If you haven’t already, review the Measuring Trade Show Success before starting. It explains the mindset behind the program and how to think through the MiM™ lens when guiding your client.
Timing & Participation
Session: 1 of 10
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 8 weeks pre-show
Led by: Coach + Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Leader
This session exists before any other preparation begins for one reason: without defined success criteria, there is no standard for the show to meet. Everything built in Sessions 2–5 — the system, the outreach, the follow-up plan — should be designed to achieve what is agreed on here. The Coach leads this session. The Relationship Developer supports with context on outreach capacity and target account approach.
Preparation
Time Required: 15-30 mins
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Timing: 2–3 days before session
Taking the time to prepare before this session ensures you arrive with the right context to lead a focused, productive goal-setting conversation — and the confidence to guide the client toward targets that actually mean something.
Step 1. Research the Show
Know the show name, date, location, and attendance profile before the session.
- Is it decision-maker-heavy or practitioner-heavy?
- Do their ideal accounts attend?
- Do competitors exhibit?
Arriving with this context sharpens the goal-setting conversation and signals to the client that the MiM™ team came prepared.
Step 2. Prep the Working Whiteboard
If this is a new client who does not have an existing Working Whiteboard, use the template below to create one and navigate to the Trade Show Program page before the session.
If the client has an existing Working Whiteboard from Quick Start™, check whether the Trade Show Program page has already been added. If not, add a new page to their whiteboard and use the Projects feature in the left nav to bring in the Trade Show Program page from the Working Whiteboard template. This page will be used to capture information across all sessions that involve gathering — so it's worth getting it in place before Session 1.
Fill in as much info as you have about the show prior to the session.
Step 3. Send a Prep Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Relationship Developer
Subject: Defining Success Prep
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
Looking forward to our upcoming session together.
We'll be focused on defining what success looks like for your upcoming show. As with any designed experience, we set goals up front so we can measure to them.
If you've attended this show before, feel free to share a quick note on what you felt went well and what you'd want to improve. It'll help us come in with the right context.
If anything comes up or you have any questions before then, let me know.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
Step 4. Review the Teach Deck
- Open the Defining Success Teach Deck → in Canva
- Use Presenter View to review your speaking notes
- Practice transitions
- Focus on flow, not memorization
Your goal is to be fluent in what this session is designed to reframe. By the end of the teaching portion, the client should understand that trade show success isn't measured in activity — and be ready to set goals that will actually tell them whether the show was worth the investment.
With the whiteboard prepped and the prep email sent, you're ready to lead the client through their trade show goal-setting session.
Teach
Time: ~15 minutes
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Walk the client through the teaching portion before moving to the whiteboard. By the end, they should understand that you're measuring relationship movement — not activity — and why the three goals you're about to set together are the numbers that will tell us whether the show was actually successful.
Open the Teach Deck below to begin.
Gather
Time: ~45 minutes
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Transition from the Teach Deck over to the [Working Whiteboard →] to begin working through the three sections together.
- About the Show — The basic show details should already be filled in from your pre-session research. In the session, focus on whether the client has attended before. If they have, dig into what actually worked and what didn't — this is the most valuable context you'll have for setting realistic goals.
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Goals — This is the heart of the session. Work through each column together and land on a specific number for each. Push for realistic targets, not aspirational ones. If the client isn't sure what's achievable, use their past show results or team size as a reference point. Capture any reasoning behind the numbers in the Notes field — that context matters when you return to these goals in the debrief.
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Team — Close by confirming who from their team will be at the show. This sets up the conversation in later sessions about booth roles and qualification ownership.
Immediate Follow-Up
Send a short follow-up email after each session, ideally within a few hours.
Follow-Up Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Relationship Developer
Subject: Defining Success Follow Up
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
Great connecting today — our team is excited to drive this program forward together.
We've got a clear picture of what success looks like, and everything we build from here will be designed to hit those goals. Next up, we'll start putting the system in place that sets the team up to execute.
Looking forward to continuing the work together. Our next session will focus on designing the trade show experience — the booth, the technology, and how the team will operate on the floor.
If anything comes up before then, don't hesitate to reach out.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
Synthesize
Take a final pass at the goals set during the session. Make sure the numbers are realistic and that nothing stands out as a potential problem before moving forward.
Once confirmed, build out the Trade Show Goal-Setting page in the client's Digital Playbook. This is what makes the process repeatable — not just for this show, but for every show that follows. Document the three goals, the framework behind them, and any relevant context from the session.
Share
Once the Digital Playbook page is complete, share it with the client's Sales Leader. This gives them a documented record of the goals they committed to and the framework behind them.
Playbook Update Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Relationship Developer
Subject: Defining Success | Playbook Update
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
We've started documenting your Trade Show procedures in your Digital Playbook.
This page captures how your team will approach goal-setting for every show going forward — what we measure, why we measure it, and how to set targets that actually tell you whether a show was worth the investment.
You can review it here:
👉 Insert Playbook Link
As we move through the program, the playbook will continue to build. By the end, your team will have a documented, repeatable system for running trade shows the right way — independent of any single show or any single person.
If anything looks off or doesn't reflect what we discussed, let me know and we'll adjust it.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
What's Next
With goals defined and documented, the program is ready to move into execution. Return to the Trade Show Program Overview page to select the next session.