how to transform ordinary service moments into unforgettable stories that captivate and delight. In this inspiring keynote, Louie Gravance demonstrates how every team member contributes to crafting a powerful narrative that defines your brand. From sight to sound, touch, and beyond, Louie reveals the hidden power of intentional storytelling in shaping customer perceptions and driving loyalty.
Louie shares 7 secrets for doing this:
- There’s No Business BUT Show business
- Never Let Them See the Wires
- You HAVE to Do Something that You Don’t HAVE to Do
- You Don’t Have to LIKE Them to DELIGHT Them
- Embrace Your Ignorance for Listening
- Creating the Illusion of Spontaneity
- (This one is kept a secret until the finale of the keynote)
With insights gleaned from his unusual, varied and vast experiences in multiple industries Louie illustrates how to create and sustain a culture that prioritizes WOW service moments. This humorous and engaging talk will inspire your team to own their role in shaping the ultimate customer experience—every day, with every interaction
Talent Short Bio
Louie Gravance is a globally recognized keynote speaker, culture consultant, and author who brings over 25 years of experience at Disney’s live entertainment and Institute training programs to businesses worldwide.
His unique background includes designing immersive service experiences and leading Disney’s quality service curriculum that helped inspire organizational transformations across industries.
Louie delivers humorous, heart-led presentations that teach teams how to create magical customer service with practical, memorable action steps.
Read Full Bio
Louie Gravance is a globally celebrated authority in customer service, employee engagement, and corporate culture transformation. With an unparalleled ability to captivate audiences, Louie translates his rich expertise into actionable strategies that inspire organizations to create unforgettable customer experiences and foster thriving workplace cultures.
As a former Disney Institute Professor, Louie brings the magic of Disney’s exceptional standards to audiences worldwide, showcasing how to develop “WOW” moments that resonate across industries.
Known for his results-driven approach, Louie empowers organizations to elevate employee engagement, enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve sustainable success. His engaging storytelling and dynamic presence have made him a sought-after keynote speaker, educator, and consultant for businesses looking to transform their culture and exceed expectations in competitive markets.
Beyond Disney, Louie has continued to shape the global conversation on service and engagement. His insights are rooted in decades of hands-on experience, backed by an acute understanding of what motivates employees and delights customers. Louie’s work focuses on creating alignment between organizational goals and employee behaviors, ensuring every team member contributes to a cohesive and memorable customer experience.
From retail to healthcare, Louie’s methods have proven transformative across a wide range of industries. His expertise in building trust, promoting teamwork, and driving employee satisfaction has consistently delivered measurable results for organizations worldwide. A master storyteller, Louie weaves humor, relatable anecdotes, and practical insights into every presentation, leaving audiences both inspired and equipped with tools to enact meaningful change.
Louie Gravance is a world-renowned expert in customer service, employee engagement, and corporate culture transformation. With a foundation built during his tenure as a Disney Institute Professor, Louie has dedicated his career to teaching organizations how to create WOW moments and lasting impacts on their customers and employees. His engaging presentations, filled with practical advice and real-world applications, have inspired countless businesses to reimagine their approach to service and culture.
Hashtags
#LouieGravance #CustomerServiceExpert #EmployeeEngagement #CorporateCulture #DisneyInstitute #WOWMoments #KeynoteSpeaker #LeadershipDevelopment
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Talent Videos
Lessons from Disney & Beyond
A former Disney cast member reveals how storytelling, timing, and purpose turn ordinary service into extraordinary experiences.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this high-energy keynote, the speaker draws from years at Disney and Universal Studios to illustrate how service is storytelling and how every detail shapes the guest experience. From the smell of popcorn at 7:30 a.m. to a child’s magical interaction with Snow White, he shows that service moments aren’t tasks, they’re stories that define a brand.
He shares how even a backstage pizza maker, who never met a guest, understood her why: every detail mattered to the guest experience. He challenges organizations to ask: Are you selling sticks, or are you selling wands? The difference lies in how employees frame their role through the customer’s eyes.
The key takeaway: Excellence always finds excellence. Service is a superpower. No matter your role, when you deliver with purpose, you leave an imprint on customers that lasts a lifetime.
Key Moments
00:00 – Immersive Disney example: popcorn, music, and magic shaping guest expectations
02:00 – The power of brand names and founding stories (Bank of America example)
03:00 – “Excellence always finds excellence” — great service elevates both guest and server
04:30 – Universal Studios wand shop story: selling experiences, not objects
06:00 – Seeing service through the customer’s lens — what they see, hear, smell, and feel
07:30 – Every role tells a story — even a pizza maker backstage knows her why
09:00 – The unknown impact of service moments on a child’s lifelong memories
10:00 – Closing: service is a superpower; never forget your role in the story
A Childhood Disney Memory That Defines Customer Experience
From over 25 years at the Walt Disney Company, Louie enjoyed a distinguished career with Disney theme parks, designing everything from live-entertainment experiences to customer service training programs through the Disney Institute in Orlando Florida.
Video Summary & Key Moments
The speaker begins by explaining that great service isn’t about learning something new, it’s about remembering what you promised to be. Every professional has a grounding moment, a contact memory that shapes how they serve.
He then shares his own. Growing up in a small agricultural town, he dreamed of Disneyland. After boldly asking his father’s boss for time off so his dad could take him, his family made the trip. At Disneyland, he experienced the Golden Horseshoe Revue, where performer Wally Boag called him on stage. Nervous and frozen under the hot lights, the young boy was steadied when Boag gently took his hand and squeezed three times, grounding him in the moment.
Years later, the speaker himself would wear that same costume, perform in that same show, and invite children on stage. Most froze as he once did, and each time he repeated Boag’s gesture, taking their hand, grounding them, and giving away the magic. He emphasizes that service moments are not tasks but opportunities to transform lives.
The closing message is clear: service is a superpower. It shapes both the guest and the server, grounding each in shared humanity. Excellence in service is something you give away every time, because you never know which moment will change a life forever.
Key Moments
00:00 – Service as remembering who you promised to be
00:45 – Childhood dream of Disneyland and father’s reluctance
02:00 – Confronting his dad’s boss at a Christmas party, securing time off
03:00 – First Disneyland trip and entering the Golden Horseshoe Revue
04:15 – Wally Boag calls him on stage; paralyzing stage fright
05:00 – A hand squeeze that grounded the moment and changed everything
06:20 – Returning decades later as a performer, guiding children on stage
07:15 – Realization: service moments define both guest and server
08:00 – Final lesson: service is a superpower, meant to be given away
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